I guess you didn’t see this list of mostly Northern cities that are full of drunks hahahaha
Go MA with THREE top 25 drunk cities!
Ohio is just horrid for wine/liquor/beer selections and I know some other states arent much better unfortunately. Anything good/rare that does manage to come here is either overpriced (I can live with that to a degree) or allocated beyond belief. I hated to do it (because there are some good people) but I gave up on my local shops and buy elsewhere for most everything less everyday type stuff. We never get anything “that” special where it’s worth overpaying for thousands of dollars of other stuff to get 1 bottle of say EC barrel proof or a bottle of SQN ect etc. Im sure it’s the same game everywhere, but we dont even get most of the interesting mid range stuff, ie Sazerac Rye.
To try and keep this thread somewhat on the OP point, I really like the Taylor Rye too…if it was only $20 cheaper I’d buy a bunch more.
What is the flavor profile in the regular Saz? What about the Willett? Personally I always go Rittenhouse, love the spicy flavor profile and its just great at the price.
I haven’t had Willett enough times to comment on that (have yet to crack into my own bottle), but the Sazerac is, to me, a relatively fruit-forward style of rye.
I love the Willett around $40…it’s definitely on the very herbal, earthy in-your-face rye side of the spectrum. Also, I think it’s quite similar in its’ flavor profile to Thomas Handy
Now I’ve got to try the Willett again. To me, Thomas Handy is extremely fruitful, almost like a rye version of Pappy 15. I wouldn’t describe it at all the way you’ve described the Willett. Yes, it has those other components, but there’s so much fruit and such amazing integration of alcohol that I think the Handy is super easygoing as far as rye goes.
Not a big fan of Sazerac for the price around here ($35). Many better options Rye or not. For me the best Rye is Handy hands down 
I would rather drink less of something much better. Anything close to Handy’s complexity for a good price? I would drink Redemption Rye at $22 than Sazerac at $35.
I would much rather drink Sazerac than Redemption. It helps that there’s only a $5 price difference here. I tried them side by side, though, and there was no comparison. It made me never want to buy Redemption again. I agree that $35 is pretty steep for Sazerac, though.
I love Handy, and I don’t think you can get anything comparable for less money. I think it’s well valued as it is. I do prefer Col. EH Taylor by a bit. I think it’s more complex and more spicy. I’m very happy to buy whichever one I can get at the time.
I guess it sort of depends what you want it to do. I use rye for cocktails. I have a bottle of Handy and it is okay, but it seems a waste on cocktails and too much heat straight. As for the “I’d rather use less” argument, I find that a poor option. I want to be able to mix manhattans and other whiskey drinks for my guests and telling them they get less because the rye is better is not an option. I use Rittenhouse. It’s $20 and 100 proof, two pluses. I find it much more complex than any of the gimmicky new wave ryes, such as redemption, Ri, or Bullit, and I’d even include Templeton though some would disagree (and it is admittedly a very different profile). The Rittenhouse flavor profile is heavy on spice but that is just the sort of bass note I’m looking for in a rye cocktail.
As said above, I haven’t tried the sazerac or Willett. If I see the Sazerac for a decent price I’ll get it and report back with my opinions.
I alternate Manhattans and Old Fashioneds every night, except for the occasional gin or vodka martini.
For my taste and for the money, Rittenhouse 100 is great in a Manhattan if I use Punt e Mes sweet vermouth. For a Handy, I like Antica Carpano. I also like the Dickel rye and the Knob Creek. I’m not a big fan of Templeton, Mastersons, or Whistle Pig (I haven’t had the Boss Hog Whistle Pig). And I’m rather heavy on a mix of bitters for each drink. Some of this may seem silly but it’s just what I have learned over the (many) years. I remember when Old Overholt was just about all you could get. By the way, the Wild Turkey 101 rye is returning to “21 markets” wherever that may be, and they are bottling 1 liter bottles of the WT 101 rye for the trade. I liked that one and happy to see it return.
It’s amazing that you can still end up with a poor Manhattan or Old Fashioned in a bar. I’ve seen them do horrible things to a relatively simple mixed drink. On the other hand it can be sublime, like the recent 2 I had at Osteria Mozza at the bar in L.A. Great mixologist there, who, after a usual, fixed me his take using Rittenhouse, bitters, a large piece of orange peel misted over the top and then he used Luxardo Amoro Abano - 1 oz - and it was a terrific drink. I can’t quite duplicate it yet. Something about the orange peel.
It’s all fun.
For you Manhattan drinkers, if you haven’t tried Miracle Mile’s Forbidden Bitters, you really don’t know what you are missing. I’m the harvest bartender on the back of this one ingredient alone.
PSA: To those of you that are fans of Rittenhouse – be very aware the DSP switch is happening now. DSP-1 is still good, but if you loved DSP-354, you may want to stock up.
When looking for the rye in my manhattan tonight I saw I had about 4 oz of Sazerac left in the bottle so used 2 1/2 oz in the manhattan. It was quite good with the Punt e Mes sweet vermouth. Since i only had 1 1/2 oz left I took it neat before the bottle of chardonnay at dinner. Very nice. Just the right amount of spice.
We are so lucky to have this bounty of ryes available.
William - I’m looking for the Miracle Mile bitters.
Thanks for the heads-up William, I picked up a couple of 354’s yesterday. I only bought two of the five just because reviews seem to indicate that the new lot is still quite good, if different. Still, I may do a head to head test and restock if necessary.
Lately (last few weeks), I haven’t been able to get Rittenhouse in WA liquor stores at all. I guess the distributor has restricted their sale of it to bars/restaurants. I was able to get one bottle, but only because a very nice sales associate had hidden a bottle away in the back for me…
I just got a bottle last Sunday at BevMo near Issaquah.
Interesting. I’ve been circulating through three different stores in Seattle (University Liquor Store, UVillage QFC, Wine World), and all three were fresh out with no projected date for getting new stock. And all three cited the same distribution issue. I wonder if it’s just an issue local to me, or if perhaps your store just hasn’t run out yet? Maybe I’ll need to cast a wider net…
Rittenhouse for sure.