Bulleit 95 Rye Or Rittenhouse Straight Rye: Which Is better?

[kschatey]

Bulleit 95 Rye 45% abv is £30:50 for 70 cl and Rittenhouse Straight Rye 50% abv is £37:99 per 70 cl.

Having only ever tried Jack Daniels Rye and Jim Beam Pre Prohibition Rye (which I thought far superior to the JD) I am now looking at more premium rye whiskies and of the two above, which offers the best bang per buck in the eyes of regular drinkers of the stuff?

Personally I think them both hideously expensive but an itch needs scratching so any tips would be welcome.

Regards,

Jay.

To your point on pricing... I have yet to understand why rye is so much more expensive than "regular" bourbon. Rye itself (as a commodity) is actually not that much more expensive than corn. I mean, it has a slight premium, but not nearly what is reflected in the cost of a bottle for MOST rye vs. regular bourbons. Maybe I'm really missing something here, but I think it really comes down to fewer batches of rye produced and marketing. My preference is rye, sour mash, then standard bourbon, but damn do the prices jump on many rye offerings. That is why I suggested the Old Forester Rye as it is a newer offering from them and it really is quite good, yet actually cheaper (here anyway) than even the Bulleit Rye. If it's available where you are and the price is fair, go ahead and give it a try. Even with less rye (and I love rye in bourbon, BEER, bread, etc.), the Old Forester has great flavor!

Just to provide pricing context based where I am in Southwest Ohio, USA:
Rittenhouse Rye (750mL) = $26.99 - 100 proof, 4 year
Bulleit Rye (750mL) = $28.99 - 90 proof, 95% rye, 5% barley
Old Forester Rye (1000mL) = $25.99 - 100 proof, 65% rye, 20% barley, 15% corn

 

[mawnansmiff]

Kschatey, from reading up on why rye whiskey is so expensive, I discovered that the yield of corn per acre is four times that of rye so is therefore more expensive to buy. That said, apparently rye isn't so fussy as to where it grows, oftentimes it will flourish where corn would wither.

Also, apparently mashing and distilling rye involves more work than its corn counterpart.

Early American whiskies were either 100% rye or not far off that figure. Bourbon made with high corn content was a latecomer to the party.

At least that's what I read on the web.

Regards,

Jay.?

 

[kschatey]

Kschatey, from reading up on why rye whiskey is so expensive, I discovered that the yield of corn per acre is four times that of rye so is therefore more expensive to buy. That said, apparently rye isn't so fussy as to where it grows, oftentimes it will flourish where corn would wither.

Also, apparently mashing and distilling rye involves more work than its corn counterpart.

Early American whiskies were either 100% rye or not far off that figure. Bourbon made with high corn content was a latecomer to the party.

At least that's what I read on the web.

Regards,

Jay.?

Fair points. Yes, mashing rye can be a huge pain. I'm a homebrewer and love rye. I recently made a 100% rye Roggenbier and it was touch and go there a couple times with almost have a stuck mash. Putting it into a keg later today!

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Fair points. Yes, mashing rye can be a huge pain. I'm a homebrewer and love rye. I recently made a 100% rye Roggenbier and it was touch and go there a couple times with almost have a stuck mash. Putting it into a keg later today!

Awesome. That is one style I have not attempted. Hope it turns out well!

 

[kschatey]

Awesome. That is one style I have not attempted. Hope it turns out well!

It's good, but very different than anything I have ever had. It's difficult to describe. The best advice that I have for you is use rice hulls (2-lb was enough for me) and step mash it to break down the beta glucan. Hit me up via PM if you want mote details as 100% rye beers aren't common and I only know of one commercial example, although there are likely others. @CoffeeAndBourbon