Last month, on the occasion of a friend ’shopping victoriously’ for the Sazerac 18 year old rye, a number of friends gathered at my house to blind taste a slate of rye whiskeys. Having recently attended Paul Pacult’s session at Tales of the Cocktail (How Good is your Palate) I had a fairly good idea how I wanted to conduct the tasting. First of all, it had to be blind. Everyone is influenced by the relative price and/or prestige that a bottling is held in and their judgment is definitely colored by their expectations. It is quite amazing the difference that not knowing what you are tasting makes. If you have never done a blind tasting, I encourage you to do so. All you really need is a willing partner to keep the information of what is in which glass from you, but it can be a lot of fun as a group event or even party. Additionally, I asked everyone to follow Mr. Pacult’s tasting protocol, which involves viewing and carefully smelling the spirit before tasting it twice. The first time is really just to rinse off the tongue, while the second tasting reveals the (sometimes) subtle characteristics of the distillate. Taking notes is highly encouraged, as it can sharpen the distinctions between samples and makes it much more fun when the candidates are revealed!

The Ryes tasted were:

1. Michter’s US-1 (84.8 proof, 3 years) “single barrel”
2. Rittenhouse Bottled-in-bond (100 proof, 4 years)
3. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 2008 (127.5 proof, 6 years, 5 months) “uncut/unfiltered”
4. Sazerac 6 year old “Baby Saz” (90 proof, 6 years)
5. Sazerac 18 year old rye (90 proof, 18 years)
6. Wild Turkey Rye (101 proof, no age statement, so 4 years)
7. Jim Beam Black [bourbon] (86 proof, 8 years)
8. Old Overholt (80 proof, 4 years)
9. Russell’s Reserve Rye (90 proof, 6 years) “small batch”
10. Wathen’s Bourbon (94 proof, no age statement, so 4 years)

Basically, these are all of the rye whiskeys available in Oregon’s state-run liquor system, plus a few special imports. Additionally, there were a couple of ‘ringers’ included to keep the tasters on their toes. As it turned out, the Jim Beam Black (which is a pretty rye forward bourbon) was able to fit in, while the Wathen’s was quickly identified and asked for its papers by at least 2 tasters. All of the others were labeled as ‘Straight Rye Whiskey’ and distilled in Kentucky.

The biggest concern in the glassware was actually getting matching glasses for 10 different whiskeys and 5 different tasters! We settled on passing around only 10 samples rather than arranging for (and washing!) 50 separate glasses. We all took notes on the 10, and, since this was semi-casual, there was some ‘table-talk’ with comments and exclamations about the samples.

So, results! Well, our tasting was primarily about what we liked. There was no formal grading system so an overall ranking was not the goal. However, when the actual ryes were revealed there were a number of surprises. Overall, the Wild Turkey rye did quite well with a number of people rating it as one of their favorites. The Rittenhouse bonded also was a favorite. And the Sazeracs acquitted themselves well. The Jim Beam Black was one of the least favorites, although 3 of us had enjoyed it earlier in the month as part of a bourbon flight at a bar. One taster described it colorfully as “super medicinal smelling, still lacking character. All the warmth of a German brown coat. Just punishment w/o sincerity”.

Another wrap-up conclusion was that 10 spirits is really too many to taste in one session. All of us looked at our notes and agreed that by taste 7 or so, they reflected less and less detail. Many of us thought there were two or three ryes over 101 proof when in fact there was only one.

I recommend that everyone eat beforehand, have water or crackers to cleanse palates in between tastes, and make sure to have spit cups. Hosting a tasting is really fun and a great way to get some variety into your liquor cabinet should one of your tasters, ahem, forget one of the bottles they brought.

New Orleans has been on my mind this week, with Mardi Gras being this last Tuesday and all. I’ve found that one of the more elusive classic New Orleans drinks to get out on the town is the Vieux Carré. It seems that few bars, even at Southern or Cajun/Creole restaurants, deem it necessary to have Bénédictine on hand, presumably due to the expense. I would remind them that there has always been a distinctly French influence on the cuisine of New Orleans, and this drink only uses 1 teaspoon. And you just can’t duplicate this drink without it.

The Vieux Carré is one of the few drinks that we conclusively know the origin of; it was invented in 1938 by Walter Bergeron at the Monteleone Hotel in New Orleans. Vieux Carré (meaning ‘Old Square’) is also one of the local names for the French Quarter.

Vieux Carré

• 1 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz cognac
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 tsp Bénédictine
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Stir with cracked ice, strain and garnish with a lemon twist and its oils.

This is a fine and balanced drink that turns out to be very sensitive to the exact amounts called for.  When proper care is exercised in measuring, I love the way the spiciness of the rye and the sugar notes of the cognac mellow with the sweetness of the vermouth and the Bénédictine. Then the drink gets a quadruple blast of herbal complexity from the herbal liqueur, the vermouth and the two kinds of bitters. It’s kind of like a Manhattan, but smoother, sweeter, more refined, and more complex.

If I use 100 proof rye, I’ll back it down to 3/4 oz. Be careful when measuring the Benedictine; use a proper kitchen teaspoon and don’t overdo it or the drink will veer into cough syrup territory. While I have used brandy as a sub for the cognac, there is definitely room here for a nicer cognac. You can control the amount of water added by the fineness of the ice. Freshly hammered ice with a reasonable portion of crushed/powdered ice makes for a smoother potion. And, of course, with a classic mostly whiskey and bitters cocktail like this, be sure to get a goodly spray of lemon peel oil on the surface and rub the peel around the rim for a wonderful citrus entry as you bring the glass to your lips.

The Vieux Carré is really one of the most enjoyable signature New Orleans cocktails and it is a shame that more of the restaurants purporting to deliver the unique cuisine of the Crescent City do not serve it on their menus.

A note on pronunciation – I’ve heard a number of folks put the full Gallic gargle on the end ‘r’. But both proper French (note the accent on the é) and current New Orleans usage is ‘voo cah-ray’ or ‘voh cah-ray’, and, of course, some are going to say ‘view cah-ray’.

There was a time not too long ago when rye whiskey almost disappeared, another victim of Prohibition. It didn’t, though, and thanks to the internet, rye has enjoyed something of a revival in America. So much so that there have even been shortages caused by its rapid return to semi-popularity. However, despite this new popularity, you can still get blank stares from cocktail waitresses on Main St bars and questions like, “Is that a kind of whiskey?”

Yes, Virginia, it is a kind of whiskey. Believe it or not, a whiskey made from rye, which is a close cereal relative of wheat. For American producers to label their bottles as rye whiskey, the mash bill must be at least 51% rye, among other things. Using the word ’straight’ adds a requirement of at least 2 years of aging in new, charred oak barrels. Canadian producers are under no such restrictions, and currently very little rye is used in whisky making north of the border.  The ever reliable wikipedia even claims that Canadian law allows the label ‘rye whisky’ on products that contain no rye at all! That said, there are a few 100% rye whiskys (Alberta Springs, for one) being made in Canada, and I’d love to try them. Banff is lovely this time of year…

Rye can also feature in the recipe for a bourbon whiskey. Bourbons are only required to use 51% corn, leaving plenty of room for other grains, especially one as distinctive as rye. It is commonly used and a number of bourbons show more or less of rye’s unique musty and spicy flavor. For instance, the Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon could be mistaken for a rye in a blind tasting and the Four Roses Single Barrel 100° is 35% rye.

Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Old Overholt and Rittenhouse are the major brands on the market. Other ryes are basically specialty items, with the possible exception of the Sazerac 6 year old – called the ‘Baby Saz’ to differentiate it from its 18 year old stablemate. Pikesville Rye is the only surviving Maryland rye, and has limited distribution. Moving up the price scale a little, you’ll find the Tuthilltown Manhattan Rye and  Michters US1. In the ‘very expensive’ category, look for A.H. Hirsch, Van Winkle, Black Maple Hill and Sazerac.

I recently acquired the Thomas Handy Sazerac from the Buffalo Trace 2008 Antique Collection. Maybe I’ll make a Manhattan with some Carpano Antica and cherry vanilla bitters one of these days. For now, I am content to sip it with some water and a bit of ice as it is barrel strength, a tongue blistering 127.5 proof. It is truly a joy of a sipper, starting out with a vanilla, filling the mouth with a wonderful buttery texture, and finishing with notes of black pepper and cloves.

Mixing wise, rye is a great ‘bottom’ or ‘bass note’, that pairs well with sweeter or brighter things like citrus, Benedictine or St Germain, yet has enough punch not to get lost in the mix. One of the best ways to enjoy it is in an Imbibe!-style Fancy Rye Cocktail or a Sazerac.

Sazerac (a là Imbibe!)

• 2 ounce rye whiskey (Rittenhouse)
• 1 scant teaspoon simple syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 dash absinthe ( as a rinse)

Stir with fine cracked ice, strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a nice curly lemon twist.

Wow, that is fantastic! Ordering these out at bars usually results in a sickly sweet rye syrup, and when I usually make these freehand they have much more bitters than this. Carefully following Thomas Handy’s (by way of Wondrich) recipe is well worth it.

Another classic cocktail utilizing rye is the Manhattan. However, only having space for one more drink, I couldn’t neglect that wonderful Negroni variation known as the Boulevardier.

Boulevardier

• 1 ounce rye whiskey (Old Overholt)
• 1 ounce Campari
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1-2 dash rhubarb bitters (optional)

Stir well over cracked ice for 20 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or a twist of orange peel.

A fine, balanced cocktail with the Campari and rye characters tamed but still present to be savored. Another plus – the basic recipe is simple enough that you might be able to get a decent one out of your bartender.

A few links for those interested in further reading:

Here’s Mud in Your Rye

How to Make it at Home

All but Lost, Rye Is Revived as the Next Boutique Find

For some tastings of various ryes, check out Paul Clarke’s nine post series at The Rye Chronicles and LeNell’s Rye Class.