The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
In 2011, Bulleit got into rye whiskey just in time for the craze in rye whiskeys by introducing Bulleit Rye, sourced from the 95% rye, 5% malted barley stock whiskey made at what is now known as MGP. It was excellent timing, as rye whiskey was about to experience a short, but very sharp, shortage, driven in large part by demand from trendy mixologists. To continue its commitment to exploration and fulfilling the desire of whiskey drinkers, Bulleit announced today the nationwide, limited availability release of Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old Straight American Whiskey.
Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old Straight American Whiskey is the fifth addition to the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey family, as well as the first extension of Bulleit Rye.
“When we introduced Bulleit Rye, it changed the game for the category, and positioned us as a brand willing to take chances and try new things. We’re constantly experimenting and striving to satisfy consumers’ growing appetite for bold, new American whiskeys,” said Ed Bello, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey US & Global Brand Director. “Rye remains the fastest growing North American Whiskey segment and Bulleit Rye has been the number one super premium Rye brand for the last six years.** With higher-end whiskeys driving much of that sales growth and a limited number of aged statement ryes on the market, Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old is a natural way to expand our portfolio and provide a new ultra-premium offering that’s absolutely delicious.”
To put that into perspective, heretofore the only 12 year old bottlings of MGP’s ubiquitous rye whiskey have been from WhistlePig, in its Old World Series. Those were cask-finished and much more expensive, whereas this Bulleit 12 Year Old Rye is left as is and reasonably priced.
“Whiskey is heavily influenced by barrel aging, and as a blender, one of our most important responsibilities is to taste how the wood impacts the flavor of the liquid and brings out different notes,” said Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Blender Andrew Mackay. “The barrels we mingled to produce Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old were hand-selected for aging based on early identification of their superior quality. Rye’s signature spiciness is certainly still prominent, and this extra aging complements that without being overwhelming as new levels of softness, clove character and vanilla and oak notes are evident. It’s a beautiful whiskey to sip slowly and responsibly.”
Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old is available in Colo., Ill., N.Y., Ohio, Ore., Calif., Ky., Texas, Ga., N.J., Ariz., Mass., Md. and Washington D.C. It’s bottled at 92 proof, with a suggested retail price of $49.99 for a 750ml bottle.
