89
Score
Finger Lakes Distilling McKenzie Rye, 45.5%
Price: $42 ● Issue: Spring 2018 ● Reviewer: Adam Polonski
A beguiling nose, replete with cinnamon crumble, blueberry bubble gum, and cardamom. This whiskey bakes you a blackberry pie with a flaky crust and vanilla whipped cream, rounded out with cinnamon, dill, and oregano. The finish has clove-spiced orange peel, lingering sweet marshmallow, and a surprising minerality. This is at least a year older than some of the other Empire ryes, and it shows. Craft skeptics, seek this out. Empire rye