Whiskey Review: Bulleit ’95’ Rye

Bulleit ’95’ Rye — at $30.00 light without being irritating, the question is whether it delivers on its promise. I sat down with a pour to find out.

Nose

light without being irritating. The nose is of soft kiwi fruit, a touch of spearmint, and whiffs of oak. There is something a little chemically about it, but it’s hard to pick out.

Palate

nice kick right at the front of the sip. A not too powerful, but an uneven pop of flavor. The mouthfeel is watery overall, and this doesn’t change as the sip progresses. There is oak and char as the body of this profile. There is something reminiscent of cherries and pie crust, but nothing overly robust or offensive. There is some rye spice, but it’s muted. The finish is short and disperses quickly over the tongue. The finish is smooth with a decent punch right in the gut.

Finish

Before trying this whiskey I tried Redemption Rye. Both of these whiskeys have MGP juice in them. I won’t lie, I thought the similarities would be a bit more obvious between those two whiskeys. However, despite being very similar they are different. Now there are a lot of similarities but the master blenders have done a great job of distinguishing themselves from the market.rnrnThis whiskey has enough of a punch to be in more robust cocktail, at the same time it isn’t so overpowering you can’t drink it neat. Bulleit Rye is a fine introductory rye whiskey, and for $30 it’s not a bad pick-up.

The Bottom Line

Bulleit ’95’ Rye is fine — not bad, not great, just fine. At $30.00 light without being irritating, I think there are better options in this range if you are willing to look around.