Wilderness Trail’s single barrel, cask strength rye whiskey. The mash bill is made up of 56% rye, 33% corn, and 11% malted barley, and it’s aged in air-dried charred barrels.
Appearance: Deep Tizer orange. A very inviting and pleasing colour. A thick corrugated film, crammed with thick legs and a close-beaded swirl line.
Nose: The ABV and rye are immediately obvious, which I great for a CS Rye! Lots of honey and cherry, along with some light herbal notes.
Palate: Nice oily mouthfeel. A spice bomb, plenty of the rye peppery aniseed, tobacco and vegetative notes. A buttery nutty undercurrent is also present, adding another layer to the palate. There’s a lovely sweet syrupy vein running through the other flavours, like raspberry ripple ice cream. It’s a tad drying towards and during the finish, with a heat tingle on the tongue.
Finish: Medium in length. Cherry and peppery cinnamon continue through to the finish.
The tingle on the tongue is the last element to vanish.
Overall: Unapologetically big rye hitter with a lovely sweetness to balance. Nice!