Castle & Cairn

The product of Boston Harbor Distillery  (DSP-MA-21015), Putnam New England Rye is an ultra high rye whiskey that joins a single Malt as being the distillery's main workhorses. Both base spirits are offered in a variety of finishes. They also make small batch gin, rum, liqueurs, and ready-to-drink cocktails. The namesake for this whiskey was Silas Putnam who built a factory, now the site of the distillery, that automated the manufacture of the hot-forged horseshoe nail. BHD was founded by Rhonda Kallman in 2012 with a focus on whole grain whiskey after more than two decades as a brewery founder and executive, first at the Boston Beer company of Sam Adams' fame and then again at new Century Brewing.   Front Label 🛒 Sourced:  $49.99 on their website - I got this tiny bottle in a Flaviar tasting set given to my by my dad.  🧪 Proof:  86 proof, 43% ABV - Always a bit interested in how they get these nonstandard numbers. 🎨 Color:  R3  - An orange yel...

Named after Abraham Overhold (1784 - 1870), this Suntory owned brand has its roots as a Pennsylvania rye though it is now made and aged in Kentucky by Jim Beam . Old Overholt is the oldest continuously released rye in production. It was one of the few makers to continue production during prohibition under a medicinal whiskey license, potentially benefiting from its partial ownership by Andrew Mellon, Warren G. Harding's Secretary of the Treasury. This bonded iteration was introduced in 2017 as bottled-in-bond whiskey experienced a resurgence during the corresponding whiskey boom. Together Old Overholt and Old Granddad are referred to and sometimes marketed as "The Olds". While other rye whiskies experienced more of a resurgence in the 90s cocktails renaissance, Old Overholt remained a sleeper pick though it still has as strong connection to Old West culture. JFK and Ulysses S. Grant both considered this standard version of this whiskey to be their go-to.  🛒 Sourced:  $25...

Rittenhouse and Redemption Rye are always dueling in my mind for dominance of the lower end of the rye market. Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond is a well loved and long-of-tooth brand that is a mellow entry point into the rye whiskey genre.  📚 Background:  Debuting shortly after Prohibition's end, Rittenhouse Square Straight Rye Whiskey was launched by Continental Distilling Corporation in Philadelphia, it's name paying homage to Philadelphia's famed Rittenhouse Square , long a fashionable district with sprawling mansions and art institutions. During WWII, shortages forced production stoppages and changes to plant, so Continental Distilling reintroduced the spirit in 1948 as simply "Rittenhouse," a 4-year-old Bottled-in-Bond rye and it remained a cheap and reliable iteration of the format. Heaven Hill acquired the Rittenhouse brand in 1993, a time when rye whiskies were not particularly popular. Heaven Hill stuck to their instincts, keeping Rittenhouse afloat in the f...