Before (an excellent) dinner at Cocotte last night I ordered a cocktail called the La Nella Moda. It’s made with Old Overholt Rye, Dolin Rouge, Amaro Ramazzotti, and Old Fashioned Bitters. Sounds good, right? “I should mention,” the bartender said, “that I’m not using the Old Overholt anymore. We switched to Bulleit Rye.” WHAT?!?!
Of all the bullshit press releases that come through my inbox, why was none of them informing me that Bulleit had moved into rye territory. After dinner, my friend and I went straight to Pearl Specialties (helpful hint: they stay open until 10pm), and bought a bottle each of the rye and the original bourbon. You can see the difference right away. It’s a much lighter color than the original, less caramel. There’s some similarity in the flavors—the cherry and tobacco notes will be familiar—but it’s far less syrupy than the bourbon. It doesn’t have the same spice that a lot ryes tend to have, but it feels more complex than other bottles in its price range (I think I paid $22). It’s a hell of a value, and for my particular tastes—and I’m sure many will disagree—it’s better than the bourbon. Production isn’t as high, so neither is distribution, but if you’re a whiskey lover, this one’s well worth seeking out.
*delighted squeal*
If the world is fuzzy, it’s because you made the ghost of Abraham Overholt cry.
http://www.pittsburghdiary.com/aug/WOverto…
Hey, the world was Bulleit fuzzy for me this morning too, thanks to $4 shots at the Yukon.
Hopefully stores can keep it in stock — Rye seems to fly off the shelves here. It’s getting impossible to find a bottle of Sazerac or Rittenhouse.
In think you paidl $28. Because that’s what I just paid. And if you got a better deal I’ll be awful butthurt.
@FC, his story checks out. I was so excited two weekends ago that Bulleit’s bourbon was marked down to $21 at my local liquor store that I nearly told the internet.
Then I realized that a) that might look bad, and b) few, if any, would take advantage of the KILLER DEAL ON THE JUICE THAT KEEPS ME FROM MURDERING MOST OF YOU.
SO, LITERALLY A KILLER DEAL THEN.
Argh. I just paid $28 too. The bourbon was marked down to $21, but not the rye. What’s the deal? OLCC sales usually last until the end of the month.
Just checked the charge on my credit card, and the total was $49 Leads me to believe I paid $21 for the bourbon and $28 for the rye. Still a bargain at $28, in my opinion.
Oops, I misread Colin’s comment and thought he had found the rye for $21 as well. I haven’t tried it yet, but at $28 it’ll have to be pretty damn good to pull me away from the almost monthly foot-switching $14 sales on Old O and Jim Beam ryes. Exciting to see a new rye on the shelves!
Yeah, I was about to say… I was almost 100% on OLCC sales being statewide. I definitely picked up a Bulleit bourbon the first day of the sale. ALSO Laphroig and another bottle of Old Overholt.
But damn if I needed to pick up this bottle of Rye. I’m going to wait until my buddy is able to sample it with me. So stoked!
I really love the color of this one. Also I got one where the label is totally wonky. It makes me feel like I got something extra special.
Geez, have you folks tried Pendelton? Bulleit is kid’s stuff.
You must have had a pretty posh childhood if you were sipping on Bulleit.
Canadian whiskey tends to be a lot lighter on the rye than American rye. I actually think a lot of Canadian whiskeys have no rye at all, despite being called rye up there. By US standards, I think a whiskey has to be over 50% rye to be labeled as such. I don’t remember what Pendleton tastes like, but I doubt it’s 95% rye like Bulleit. Apples and oranges.