Watershed Barrel Strength Straight Rye Whiskey landed on my desk at 61.4% ABV. Here is what I found.
Nose
The smell of creamy vanilla is present, but not overpowering. The aroma has a gourmand quality, but leans to spicy rather than sweet.
Palate
Theres a strong base of oak, accented by a tart note of rich spice and dark cherry. The taste opens up into a creamy caramel feel reminiscent of cherry cola. It leaves a semi-sweet finish of graham cracker with hints of clove.
Finish
Watershed’s offering pushes its rye content while still keeping an overall balance. It keeps some of the creamy, dessert-like flavors of the corn, but the rye forward profile keeps it from feeling excessively sweet. It feels like a bourbon that is balanced out by rye, which gives it an appealing, easy-drinking balance.rnrnAt the same time, it doesn’t lean into the best qualities either style can reach when focusing on bourbon sweetness or rye spice. Still, there’s a smooth base to appreciate the understated flavors, and there’s definitely more room to explore if Watershed wants to build on this as a baseline for Ohio rye.
The Bottom Line
Watershed Barrel Strength Straight Rye Whiskey is a perfectly respectable whiskey that does what it sets out to do. — it will not blow your mind, but it will not disappoint you either. A reliable choice.
