Brush Creek Railroad Rye is bottled by The Brush Creek Distillery located in Saratoga, Wyoming. The distillery is located on a 30,000 acre ranch with an elevation of 7,600 feet above sea level. The distillery is new and they have sourced whiskey from Indiana for this label. It is called Railroad Rye because they are paying homage to the railroad that connected the town to the rest of America. They are also shipping the barrels from Indiana to Wyoming in railcars. The idea is the movement of the whiskey in the barrel as the barrels are being shipped will create more contact with the wood and encourage the maturation process. This is similar to what Jefferson’s Ocean is doing, but without the influence of the salt air. My bottle is from boxcar #1, bottle number 3021. It is bottled at 104 proof. Matt and I tasted this whiskey and here are our tasting notes.
Brush Creek Railroad Rye
Proof: 104
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Rye grass, plums, vanilla, mint and oak wood.
- Matt: Rye grass, prunes, mint and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, plums, berries, rye grass, mint, cardamom and allspice with oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the vanilla becomes a caramel and the fruit flavors are enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a rich French vanilla and the spice becomes pepper spice.
- Matt: Cocoa and butter cream with notes of orange and oak. The dried cranberry brings out the rye grassy notes and the orange becomes orange zest. The pecan makes the orange an orange marmalade full of zest and the rye grass and oak give it a dry note.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak, spice and lingering mint and fruit notes. The dried cranberry enhances the fruit and mint notes in the finish. The pecan made the finish very dry and peppery.
- Matt: A medium long spicy and minty finish. The dried cranberry made the finish chocolate with mint and tart orange zest. The pecan made the finish very spicy with black pepper and oak.
I would pair this rye whiskey with a cigar that has an earthy tobacco note to the smoke. I would reach for a NUB Habano wrapper cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller