Review #36 - Minor Case Straight Rye
Finished Ryes Mini-Series: Part 1 of 3
This three part series will focus on rye whiskies, specifically those that have spent time in a finishing barrel other than the traditional new charred oak cask. These finishing experiments will add some new flavors, especially some sweeter tones in general, which can be a nice complement to the spicy and herbal qualities inherent to most rye whisky.
For the first week, we're starting with Minor Case Straight Rye, hailing from Limestone Branch Distillery in central Kentucky. No age statement here, but it's believed to be around 2 years old, so lots of young rye notes likely incoming. The finishing barrel this time is ex-sherry, so we'll be on the lookout for some dark fruit tones as well.
Minor Case Straight Rye
USA - Rye
Current Locally Available Price: USD 45 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 45% ABV
Cask Makeup: New charred oak and sherry casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 1 month; bottles at 80%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Quite a bit of orange to start out, candied orange rind and some rounded brown sugar and caramel notes. Sherry influence isn't too overpowering on the nose, though there are some slightly darker sweet tones mixed in with the classic fresh cask flavors of vanilla, sugar, and oak. Those dark fruits are grape and quite a bit of prune, and there is a soft spice added in, though it's mild.
Palate: Some sweetness from fruit, it's orangey and red as well, maybe a bit of unripe strawberry. Dried fruit is here as well, like sour grape, but we move quickly to the oak notes, which are actually relatively rich: sweet wood, anise spice, nutmeg, baking spice as well. There is just a bit of a sulfur note hiding in there, and later, we get some semi-sweet bread, as well as more heavy oak. Mouthfeel is medium or a bit more, with some oils in there as well.
Finish: That anise tickle in the palate continues into the finish, though it gives way to red and orange fruit, orange juice, and just a hint of something purple like prune. A small amount of baking spice sticks around, and after some mild oak (which has faded into the finish), we again find just a whiff of that slightly bitter sulfur at the back end.
Final Note: This is decent, actually better than most ryes this young, at least to us. The sherry influence is definitely present, but not too overpowering; there is still plenty of influence from the original fresh barrels as well, with those classic sweet and spice notes. Worth a taste, especially if you can find this at a good price; this will become even more important when we look at the following entries in the series, as the prices on finished ryes can climb quite quickly.
Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.31
