Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye Irish Whiskey Review

Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey Limited Release Small Batch Rye

By Randall H. Borkus

Rating: B

In October 2018, Beam Suntory’s Kilbeggan Distilling Company celebrated the release of Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey Small Batch Rye. Although Kilbeggan was restored in 2010, reviving a 260 year old legacy in whiskey-making (one of the stills there is the oldest working pot still in the world!), most or all of the whiskey going into Kilbeggan bottles has been sourced from Beam Suntory stablemate Cooley Distillery. This is the first whiskey to come entirely from Kilbeggan, on top of being the first Irish whiskey in almost a century to use rye in the mash bill (unless there are some grain whiskeys using rye quietly lurking around).

This Irish whiskey features a mash bill of malted barley, unmalted barley, and approximately 30% rye. The use of rye was common in the late-1800s among Irish distillers, but disappeared from the Irish Whiskey category the same time of Prohibition and the Irish War of Independence.  Presently, rye grain is rarely used in Irish distilling.

Still, this Irish rye whiskey is not the stuff we know and love in our American rye whiskies. The U.S. laws require that in order for a whiskey to be considered rye whiskey its mash bill must contain at least 51% rye. It’s composition is more of a variant on pot still whiskey. This whiskey is double distilled, not triple distilled, and bottled at 86 proof (43% ABV).

The Whiskey
Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye is a first of its kind in our modern whiskey market and this should turn some heads.  Many rye and bourbon whiskey drinkers I know find Irish Whiskey to be too soft and unexciting compared to the familiar flavor profiles we enjoy in the U.S. bourbon and ryes. As you’d expect, the Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye flavor profile is notably much softer than our traditional American rye whiskies. However, what’s interesting here is the combination of rye, malt and barley delivers a smooth, creamy, oily-like juice with a stiffening rye spiciness that makes this whiskey stand out from traditional Irish whiskey.

The whisky color is a light amber, with noticeable legs gripping the inner sides of my glass. The nose is syrupy sweet and grainy with a hint of sweet oak.  The mouthfeel is ultra-smooth, almost silky with notes of vanilla and a malty sweetness reminding me of a honey dew mellon.  The finish is peppery and medium length and leaves me with an oaky dry note.

The Price
This Irish whiskey should be easily found and sells at a retail price for $31.99-$34.99.