Laws Whiskey 7 Year Old Bottled in Bond Rye Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Laws Whiskey House 7 Year Old Bonded San Luis Valley Rye
(Credit: Laws Whiskey House)

Laws Whiskey House got to my house, I thought “in a few years, I will need to stop talking about mature craft whiskey and start talking about middle-aged craft whiskeys!” That would be because this third batch of the Colorado distillery’s San Luis Bonded Rye is seven years old. Who knows how much more of this is in the pipeline, but it just goes to show that we are far beyond the era of craft whiskey being six months aged in a 5 gallon barrel.

For their part, Laws Whiskey House never did that.

Another thing that needs saying, to halt the croaking, is that a 95% rye, 5% malted barley mash bill doesn’t necessarily mean it came from Lawrenceburg, Indiana anymore. It hasn’t for several years. This is a prime example, being seven years-plus old and made in-house by Laws.

The Whiskey
This pour has a burn orange, middle amber coloring. My nosing gave me aromas of honey and coffee cake, orange zest and black currant. The flavor combined that orange honey from the nose with dried cherries, plus a mild current of wood and a certain earthiness. The customary rye spiciness was rather restrained here, coming across as mint and anise. The finish, however, was not quite as sophisticated, coming across as straight oak.

The Laws Bonded Rye keeps getting better as it grows older, year upon year. If this continues, I expect to be handing it a full “A” grade in the not too distant future.

The Price
After what it’s like in the glass, the next best part of this bottle is the price: $75 each. Keeping in mind that, generally speaking, all but the most basic ryes are at least a little more expensive than comparable bourbons, that is a very fair price.