Instead of spice, you get lots of sweet character, vanilla from the cask, tons of brown sugar, and some candy and toffee notes from the sherry. At eight years, much of the spice has mellowed in this whiskey - to the point that you’ll question whether it’s even pure rye. Amontillado sherry is actually added to the final blend after aging. Tap's 'finish' is actually the addition of liquid spirit, not resting in barrels. It's also going to be the hardest to find: a small supply means allocations nationwide will be, well, tiny. You still get that earthy, floral spice, but it comes into the room after a polite knock, not after kicking in the door. The result is something sippable straight: where many bourbons take well to ice or make better impressions as part of a cocktail, this one's ready for a glass immediately. Out this month at 53 percent rye, Woodford rye is basically an upside down mash bill of the standard Woodford bourbon. The 10 percent that remains does an astonishing job of filling in gaps, but the purpose of this blend is to support the talent, not build a team. Those characters continue onto the palate, but the immense kick of rye spice is dominant. It's also very spicy, with some cocoa and cinnamon notes on the nose. For 90 percent rye, this one is terrifically floral. New to market this month is the biggest, boldest whiskey from our neighbors to the north: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye. Here are some highlights to get your adventure started if you're already decades behind: So the question isn't necessarily whether you like drinking it, but how much you like in your blend. Whether you're aware or not, you've likely been drinking rye anyway, as it's a regular part of most bourbon blends. They're coming from Don's Great White North provider and Kentucky alike - and with exciting mash/grain bills, from as high as 100 percent rye to as low as 53. In addition to brands like Bulleit, Whistlepig, and a slew of others, there are a handful of new bottles hitting shelves right now - from big names in the booze business. RELATED: The True Story Behind Mad Men Read articleīut regardless of its origins, whiskey-makers are betting big that it's here to stay. In truth, Don was more or less alone is his appreciation for bourbon's spicy cousin at the time, as rye had begun a post-war fade after years of post-prohibition boom. That appreciation - for well mixed drinks and classic cocktails - may have come from the most fashionable show of the last decade, or it may have been a coincidence.

'The interest in American whiskey cocktails is certainly helping to contribute to this growth,' Alexandra Sklansky of the Distilled Spirits Council says, 'as rye's spicier character makes for a standout base spirit for many classic whiskey cocktails.'

Part of that is cocktails, like the now ubiquitous Old Fashioned. Volume was up over 40 percent to 520,000 cases in 2014.' Last year, the Distilled Spirits Council announced that rye sales had grown more than 500 percent in the past five years. They told us this week that rye 'continues to be one of the hottest categories among whiskey. It gets an approving 'helluva cocktail' from Connie - maybe the only approval Draper gets from him in the whole series. Connie remarks that the bar 'looks like it was set up by a blind man - and there's no bourbon.' So Don, being Don, jumps the bar, and starts mixing a couple Old Fashioneds - this time with rye. Searching for a drink seasons later, Don runs across Conrad Hilton in a Country Club sans bartender. It's an omnipresent Canadian bottle, always on Don's bar. RELATED: How the Real Mad Men Created Bulleit Bourbon Read article

Mad men whiskey glasses