Corsair Dark Rye Whiskey Review

Corsair Dark Rye Whiskey Review

It’s  a little late  for National Bourbon Heritage Month, but we’re still celebrating. We’ve been on several whiskey journeys this past month discovering some really good liquids out there. We don’t discriminate though, we’re sampling our way through bourbon whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, ryes, and just about anything we hear a good word about. this week’s no different as we sip through one of two whiskies we received from Corsair Distillery out of Nashville, Tennessee.

There motto is simple and we love it: If It’s been done before, we don’t want to do it”. In a world of so many choices, someone has to stand out and be different right? Today’s sample the dark rye expression was named best in category by the American Distilling Institute, earned a gold medal at the BTI spirits competition, and the brand in general won whiskey innovator of the year recently by Whiskey Magazine. So yea, it’s got some credibility. So much so we decided we had to give it a shot…

First Impression: If you haven’t seen it before, it’s got a cool little bottle that catches the eye. There are all shapes and sizes in whiskeys but this particular bottle reminds me of a gin or vodka bottle selection. Not to be outdone, the branding is equally interesting, reminds me of Quentin Tarrantino’s “The Usual Suspects”.

Nose: Rye, Fruity, Coffee.

Tasting Notes: Pepper, Chocolate, and Oak. 61% Malted rye, 4% malted chocolate rye, and 35% malted barley make up the grain bill. Very rye forward, followed by a spicy kick and finished rich chocolate that’s just subtle enough to creep up on you as it lingers in the mouth.

Price / Proof: $46.99,750ML  /42.5% Abv, 85 Proof

Final Words: There’s no surprises here other than how well the flavors blend together. Corsair boldly calls out it’s tasting notes on the back of their bottles and it’s deadly accurate: Pepper, Chocolate, and Oak, just not in that order. Unlike like many spirits out there, you wont need to go fishing for the flavors the distiller describes. My favorite part of Dark Rye is the lingering chocolate finish. It’s more of a dark chocolate, not too sweet or over powering. To pull the sweetness forward (if that’s your thing) try  pairing this with a pastry or dessert. In our case, a freshly baked apple fritter intensified the chocolate, and lessened the intensity of the spice. This one’s a keeper for us.

Cheers!

For more information on Corsair Distillery, their Dark Rye Whiskey, or another of their other expressions, feel free to visit their website at Corsairdistillery.com

Corsair Dark Rye Whiskey Review