Kooper Family‘s latest rye bears quite a pedigree, having been aged for “8 long years” in three different locations over a 900 mile area stretching from Tennessee (where it was distilled) to Texas (where it was bottled). A totally different distillate from the earlier 100% Rye release from 2016, this is a whole other animal to consider. Which we will do, presently.

Gently grassy and woodsy on the nose, there’s no mistaking this is rye, the whiskey leaning heavily on savory, almost peppery notes. It’s almost closed off and restrained to the point where one might expect from such an attack that the palate will be a muted bust — but that is gloriously not the case. Impressively sweet and lively on the tongue, the rye quickly showcases a much brighter profile, starting with toffee and moving to chocolate and citrusy orange notes. The grassiness evident on the nose is present here, but comparably mild, waves of grain and pepper wafting their way toward the sweeter core — always complementing, never detracting from the experience.

100 proof.

A / $70 / kooperfamily.com

Kooper Family Runaway Rye 8 Years Old

$70

9.5

Rating

9.5/10