Hochstadter's Family Reserve 16 Year Rye Revew

Hochstadter's is a product from the Cooper Spirits Company who have been putting out sourced ryes in a variety of different forms. Today we have their latest high end offering which is a cask strength, 16 year old, 100% rye that was distilled in Canada. 100% rye from Canada almost always means Alberta Distillers which is where a few other popular ryes such as WhistlePig are sourced. I was initially skeptical about this for a couple of reasons, mostly the high price but also because the Lock Stock & Barrel rye which is also from Cooper Spirits has less than favorable reviews. I really like aged rye and Alberta rye, especially at cask strength so I was willing to give it a chance.

Aged 16 years; 61.9% ABV; $200

Nose: Spicy and very warm. Spearmint, menthol, wintergreen, sugary bubblegum. Definitely smells like a well aged, cask strength, super high rye whiskey.

Taste: Lots of sweet charred oak sugars with a big spice blast in the finish. The range of spices is all over the place, everything from dill to wintergreen to spearmint to baking spices. The age is certainly evident as its got a wide range of oak and the sweet notes that imparts. The high proof comes through very heavy handed as all the spice, sweet, and oak notes are very bold. Overall, it's a sweet woody spice party.

Thoughts: Not only is this an exceptionally good whiskey, it's also a great rye whiskey. In fact, I think this is better than last year's Booker's Rye which was a really good whiskey but not a great rye. This is coming from someone who likes spicy wood bombs though so take that for what it is worth. The real question here is, is this worth the retail cost? If you are asking that question, then the answer is probably no. My advice is to split a bottle with some friends and try it for yourself. I did that and felt it was good enough to splurge on a bottle for myself. It may not be the best value out there but cask strength hyper aged ryes aren't getting more plentiful or cheaper as the years go by. So yeah, the pricing isn't great. Yet two months after release here there are still some of these sitting on the shelves. I can waltz right down to a number of locals and buy as many of these as I want. No hassle, no chase, no calling in any favors that count towards the limited number I am comfortable with asking for these days. To me, this is like buying a car at Carmax. Yeah, you pay a lot more but you don't have to deal with all the fucking bullshit drama leading up to getting the car at a better price.

Rating: B+ / A-

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating. 

Hochstadter's Straight Rye Review

Hochstadter's Rye is a vatted blend of straight ryes aged from 4-15 years and sourced from distilleries in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Alberta (CA). You might recognize the Hochstadter's name from their more popular product, Slow and Low "Rock and Rye". I've had Rock and Rye and even though it's time consuming, I'd much rather make my own old fashioned than settle for what comes out of that bottle. But anyway, their straight rye has some good specs on paper, isn't hard to find, is reasonably priced, and has received some positive feedback so I thought I would give it a go.

No Age Statement; 50% ABV; $35

Nose: Bubblegum, vanilla, citrus, and menthol spice. It lends toward the fruity sweet side more than spicy. 

Taste: A lot spicier than the nose with the sweet gum note still there but taking on a wintergreen slant. The heavy spice and light sweetness lingers into the finish but at the end an astringent, bitter, earthy note takes over. It kind of tastes like old dirty wood or younger ethanol, maybe even both of those things together. 

Thoughts: I am iffy on blended products that involve older and younger whiskey and that's case here. It feels awfully busy to me with young and old aspects pulling it all over the place. I like the bubblegum notes and the mid palate has some great spice but the finish nearly ruins the whole experience for me. This bottle got regulated to cocktail duty pretty early on but at this price I can think of better bottles to use for cocktails such as Wild Turkey 101. 

Rating: C

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.