I have always liked the whiskeys that Alan Bishop is making at the Spirits of French Lick Distillery. I was happy when he sent this bottle of rye whiskey to me the other day for review. I like his products and I like bonded whiskey, so I cracked it open with Matt and here are our tasting notes.
Solomon Scott Bottled-in-Bond Rye Whiskey
Proof: 100
Age: Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: French vanilla, rye grass, wild berries with a hint of allspice, and sweet oak wood.
- Matt: Rye grass, vanilla, orange zest, black pepper and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, rye grass, blackberries and raspberries, cinnamon and allspice, and sweet oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the berries move forward and the spice and oak move back into the background. Tasted with a pecan and flavors of orange zest and chocolate are added and the oak becomes a dry oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, rye grass, citrus and black pepper. The dried cranberry brings out vanilla cream and orange soda flavors. The pecan brings out spicy Cajun spice flavors and adds a nuttiness.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak, rye grassiness and spice. The dried cranberry shortens the finish and makes it sweeter with lingering wild berry flavor. The pecan made the finish longer and spicier with dry oak wood and pepper spice.
- Matt: Very peppery with oak and a hint of tobacco. The dried cranberry shortened the finish and reduced the pepper, but still quite spicy. The pecan made the finish long and dry with oak and pepper spice.
I would pair this Rye whiskey with a cigar that has some cedar spice and rich tobacco notes in the smoke. I would reach for a NUB with a Connecticut wrapper.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller