I'll be honest — when I first saw 'Zinfandel Finish' on a rye whiskey label, my bartender brain lit up. Catoctin Creek Barrel Select Rye Zinfandel Finish is the kind of bottle that makes you pause and think about what's actually happening inside the glass. This is an American rye whisky finished in Zinfandel wine casks, bottled at a punchy 58.5% ABV with no age statement. At £79.95, it sits in that interesting middle ground where you're paying for craft and finishing technique rather than a number on the label.
What I find genuinely compelling about this release is the concept. Rye whiskey, by its nature, brings spice — that peppery, grainy backbone that makes it the bartender's best friend. Finishing it in Zinfandel casks adds a whole other dimension. Zinfandel is a bold, fruit-forward red wine, and those casks will have soaked up years of dark berry character, tannin structure, and a certain jammy richness. When rye spirit sits in those barrels, it picks up those residual flavours while keeping its own identity. The result should be a whisky that balances rye spice against red fruit sweetness — two forces pulling in different directions but meeting somewhere genuinely interesting.
At 58.5%, this is not a casual sipper. That's cask strength territory, and it tells you the distillery isn't watering this down to make it easy. They're letting the barrel do the talking. For me, that's a mark of confidence. You can always add water yourself — you can't add proof back in. I'd recommend trying it neat first, then adding a few drops of water to see how the wine cask influence opens up. High-proof rye with wine cask finishing tends to reward patience.
Tasting Notes
I don't have my detailed tasting breakdown for this one to share, but based on the profile — cask strength rye with Zinfandel finishing — you should expect bold rye spice layered with dark fruit, perhaps some baking spice from the oak, and a tannic dryness on the finish from the wine cask influence. The high ABV will carry those flavours with real intensity.
The Verdict
Catoctin Creek Barrel Select Rye Zinfandel Finish scores an 8.1/10 from me, and here's why: it's a whisky with genuine personality. The wine cask finish isn't a gimmick — at cask strength, you're getting the full, unfiltered result of that finishing process. It's bold, it's different, and it's the kind of bottle that sparks conversation. The price point of £79.95 is fair for a cask strength, barrel select release with an additional finishing step. You're paying for layers of complexity and a production process that takes real care. This is a whisky for someone who wants something outside the ordinary — and it delivers on that promise.
Best Served
This rye was practically built for a Manhattan. The Zinfandel finish adds its own fruity sweetness that plays beautifully with sweet vermouth — try it with a 2:1 ratio of whisky to Carpano Antica, two dashes of Angostura, stirred down hard over ice. The cask strength means it won't get lost in the mix. If you're drinking it straight, a couple of drops of water and a comfortable chair. Give it twenty minutes before you make up your mind — this one evolves in the glass.
