1.13 - Kentucky Peerless Rye Whiskey & Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whisky

Spirits Blind Tasting - A Spirits People Podcast

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of the Kentucky Peerless Rye Whiskey & Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whisky. Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits.
If you're interested in behind the scenes video recordings from this episode, please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople
My tasting notes from this episode can also be found below:
Spirit A - Kentucky Peerless Rye Whiskey (54% ABV)
Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Medium
• Color: Amber
• Suggested texture: High viscosity

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Sweetcorn, toffee, vanilla, honey, fresh orange peel, hints of malt, cinnamon, cloves, hints of gingerbread, dry toasted oak, floral notes
• Other notes: A lot of aromas present. Not a lot of ethanol on the nose, feels quite soft but yet very clear aromas. Has a dryness to it. Classic bourbon characteristics.
• ABV: 45%-50%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Mouth filling, warming, high viscosity
• Intensity: Pronounced
• Flavor characteristics: Caramel, peppercorn, cinnamon, cloves, gingerbread, coffee beans, dried orange peel, burnt toast, charred oak, floral/fragrant.
• Other notes: Has a little bit of burn going down
• Finish: Long and complex (cloves, coffee beans, orange peel, floral/fragrant)
• ABV: ~55%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Outstanding
• Blind guess: High rye bourbon, 8-10 years, maybe Four Roses

Spirit B - Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whisky (45% ABV)
Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Deep
• Color: Gold
• Suggested texture: Medium viscosity

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Fresh lemon peel, over-ripe bananas, vanilla, butterscotch, gummybears, gingerbread, hints of fresh grass
• Other notes: Completely different nose than Spirit A. Much sweeter in profile and more delicate aromas (subdued). Could be a wheated whiskey, but has a few Rye characteristics as well.
• ABV: ~45%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Silky, sweet, Light > medium viscosity
• Intensity: Medium
• Flavor characteristics: Fresh ginger, ripe bananas (gummybears), vanilla, fresh grass, honey, fresh lemon peel, hints of fresh pear, floral/fragrant, hints or oak/char.
• Other notes: Much sweeter and lighter ABV profile than Spirit A. A little bitterness coming through at the end, but it remains quite sweet/simple in a sense that most flavors are very similar and could benefit from some more range.
• Finish: Medium with some complexity (banana, oak)
• ABV: ~45%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Very good
• Blind guess: Rye whiskey, 3-4 years

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at any time on Instagram @spiritspeople