It took much of my life to fall in love with bourbon, but my courtship with rye was a one-and-done event. I fell for it from the start: its lighter body, fruity roundness and tingly, busy edges sharpened further by pepper and herbs. Good rye is a boss in cocktails, an attention-commanding star of the show without being a diva. It plays well with other ingredients while ever reminding the drinker that it’s the reason you chose this spirit.

That Old Forester, one of my favorite bourbon producers, is releasing a 100-proof rye in February, is about as good as news gets in cold and dreary January. That this is the distillery’s first new grain recipe in 150 years proves change happens slow at Fo’. But at least it’s a change that pleases me and surely many others.

Upon the release a few days ago, it took a nanosecond before some suspected it was just Woodford Rye rebadged as Old Forester Rye. But that’s clearly not the case as the mashbill is markedly different:

• Old Forester Rye: 65 percent Rye, 20 percent malted barley and 15 percent corn
• Woodford Reserve Rye: 53 percent rye, 33 percent corn and 14 percent malted barley

I do like Woodford Rye, but I love this Old Forester Rye.

Nose: So-Fo’ that you could easily mistake it for its legendary bourbon sibling if you didn’t know it was rye. Peach pie, ripe banana, dried grass, warm brown sugar bloom from the glass.

Flavor: A rush of fruit and spice that’s delicate for 100 proof. Rye leads, followed by toasted oak, spearmint and cooked green apple. Tangy toasted oak and pie crust boom on the exhale. Subsequent pours releases dill and more graham cracker.

Finish: Long and soft. Wait a few minutes for aftertastes of mint-milk chocolate and, yes, more graham cracker. The more you drink it neat, the drier it gets, but not unpleasantly so. Amid the tannin, pleasant floral notes emerge to offset it.

Conclusion: Gosh this is good, really good! For years I’ve praised Old Forester’s 100 proof bourbon as one of the best whiskey bargains on the market. That Brown-Forman master distiller Chris Morris has created a rye sibling at a similar price and at such quality is exciting though not surprising. If you’re an Old Fo’ fan, you’ll recognize its sibling’s DNA at every level.

Tasting Notes from Old Forester Master Taster, Jackie Zykan

Aroma: Rich brown sugar and magnolia blossom, with hints of soft sassafras and candied lemon

Taste: Spice awakens immediately leading with sharp black pepper and cinnamon stick, rounding out with notes of dried dill and baked apple

Finish: Allspice and peppercorn introduce a long and dry finish which ignites with pine, anise and bright lemon zest

FRANKFORT, Ky.—Get your tents, flasks and MREs handy for the line waiting to come: Buffalo Trace Distillery announced its annual Antique Collection (a.k.a. “BTAC”) releases will begin trickling into stores in September through early October.

According to a news release, the highly anticipated collection will once again feature five limited-release whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs. Two notable changes are: Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon will now be 101 proof; and Stagg will proof well below its robust 140-ish standard.

George T. Stagg: The powerhouse favorite of the Antique Collection will come it at 124.9 proof this year (close to 20 proof lower than usual. Heck, that’s even lower than some releases of Stagg Jr. To be fair, proof isn’t always the greatest determiner of flavor or texture, so we’ll trust BT is making a good decision.)

This year’s release contains bourbon from barrels filled in the spring of 2003. That batch contained 284 barrels, less than last year’s yield, but still significantly more than the yield from previous years. Storage location of these barrels varied across warehouses C, H, I, K, P, and Q. This whiskey tastes of dark chocolate, espresso, and tobacco.

William Larue Weller: This is the BTAC unfiltered wheated bourbon. The 2018 offering was distilled in the winter of 2006 and aged in Warehouses C, I, K, L, M, and Q. This bourbon registers in at 125.7 proof. The bold flavors include dried fruit, fig, and caramelized vanilla.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye: BTAC’s uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey, this year’s Handy was distilled in the spring of 2012; aged in warehouses I and L and clocks in at 128.8 proof. The flavor profile includes hints of allspice, teaberry, and clove.  

Eagle Rare 17 Year Old: This year’s release returns to its roots with a proof change from 90 proof to 101. The distillery says this is a “tribute to the original strength used when the brand was launched in 1974.” This will be a permanent proof change going forward. The 2018 edition was distilled in the spring of 2000 and aged on the first, second and fifth floors of Warehouse C. This bourbon tastes of toasted oak, coffee, spearmint, and butterscotch.

Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old: Last year Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old was named “Best Rye Whiskey Aged 11 Years and Over” by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. This 2018 straight rye whiskey release has notable flavors of dark chocolate, tobacco, and cinnamon. The barrels for this whiskey were filled in the spring of 1998. (BT didn’t supply details of where it was aged.)

The 2018 Antique Collection whiskeys will be available in limited quantities for the suggested retail price of $99 each. Anyone who pays that little, please email me so we can praise the retailer publicly.

For more information from the distillery, click here.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame will induct three individuals into its hallowed ranks on Friday, Sept. 14, and bestow its prestigious Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award on one of the industry’s most successful leaders, visionaries and champions.

“This year’s class truly shows the diversity of personas behind the growing Golden Age of Kentucky Bourbon, from a beloved tour guide whose wisdom and personality embodies and elevates our visitors’ experience, to the leadership and passion of three top executives who have forged the path to our current success,” Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, said in a news release.

“Each, in their own way, has forever transformed our signature spirit. We are eternally grateful for their remarkable achievements, dedication and commitment to our timeless craft, and for that we offer our heartfelt thanks.”

This year’s inductees are, in alphabetical order:

• Freddie Johnson, VIP Visitor Lead, Buffalo Trace Distillery
• The late Dr. Pearse Lyons, Founder & President, Alltech, Inc.
• Max L. Shapira, President, Heaven Hill Brands (Lifetime Achievement)
• Matthew J. Shattock, Chairman & CEO, Beam Suntory

[Show slideshow]

A limited number of tickets are still available at www.kybourbonfestival.com for the luncheon event on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Frazier History Museum on historic Whiskey Row in downtown Louisville, 829 West Main Street. Tickets are $100 and include lunch and drinks.

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association created the Hall of Fame in 2001, in conjunction with the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, to recognize individuals and organizations that have made a significant and transformational impact on Bourbon’s stature, growth and awareness.

It is the highest honor given by Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry.

The 27th annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which runs September 12-16 this year, is a celebration of all things Bourbon. Tickets to select events are still available at www.kybourbonfestival.com

The Four Roses LESB broken down to its four parts for a media tasting. Photo by Steve Coomes

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky.—Each year Four Roses releases a Limited Edition Small Batch bourbon, and that tradition will continue this year when it hits shelves two Saturdays from now.

If you’re not a bourbon wonk, know that this is a high-demand item whose $140 MSRP will likely not be seen outside its distillery gift shop sales. Expect retail prices to be jacked way up; secondary costs to triple or more.

But since you haven’t tasted it and I have (review forthcoming), I can tell you this much: Get one if you can. It might be my favorite Four Roses release ever, and that’s saying a lot given last year’s remarkable Al Young 50^th Anniversary release.

The LESB will be available in limited quantities at the Four Roses Distillery Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg, Ky., and its Warehouse & Bottling Facility Visitor Center in Coxs Creek on Saturday, Sept. 15 beginning at 9 a.m. It will then roll out to additional select retailers in the weeks following.

I don’t know what the policy is for lines forming early outside for these events, but I once met a man in line who’d driven from Michigan, arrived at 4 a.m. and waited in line all morning. Wouldn’t surprise me to see some tent dwellers show up.

The distillery is using the bottle’s release to toast its 130th anniversary, an incredible milestone for a brand that’s weathered some tough ups and downs.

According to a news release, four of Four Roses’ unique Bourbon recipes were selected for this bottling. This bottle will feature a 10-year-old Bourbon from the OBSV recipe, a 13-year-old OBSF, 14-year-old OESV and 16-year-old OESK.

Brent Elliott, master distiller, Four Roses

“For this Limited Edition Small Batch, I wanted to create something very special to celebrate the 130th anniversary of our brand,” said Four Roses master distiller Brent Elliott. “From the beginning of the process, I focused on building around the unique fruit flavors in our F and V yeast strains, and these flavors shine through in the finished product. As a contrast, I also included a spicy, older batch. By mingling these different flavor profiles, I think we achieved a wonderfully balanced, complex and unique Bourbon. I could not be happier with the result and can’t wait for you to taste it.”

This morning, Elliott led a small group of reporters through a tasting of each of the four bourbons in the batch, followed by the finished mingling. It was an extraordinary look into how the LESB is crafted.

Bottled at barrel strength, 108.3 proof, the 130th Anniversary LESB offers rich vanilla, raspberries and ripe berries, and crème brulee on the nose. As it hits the palate, it opens into flavors of apricot, mint, cinnamon, apple and mellow oak. This Bourbon boasts a very long finish, with hints of cinnamon, more fruit and vanilla.

Trust me, this is a short list of the flavors you’ll find in this bottle. I got many of those plus others.

Four Roses will distribute approximately 13,140 hand-numbered bottles, which is a sizeable increase over recent years’ releases. So your chances of getting one have improved.