Mike And Matt Taste Jefferson’s Ocean Rye, Voyage 26

I picked up a bottle of this Rye whiskey the other day at Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood, Kentucky. It is a Rye whiskey that was sent on a voyage from Savannah, Georgia through the Panama Canal, on to New Zealand and Australia, back through the Panama Canal, ending back in Savannah, Georgia. I think it did pick up some of the flavors of the sea on the voyage. Matt and I sat down to taste this bottle the other day and here are our tasting notes.

Jefferson’s Ocean Rye, Voyage 26

Proof: 96

Age: No Age Statement

Nose:

Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, honeysuckle, sea salt and oak wood.
Matt: Rye grass, sea salt, vanilla, citrus and oak wood.

Taste:

Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, sea salt, lemon zest, cinnamon and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry brings out orange zest and makes the spice allspice and cardamom. Tasted with a pecan enhances the sea salt and makes the vanilla more of a caramel.
Matt: Rye Grass, vanilla, sea salt, confectionary sugar, citrus and oak wood. The dried cranberry made it very spicy with citrus fruit. Lots of caramel, sea salt and allspice.

Finish:

Mike: Medium long with oak wood, cinnamon and sea salt. The dried cranberry made the finish very spicy with a hint of citrus. Long with oak, spice and sea salt.
Matt: Medium long with oak wood, cinnamon, sea salt and a hint of citrus. The dried cranberry made the finish spicy with cardamom and cinnamon and oak. Very long with a lot of sea salt, oak wood and baking spices.

I would pair this fine Rye whiskey with an Arturo Fuente Short Story cigar. I think the dark fruit, vanilla and rich tobacco flavors in the smoke would pair well with the sweetness and sea salt of the Rye whiskey.