Monday, July 20, 2015

Pikesville Rye 6 year 110 proof


Heaven Hill recently introduced a new 110 proof, 6 year old version of its Pikesville Rye.  Pikesville is an old Maryland brand long owned by Heaven Hill and made in Kentucky.  For years, it was a very good budget brand. I've always been a fan of Heaven Hill ryes so I'm excited to see how this one measures up.

Pikesville Rye 100 Proof, 6 yo ($50)


This has got a nice, spicy nose with just a touch of honey in the background. The palate starts with bold rye spice and then develops some sweetness. It's a spice bomb with mint, clove and ginger. The finish is sweet and spicy with lots of ginger, but then it turns medicinal and bitter. Oh, and don't add water, it brings out bananas and other, weird fruity notes.

I was hoping to be blown away by this, but it was not to be. It's not at all bad (though the finish is a bit out of balance), but I found it underwhelming. That beings aid, it will make a fine addition to the ryes on the shelf today, and it's good to see a higher proof rye offering.


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just tried this at a trade event. An industry source says that it is an older (6 year plus) and higher proof (110) version of the Rittenhouse Rye formulation. It does indeed have a spicy profile, and to my palate at least, a lingering warm finish. It also meshed well in a Manhattan. This is going to be an addition to my liquor cabinet.

sku said...

Yes, despite the Rittenhouse in Pennsylvania style and Pikesville is MD style ad copy, they're all the same stuff.

Anonymous said...

If its "all the same stuff" why not just buy two bottles of Rittenhouse BIB?

Given the lukewarm review, a sexier label and 10 extra proof points isn't enough to justify double the price!

portwood

Carlton said...

I would agree, portwood. It seems to be easier for a company to introduce a new product at a much higher price point rather than significantly raising the price of an existing product (even if the new product is not much different from the existing product). This is a steep premium for a few extra proof points and a couple of extra years in the barrel. I won't be buying a bottle at $50 - too many good ryes available for less.

Gary A. Turner said...

I look forward to trying a sample from someone else's bottle; from what I've seen here and elsewhere - at $50 I expect I would be disappointed (especially when for $10 you can pick up barrel proof 7 or 8yr ryes).

Funky Tape said...

The fact that you didn't detect heavy mineral or medicine is a bonus in my book. I'm like you; I can pick out the things I don't like in whiskey more readily than I can those that I do.

The rye to beat for me right now is the reissued WT 101 in the Liter bottles which just showed up here under $30 ea. Its a bit of a patience tester at first with the typical uninviting phenolic nose stuffs, but after that it stomps on Ritt 100 BiB in terms of flavor and complexity.

sku said...

Funky Tape, I haven't had WT 101 since it came back. I'll have to check it out.

Gary, where on earth can you find barrel proof 7 and 8 year old ryes for $10?

Gary A. Turner said...

Sorry - meant to say "for $10 more", meaning for $60 you can find barrel proof 7 and 8 yr old ryes :)

Believe me - if I had an idea of where to snag them for $10 - I'd never put that on the internet (but would certainly let some friends know!)

sku said...

Well, that makes more sense Gary. I thought you had discovered a rye goldmine of some sort.

MadMex said...

Corsair’s Ryemageddon Kicks Ass. Kapow! Right In your face. $40 round these parts.

Artur said...

Do you know, if the standard bottling (3YO?) of Pikesville will be continued?

Alan Winkleman said...

Jim Murray gives the Pikesville 110 Rye 97,5 points in his 2016 'Whisky Bible' and names it 'Second Finest Whisky in the Word'.
So if it evers gets to be on sale in Germany, where I live, I'll be going for it !