Brother aganst brother, rye against rye. Wild Turkey and Rittenhouse make some changes.....

As many in the American whiskey world have already known, two popular rye whiskies have had some changes recently.
Wild Turkey had a shortage of their rye, so the famous 101 proof whiskey became an anemic, pathetic, foul-tasting 81 proof. But to the relief of many fans, the 101 is back! Even though it is only available in a liter size in only a few markets, it is available once again for purchase.
A competitor to Wild Turkey Rye, Rittenhouse Rye is produced by Heaven Hill at 100 proof. This rye was made for many years, under contract, by Brown-Forman. The reason for this arrangement was due to the massive fire at Heaven Hill's Bardstown distillery that had them purchasing the Bernheim distillery a few years later. Supply was tight and Heaven Hill called on other distillers to help them out. Brown-Forman started distilling the Rittenhouse Rye did so until a few years ago. When Brown-Forman stopped, Bernheim started- but whiskey must age a few years before being bottled. The new Bernheim-produced rye has finally hit the market and bottles of the Brown-Forman-produced product will disappear.

Wild Turkey 101 old versus new:

This one is an interesting comparison since it's product from the same distiller, just 2 years difference. Many people that have gotten the new 101 say it's younger and they don't like it. While I won't say they're wrong, there is honestly just not that much difference. If the new 101 is younger, it's by months and not years. My wife and I detected a little more grain and spice on the new 101 and a tiny bit more oak on the old 101, but honestly, I've seen more bottle-to-bottle variance in mass production whiskies than this. Here's the other thing- Wild Turkey 101 Rye has been 4-5 years old for years. The new product has no age statement on it (Neither did the old 101), so by federal labeling standards, it must still be at least 4 years old. Is it worse than the old 101? In my opinion, absolutely not! It's still my favorite whiskey of all time!

Rittenhouse old versus new:

So here's the one with the big flavor change. Being a Bottled-In-Bond product, and also a Straight Rye Whiskey, old and new batches of whiskey can't be blended together to smooth the transition from one distiller to the other. The Brown-Forman rye always tasted like "Old Forester Rye" to me. It had those same earthy, maple, leather flavors that are in Old Forester products. It was really an enjoyable rye! The new Rittenhouse from Heaven Hill's Bernheim distillery is very different. It's bolder, spicier, drier, and a bit more grainy. I actually prefer this new rendition as I lean towards bold, dry whiskies. But it's not to say one is better than the other, they will just appeal to different palates. A warning though to the people that like the Brown-Forman Rittenhouse- the new stuff is much different, so don't have expectations of it being the same profile!

Pennsylvania VS. Kentucky.

Yes, it finally happened. The modern day Michter's Distilling Company has supposedly re-created the original Michter's Sour Mash whiskey made in Schaefferstown. I know I've been critical of the company, as have many others in the whiskey world, but let's investigate before throwing stones.....

According to Straightbourbon and a few other places, this was introduced several months ago as being on the market again for the first time in 20 some years. True for the name, not for the whiskey. This is not whiskey from Michter's Distillery in Schaefferstown, PA- let's make that clear. This is sourced whiskey from Kentucky. It is true that nothing called Michter's "Sour Mash" has been on the market since the early 90's.

Let's take a look at labeling:

1. The Schaefferstown bottle:
"Michter's Pot Still Original Sour Mash Whiskey"
2. The new bottle:
"Michter's Small Batch Original Sour Mash Whiskey"

Not much difference really. Both are labeled at 86 proof, with the Schaefferstown bottle saying "Distilled and Bottled in Pennsylvania" and the new bottle being labeled as "Bottled By Michter's Whiskey Company Bardstown, Kentucky 40004." Neither label hints at age or mashbill.

So how do senior and junior stack up?

Let's examine the Schaefferstown whiskey first:

We know this is a 50% corn, 38% rye, 12% barley malt whiskey aged in new or used barrels for 6 or more years. It came from either the small barrel-a-day pot still in the still house or the column-and-doubler main equipment in the still tower. WE MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT TIME HAS MOST LIKELY ALTERED THE FLAVOR SOMEWHAT OF THIS PRODUCT. My sample was stored in a decanter, which means it was exposed to some air over the years and it may have changed the flavor profile to a degree. I've compared it to several samples i have from other decanters and chosen this sample as the best representation of what I have. Because of this, I use this sample for comparative purposes only due to the excellent integrity of the flavor.

Color- Amber honey- Like my Yuengling Lager beer, maybe a little lighter. A beautiful sight indeed.
Nose- Char, maple and rye. Complex and reminiscent of Old Forester Signature. It's like an old cabin in the woods.
 Palate- Bitter. Rye-forward and earthy. Like Sazerac and Old Grand Dad mixed together. In the background is some nice spice- probably a product of the rye and yeast. This whiskey makes no compromises and stands in well with Wild Turkey or Old Forester of yesteryear.
Finish- Not too long, but the char remains that was evident in the nose. Maple and pepper are players here. It's like downing Ridgemont Reserve and breathing out slowly. It's good!

All in all, a robust whiskey for 86 proof. Very good stuff that we'll never be able to have again. Proof Dick Stoll was THE MAN in case anyone had doubts.....

 Now the new kid on the block- will he be hangin' tough?

Color- Same as the Schaefferstown sample, maybe a hare darker. A good start....
Nose- A little more vibrant. Fruitier and more tea and herbal tones. Still has that nice rye smell....
Palate- Sweeter for sure, but not too much. More syrup and citrus, but still earthy and herbal enough. More spry and vibrant.
Finish- Light wood and light sweets and sugar. As that fades, the tea flavors come back again to close it out. Very nice.

This is a good whiskey. At almost $40, it's steep, but it's also something out of the mainstream and is a wonderful 86 proof whiskey. Not your average bourbon Or rye for sure. It does seem to have many Heaven Hill traits.....

My conclusion- A very good whiskey and one that, considering the change in location, change in process, and gap in time, lives up to its Alma Mater pretty well. This is a whiskey for the Old Grand Dad, Wild Turkey, 1792, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Eagle Rare type folks. If this bottle was $25, I'd buy it by the case. Hopefully after the newness of the product wears off, there will be a price drop.....

Feel free to email me with any further questions!

To follow the saga and so I divulge some of my sources:

Michter's Sour Mash Whiskey on Straightbourbon

Michter's review

Wild Turkey Rye.............

As several of us on Straightbourbon have found out, Wild Turkey is going to be releasing a new version of the famous 101 rye- called 81 rye. Yes, 81 proof. Yuck. Seriously. Why? My first thought was maybe the love loads of hate mail, but that certainly can't be it. See, rye is gaining popularity as people look for something that has a strong flavor. Wild Turkey is running in short supply of their rye, so to get 20% more out of each barrel, they are cutting the proof down to a childish 81. The 101 rye will still live on, but in obscurity and in very, very limited supply. The watered-down rye will now be the main rye Wild Turkey makes. Needless to say, I don't plan on drinking this watered-down excuse of a whiskey, so I've been steadily stocking up on the 101 rye before it disappears off the State Store shelves. The name has already been changed on the PLCB lists so it's only a matter of time until the 81 appears. I'm sitting on a good 15 bottles, so that should hold me over until I can find more 101 rye in the future. With the new distillery up and running, Wild Turkey has much more capacity. I expect down the road a few years the tight supply of rye will loosen and the 101 rye to become more prevalent again. Until then, I've got my stash to weather the lean years with!

To follow the Wild Turkey 101/81 saga, click here: Wild Turkey Rye 81

Wild Turkey 80 VS. 81

Yes, Wild Turkey now makes an 81 proof bourbon. It is a subject of debate as to whether the 80 proof version will now go away or not. I snagged the last bottle of 80 proof off the Manheim state store shelf a few weeks ago and I finally got around to purchasing a bottle of 81 so I can do an official review. I actually have both bottles and 2 shot glasses in front of me as I write so I can do this most accurately. So other than 1 proof point and the look of the label, what's different between the 80 and 81? The 80 proof is aged about 4 years, while the 81 is aged 6 to 8 years like its 101 proof brother. The idea was to make a lower proof twin of the famous 101 that would be easier to mix and sip. So how do they stack up? Well.....


Color: The 80 proof is a nice light caramel color. You can see it does not have much age. The 81 proof, when put directly beside the 80, is a slightly deeper reddish-brown, indicative of the extra 2-4 years of aging.

Aroma: The 80 proof is strong in the grain smells. Very little evidence of the sweet tannins of barrel aging. Some alcohol smell and a fruity simple odor. The 81 smells sweeter, but is very similar with a mild aroma. A bit of the tannin influence can already be noticed here.

Mouth feel and flavor: The 80 is not unpleasant, but also very simple and un-complex. Grainy with some alcohol bite. Some light tannins and a slight leathery flavor let you know it's Wild Turkey. The higher rye content is also evident. Again, simple, sweet, and grainy. This is where the brothers start to really go in different directions. I just sipped the 81 after finishing a few sips of the 80. Wow. Much more complexity and thickness. It's still only 81 proof, so don't look for flavor you can cut with a knife. This expression has much more barrel richness- more leather, vanilla, smoke. It's smoother and more refined. I'm impressed! The nice extra rye flavor is still there, but it's like drinking my beloved 101 proof in a lighter form. Yum!

Finish: The 80 proof reminds me of Mellow Corn's finish- Sweet and "...where the heck did it go?" Not unpleasant, but nothing to write to mom about. The 81 is honestly about the same here. There is a light sweetness that lingers and then it's gone. But what should you expect from an 80 or 81 proof whiskey? This isn't Wild Turkey American Spirit!

The results: The 80 proof shows its youth, but it's by no means a bad whiskey. Both the 80 and 81 would mix well, but for sipping, the 81 is certainly your winner. If you're looking for something simple, inexpensive, and nice to sip, hit the 81. Well, both glasses are empty so it's time to end this review!