Rossville Union Cask Strength Rye 750 ML

Product Info

This next review is a barrel proof rye under Ross & Squibb’s (MGP) house label that seems to have flown under the radar a bit. Despite the high reputation for MGP rye, I haven’t seen many reviews for this product, perhaps because there are no shortage of places to get sourced MGP rye and people don’t feel the need to seek out yet another option. But given that this comes from their house label, is aged 7 years old, and is priced right, I figured that the liquid inside had a decent shot of being quite good. True or not, my hope was that they were saving the best barrels for their own release. They also have not done the best job of marketing this, as it is quite hard to find much information on this product on Rossville Union’s own website. In fact, I wasn’t able to track down the mashbill for this release, although Breaking Bourbon notes that the 2020 version is a blend of their 51% and 95% ryes, and I presume that this is the same deal (especially after tasting it). It also appears to be a biennial release, as I do not see any information about 2021 or 2023 vintages. This 2022 edition comes with ~2 extra years of age relative to the 2020, which was a blend of 5 and 6 year old rye. I haven’t seen any news about a 2024 edition, but the photo of this product on the Rossville Union site has a different bottle shape and lists a slightly lower proof, suggesting that that could be the 2024. I guess we will see.

Stats

Distiller: MGP/Ross & Squibb

Mash Bill: Undisclosed, presumed to be a blend of 51% Rye/45% Corn/4% Malted Barley and 95% Rye/5% Malted Barley straight rye whiskies

Age: 7 years old

ABV: 58.6%

Price: $62

Availability: Limited, 18,000 bottles

Review

Tasting Notes

Nose: A hit of dill, rye spice, mint, rich caramel, orange, peach. There is nice balance between the sweetness of the 51% rye and the herbal nature of the 95% rye. There is a decent oak presence that is well integrated. Complex and inviting.

Palate: A hit of fruit candy sweetness, with apricot and orange flavor. Then the rye spice surges, followed by some dried fruit on the back end. This is powerful and brash but does not cross the line of being too intense, despite the high proof. Reminiscent of Thomas H. Handy.

Finish: Medium/short. The sweetness fades first, leaving behind mint, rye, dried fruit and some oak.

Summary

This is a great rye, with all the notes that I’m looking for. There’s a near perfect balance of sweet and spice, and it tastes very mature thanks to the 7 years of aging. Initially I thought this could be a Thomas H. Handy “killer”, as it contains a lot of the character of that release, and is about half its MSRP and eminently findable. I poured a small bit of THH to compare to this side by side, and while they were both excellent and quite similar, the finish on the THH lasted much longer, while this one kind of dropped off quickly in comparison. Still, this is an excellent rye, and when one considers the price and availability, should occupy a worthy spot on most rye lovers’ want lists. I’m hopeful there will be a 2024 release and plan to seek it out if that occurs.

Rating: 8.1/10.