Rebel Yell’s small-batch rye contains small amounts of corn and malt. Platinum Medal: SIP Awards, 2018 & Double Gold Medal: San Francisco World Spirit Competition, 2016.
Appearance: Light amber. A medium/thick swirl line quickly beads up. Many thick teardrops and trails form throughout the viscous film. Quite a sticky appearance in the glass.
Nose: Quite a peppery and vegetal nose initially, accompanied by the ABV wave. Hot aniseed (Fireballs), honey, quite perfumed for a rye whiskey. Some more confectionary notes like Loveheart sweets, lemon sherbets and dark milk chocolate appear after a short while.
Palate: Quite a thin mouthfeel. A little ‘milky pancake’ initially before the spices hit in the form of black pepper cinnamon and lemon pepper. Sweetness appears after the spice settles but, to me, tastes slightly diluted. There’s honey, caramel and vanilla ice cream, along with orange peel, oak and cherries in syrup.
Finish: Pepper, vanilla and a little mild chilli tingle all linger for a decent length of time. There is a subtle cloying right at the end.
Overall: ‘Quite nice’. I wouldn’t choose it, but if offered, wouldn’t say no. It feels ‘lacking’ to me and I feel it could offer more.
