E. H. Taylor Straight Rye Whiskey

I bought this whiskey on a trip to New York. I specifically hunted it down. In the UK it's £120 a bottle. I bought it in Bowery & Vine for $55. Totally thrilled.

This was my first taste of American rye and it has changed my whisky drinking life.

Pours into the glass with a rich oily orange amber hue. One of the best looking whiskys I've seen in the glass.

Nose is sublime. A 24 or 25. Stunning. It's the moment I discover that I love rye. The rye grain in this just has an amazing perfumed aroma. Intense aromatic rye, dusty rye chaff, apricot and peach fruit, some sort of exotic floral, orange blossom, sugary sweetness like a hyper concentrated sweet wine, a concentrated grape vinous, subtle fresh oak, ever so slight eucalyptus. I could go on and on, but let's get to the taste.

Peppery spice, light burn, intense rye grains, orange blossom, apricot, crystal demerara sugar sweetness, eucalyptus, stem ginger. the intensity gives way to some slight subtle oak and creaminess but no dryness. There's a subtle complexity to this whiskey that builds and builds.

Finish is spicy with the undulating notes of rye grain, floral and sweetness lingering on and on...

An extraordinary whiskey. I've already got plans to get another of these in the UK and I'll gladly pay for it.

This straight rye contains no corn whatsoever - it's a large percentage of rye with a small amount of malted barley.

The colour is a deep, dark orange with coppery highlights. Somewhat floral on the nose, with mint, eucalyptus, oak, pencil shavings and orange pith. Dark chocolate. Cloves; quite spicy. Fantastic but avoid water as it lowers the volume.

Sweeter on the palate, with honey, more mint / eucalyptus, birch bark and pine. Quite spicy with smoked paprika and cinnamon. Herbal and medicinal - this tastes like it was made in 1860...and I love it! Water adds a touch of dark fruit but still kills the nose.

The finish is a bruiser - long, peppery and mouth-drying, leaving black cherry and wet sawdust. I love rye, and I love this - complex, powerful, endlessly fascinating. One of the best, absolutely unbelievable. Jim Murray scores this a 97; I dock it a touch lower as it doesn't hold water on the nose well. Obviously though - this is incredible.

EH Taylor is one of those whiskies I hear about often but can never find so when I saw a bottle of what i thought was the Single Barrel Bourbon or Small Batch Bourbon I was naturally excited I did not notice the Rye label till later that does not mean I am upset with my purchase more intrigued than anything.

Nose: Orange peel, barbecued ham, spice, some heat. Palate: Layers of honey, orange peel, ham, buttery spice, some vanilla. Finish: Some heat reflecting the proof, with some spice, vanilla, orange peel.

Jim Murray was right this is a quality dram and worth the money, like all EH Taylors collectors love this brand and look forward to buying these.

Here is a stunning American rye whisky, not easy to find (I came across a bottle at Queen's Quay LCBO by chance). I reviewed their Small Batch bourbon some time ago (this is a Buffalo Trace brand, by the way).

The colour is a dark murky amber. On the nose, surprisingly fruity, with raspberries and tropical fruits. I love those rye notes of pencil shavings and dill pickle! A backbone of caramel and vanilla (which becomes more apparent with water). Beer nuts. More malty (malt vinegar?) and delicate than you might imagine. I've had this a few times but am only now noticing its true complexity.

On the palate, some serious spice, with cardamom, cayenne and some brine. Fruity but this time with caramel apples and dates. Mouth-drying - you can feel the oak here. Quite extraordinary. Water tames the heat and spice, and silkens the mouthfeel.

On the finish, many more pencil shavings. Caraway seeds. Long warming finish - juicy. This is a near-perfect rye, in the sense that all the right elements are there and in perfect harmony (if it does not reach the heights of Thomas H. Handy Sazerac, that is only because the Handy brings so many more extraordinary elements to the table).