Liquid Riot Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Liquid Riot doesn’t specify their exact mash bill for their whiskeys, describing them only in the most general terms. So, they state their rye is made with rye grain and malted barley, but not what proportions. My guess is that the malted barley proportion must be relatively high, because the end product didn’t turn out the what those very high rye, no corn whiskeys from traditionally-inspired Pennsylvania distilleries like Dad’s Hat have.

Whatever it is they are doing for their rye, I’m much fonder of it that I am of their bourbon. The latter was merely okay, while the rye is quite good. It too is bottled at 90 proof.

The Whiskey
The whiskey’s appearance in the glass is quite amber, surprisingly so given that so many ryes come out as copper in color. This is darker and redder. Coating the glass yielded a wide display of chunky legs.

A sniff at the glass gave me the pumpernickel scent I usually associated with the presence of malted rye (I don’t know if it is actually there, but that is what I got and what I habitually link it to), but quite dry in this instance. I picked out a hint of lemon zest as well.

The flavor followed in that vein: pumpernickel spices with more, sweeter citrus notes, coupled to a seasoning of vanilla. It’s a moderate, smooth whiskey, going down with a short, but spicy finish.

The Price
Unknown at the time of writing.