Corsair Dark Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Corsair Dark Rye Whiskey
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Corsair Distillery has changed quite a bit since its founding, with the most striking and important part of that evolution being how the distillery first opened its doors in 2008 in Bowling Green, Kentucky; gradually shifted its focus south to Nashville; and finally abandoned its foothold in Kentucky in 2018, becoming an entirely Tennessee operation. They dropped the “Artisan” from their name for the most part, becoming simply Corsair Distillery, and they’ve consolidated their whiskey line down to just the few expressions they are best known for.

The company also revamped their labeling into a cleaner look, and that particular change fell heaviest onto what used to be Rymaggedon. That whiskey wasn’t just given a facelift, but the juice was remodeled and the whole thing renamed into Corsair Dark Rye.

Nowadays, Corsair makes this stuff with a mash of 61% malted rye, 4% chocolate rye (i.e. roasted to brown) and a pretty hefty 35% malted barley. It’s unknown if they changed the yeast too. The whiskey is aged in 15- and 30-gallon barrels for an unknown length of time, and bottled at 85 proof.

The Whiskey
The look certainly matches the name, with its moody, shadowy take on what is still a light amber coloring. The nose leads with molasses and a dollop of vanilla, before dropping a dish of Christmas cake spices. Floating in the background of the aroma is a hint of dry straw.

Taking a sip shows the whiskey to have a light body, reflecting the relatively low proof. Even so, Dark Rye still has plenty of flavor. The foundation of caramel is accented by herbal spices and barn-seasoned tobacco leaf. It goes down a touch spicy and a trace woody, but as a whole Dark Rye delivers a mildly spicy and flavorful experience, one that is surprisingly robust for its light mouthfeel and relatively low proof.

The Price
Expect to pay around $45 a bottle for Corsair Dark Rye.