Distillery: Lux Row Distillers
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky
Aging: 7 years
ABV: 57%
Price: $79.99
Appearance: Golden Caramel
Nose: I get a lot of vanilla and sweet fruits, especially apples. It’s buttery and also pretty rye-forward with notes of spices, grass, and hay. It almost reminds me of a caramelized creme brulee after a meal of pork and garlic mashed potatoes.
Palate: The flavor packs a lot more punch than the nose. Instead of being light and fruitful with a buttery note, the flavor comes gushing through with a very powerful blast of spice, rye, and grass backed up by oak, tobacco, and peppery flavor that throws your taste buds into a frenzy.
Finish: The finish is long and strong. You will taste each sip for quite a while as the flavors sink in. Each sip coats your mouth with a buttery mouthfeel that reminds me of a classic chewy wine sensation.
Is Old Ezra 7 Year Rye Approachable?
Old Ezra 7 Year Rye is not a whiskey I would expect many first-time whiskey drinkers to enjoy. It’s very powerful with a lot of strong flavors that whiskey fans will enjoy, but may turn off newcomers. The bold finish can often be experienced as burn and while I quite enjoy this aspect of the whiskey, I could see beginners not handling it well.
Is Old Ezra 7 Year Rye Complex?
Old Ezra 7 Year Rye is quite complex. The nose gives off a buttery, caramel scent, but the flavor comes through with a very complex blend of rye, and spice flavors mixed with 7 years in oak barrels, tobacco, and pepper. Then the finish rolls out with a long-lasting kick that lingers and rewards you with a charcoal, toasted flavor.
What are Old Ezra 7 Year Rye’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Old Ezra 7 Year Rye’s strongest attributes are definitely that it packs a massive punch of flavor with each sip. It’s bold, in your face, and leaves a finish that is both rewarding and enjoyable if you like a heavy-hitting whiskey.
Is Old Ezra 7 Year Rye a go-to whiskey?
I wouldn’t say Old Ezra 7 Year Rye is a go-to whiskey. While I do enjoy all of the flavors, it’s a whiskey that is great on a cold winter night when you want a bit of heat to warm yourself up. With a 57% ABV, it is sure to kick start your night and leave you with an enjoyable experience for the right occasion.
Is Old Ezra 7 Year Rye priced accurately to its quality?
With a price point of $79.99, it’s a little expensive for a Rye. With all of the whiskey available in the $80 price range, there would certainly be others I would recommend over Old Ezra 7 Year Rye, but I am definitely happy with the purchase.
If you’re an experienced Rye drinker and looking for something unique, I would recommend you try the Old Ezra 7 Year. If you’re a beginner or moderate whiskey drinker, I’d probably steer you toward an Oban 14 Year or a Balvenie Caribbean Cask.
All in all, I was quite impressed with the flavors of this whiskey. Ryes aren’t always my favorite, but this is a Rye I would definitely find myself coming back to.
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Side Note: I had tried Ezra Brooks Bourbon before, but I decided to try the Old Ezra 7 Year Rye after I saw that Fred Minnick rated it #9 on his top 25 whiskeys of 2022. He also rated Booker’s 2022 Lumberyard Batch #22 which I thoroughly enjoyed and decided to trust his judgment.
I was grateful to meet Fred Minnick in Pittsburgh when he offered a blind whiskey-tasting challenge event and was able to exchange a few words over our favorite whiskeys after the event.
I hope you enjoyed this tasting experience with me.
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Thanks for reading and cheers!
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