DOUBLE-GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

Roaming Man Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey
(Sugarlands Distilling Co., Gatlinburg, TN) 123.4° prf

Nose: Cocoa, chocolate tootsie rolls, honey, vanilla, cream, creme brulee, ripe banana, dried fruit, sweet grains, yummy toasted nuts, faint nuttiness.
Palate: Butterscotch, caramel, cream, molasses, vanilla, Nesquik powder, honey, banana, stewed candied fruit, pecan, cedar, salty, spicy and sweet balance, smooth, very spirit-forward.
Finish: Toffee, cocoa, vanilla, cherries, mint, clove, spice, peppery, complex, delicious.

Double Gold Medal

Rabbit Hole Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
(Rabbit Hole Spirits, Louisville, KY) 95° prf

Nose: Toffee, chocolate, light cocoa, honey, maple, vanilla, powdered sugar, jammy, grain, sweet nuttiness, caraway, nutmeg, herbs, spicy, black pepper, leathery.
Palate: Toffee, cocoa, creamy, molasses, huge bouquet of fruit, apple, dried banana, ginger, apricot pits, walnut, roasted nuts, sweet nuts, bitter almond, toasty, straw, herbal, mint, spicy, spiced oak, woody, cedar.
Finish: Apricot, dried banana, brown sugar, honey, subtle Amaro, spice, clove, pepper, woody, well-balanced.

Double Gold Medal

Ole George 100% Straight Rye Whiskey
(Grand Traverse Distillery, Traverse City, MI) 93° prf

Nose: Toffee brittle, chocolate, maple syrup, browned butter, vanilla, plums, bubblegum, dried fruit, banana peel, orange blossom, ginger, cucumber, light grain, caraway seed, fennel, clove, black pepper, leather, pine.
Palate: Toffee, caramel, nougat, molasses, mead, honey, demerara sugar, vanilla, dried berries, cherry, sharp apple, herbal, sweet lemon tea, spice, clove, pepper, old cinnamon, bark, toasted grain, smooth.
Finish: Fruitcake, cherry essence, vanilla, floral, minty, spice, cinnamon, clove, pepper, toasty, lightly charred oak, rum-like, fresh, zesty, great balance, smooth.

Double Gold Medal

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

Runestone Straight Rye Whiskey
(J. Carver Distillery, Waconia, MN) 80° prf

Nose: Butterscotch, treacle, creamy, buttery, cocoa, vanilla, honey, banana, Juicy Fruit chewing gum, grains, nutty, cashews, Popsicle stick, herbal, vegetal, grassy.
Palate: Nougat, chocolate, creamy, sweet churned butter, honey, apple, grape, orange, sweet honeysuckle, corn, nutty, rye, clove, herbal, spicy, oak, smooth, silky.
Finish: Peach, melon, dried fruit, bay leaf, rye, straw, smooth, well-balanced.

Gold Medal

William Wolf Rye
(William Wolf Whiskey Co., Holland) 92° prf

Nose: White chocolate, cocoa, caramel, sweet butter, nougat, vanilla, clover honey, candied fruit, sweet raisins, madeira, muted fruit, ripe red cherries, ginger, lightly floral, lavender, cinnamon, nutmeg, grain, leather, sherry wine.
Palate: Toffee, cocoa, buttery, dark sugar, clover honey, mild maple, cherry, cooked fruit (apricot and banana), dried fruit, dark raisins, rose, raw nuts, cereal, bay leaves, cloves, spice, white pepper, salinity, light funk, mild, gentle.
Finish: Dried fruit, spice, clove, bitter canella, tobacco, leather, oaky, pine, bold, smooth, silky.

Gold Medal

Diamond State Straight Rye Whiskey
(Painted Stave Distilling, Smyrna, DE) 88° prf

Nose: Mocha, chocolate, sweet cream, brown butter, maple, apricot, dried orange, banana, bread, crackling oat bran, honeysuckle, ginger, herbal, nutmeg, caraway seeds, black tea, coffee, honey-coated wood, pine, sweet oak.
Palate: Caramel, custard, creamy, sweet cream, maple, honey, plum, cherry, ripe banana, grains, cereal, nuttiness, herbal, fennel, spice, black pepper, smoky, wood, cognac, balanced.
Finish: Vanilla, burnt sugar, demerara syrup, orange marmalade, dry apple, spice, fenugreek, caraway seed, pepper, grainy, soft, rich.

Gold Medal

Palm Ridge Rye Whiskey
(Florida Farm Distillers, Umatilla, FL) 100° prf

Nose: Butterscotch, toffee, caramel, molasses, maple, vanilla, buttery, buttercream, crème brûlée, corn, honeysuckle, musk, grappa, aged rice wine.
Palate: Caramel, toffee, nougat, cream, buttery, cocoa, dark chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, honey, sweet red apple, plum, sweet nuttiness, toasted hazelnuts, smoky aged walnuts, oaky, young bourbon.
Finish: Honey, maple, walnut, caraway, clove, mint, fennel, spicy, pepper, pine, well-balanced, big and gentle.

Gold Medal

Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey
(Tuthilltown Spirits, Gardiner, NY) 92° prf

Nose: Toffee, caramel, sweet butter, bright honey, vanilla, maple, ripe banana, orange, dried fruit, wheat, popcorn, ground coffee, herbs, peppercorn, aged port, char, subtle bourbon barrel, oak.
Palate: Cocoa, chocolate, sweet cream, honey, sugarcane, plum, cherry, citrus, orange peel, buttery, buttered popcorn, mixed cereals, oats, grainy, straw, fennel, walnuts, black pepper, Tennessee maple charcoal, oak, smooth.
Finish: Honey, creamy, orange peel, mint, sage, clove, caraway seed, rye, pepper, spice, fresh, easy, zesty, rich, elegant.

Gold Medal

Wood's Alpine Rye Whiskey
(Wood's High Mountain Distillery, Salida, OR) 98° prf

Nose: Toffee, caramel, molasses, maple, mocha, cocoa, creamy, vanilla, candied ginger, green apple, sweet nuttiness, grain, rye, rye flour, cinnamon, coffee, espresso.
Palate: Dark chocolate, Baker’s cocoa powder, creamy, vanilla, pear, corn, grainy, wheat, toasty, walnut, hazelnut, peanut, nutmeg, spicy, coffee grounds, espresso, woody.
Finish: Chocolate, nutty, coffee, clove, light spice, pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, smooth, zesty, I respect this.

Gold Medal

Corbin Cash Merced Rye Whiskey
(Sweet Potato Spirits, Atwater, CA) 90° prf

Nose: Nougat, cocoa, molasses, brown sugar, maple, vanilla, orange peel, light nuts, light spice, light-bodied red wine, musty, dusty, soft, delicate.
Palate: Caramel, nougat, creamy, chocolate, vanilla, ripe banana, red maraschino cherries, orange, green apple, apple, ginger, roasted nuts, nutmeg, pink peppercorn, spicy, mild pepper, has everything in balance.
Finish: Dried fruit, honey, canella, grainy, clove, spice, nettles, oak, smooth, clean.

Gold Medal

Stein Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 2 years
(Stein Distillery, Joseph, OR) 80° prf

Nose: Toffee, caramel, buttery, honey, candied ginger, ripe plum, orange peel, green apple, nutty, almond, nutmeg, green peppercorn, jalapeno, pepper, white pepper, moss, straw, mineral, earthy, wood.
Palate: Toffee, honey, molasses, maple, buttery, cream, cocoa power, apricot, green apple, grassy, herbs, faint mint, almond skins, grain, oats, toasty, spice, pepper, mineral, leather, dry old oak, bright.
Finish: Honey, creamy, cinnamon, clove, cumin, sweet spice, minerality, woodsy, oak, cedar, clean, smooth.

Gold Medal

Deadwood American Rye Whiskey
(Proof & Wood Ventures, Bardstown, KY) 83° prf

Nose: Molasses, light brown sugar, maple, honey, vanilla, candy corn, ripe banana, apricot, orange peel, lavender, bakery, toast, crackers, rye, oak.
Palate: Caramel, brown sugar, sugarcane, honey, maple, vanilla, buttery, creamy, cheese danish, apricot, pineapple, orange, green melon, citrus, sweet herbs, grain, toasted nuts, old oak, light rum, well-balanced, smooth, very drinkable.
Finish: Apricot, tropical fruit, orange peel, creamy, vanilla, bakery, lavender, bay leaf, caraway, wood, balanced.

Gold Medal

Gunpowder Rye Whiskey
(New England Distilling, Portland, ME) 87° prf

Nose: Sweet demerara, honey, vanilla, unripe stone fruit, lemon juice, bergamot, dried fruit, fermenting fruit, floral, vegetal, cereal grains, dusty barn, burning leaves, leather.
Palate: Caramel, mint chocolate chip maple, demerara, clover honey, vanilla, melon, plums, dates, juniper, herbs, almond, rye, nutmeg, spicy, mild pepper, cigar box, gin-like, leather, wood barrel, seasoned oak.
Finish: Dry honey, prune, citrus, herbal, minty, caraway seeds, spicy, pepper, creamy, soft, smooth.

Gold Medal

OYO Dark Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey
(Middle West Spirits, Columbus, OH) 90° prf

Nose: Toffee, sweet cream, buttery, brown sugar, maple, vanilla, honey, coffee ice cream, candied fruit, sugarplums, plums, apricot, cereal, roasted grain, rye, herbal, grassy, maritime, leather, rye-forward.
Palate: Caramel, creamy, nougat, apple, green apple, dried berries, grains, rye, caraway, clove, nutmeg, spices, black pepper, cigar box, oak.
Finish: Spiced apple, stewed berries, new canella bark, nutmeg, bay leaf, pepper, light spice, black tea, coal, smoky, balanced, mouth-filling, smooth, zesty.

Gold Medal

A.D. Laws Secale Straight Rye Whiskey
(Laws Whiskey House, Denver, CO) 100° prf

Nose: Butterscotch, toffee, molasses, sugarcane, honey, creamy, vanilla, caramel corn, mild citrus, floral, herbal tea, herbal, nutty, baking spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, leather.
Palate: Toffee, caramel, salted caramel, cocoa, chocolate, creamy custard, vanilla, orange, orange peel, citrus, lime, winter melon, baking spice, cinnamon, spicy, pepper, oak, smooth.
Finish: Orange marmalade, winter melon, orange peel, ginger, spice, pepper, cedar, faint salinity, zesty, soft, smooth, mellow, elegant.

Gold Medal

Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
(Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY) 90° prf

Nose: Toffee, caramel apple, creamy, cocoa, light maple, vanilla, honey, stewed berries, overripe banana, orange peel, lemon myrtle, grains, wheat, nutty, spice.
Palate: Vanilla, buttery, creamy, honey, demerara syrup, molasses, pear, orange peel, walnut, toasted nuts, toasty, clove, spice, white pepper, oak, bourbon-like, rich.
Finish: Cherry, apricot, light honey, dried fruit, sweet corn, rye, nutty, spice, pepper, angostura bitters, bourbon, stone, soft, easy.

Gold Medal

Turley Mill Straight Rye Western Whiskey
(KGB Spirits, Alcade, NM) 99° prf

Nose: Butterscotch, caramel, chocolate syrup, cocoa, sugarcane, vanilla, dried fruit, dried orange peel, coffee, almond, walnut, light spice, brandy, aged wine, smoky, woody.
Palate: Butterscotch, buttery, caramel, creamy, toffee, molasses, cocoa, vanilla, banana, banana bread, dried apricot, unripe berry, green pepper, bitter nuts, caraway seed, spice, peppery, mild oak, vodka, rum, aggressive, smooth.
Finish: Fruitcake, stewed pineapple, dried orange peel, toasted almond, caraway seed, fennel seed, pepper, mineral, flavorful, smooth, solid.

Gold Medal

Monterey Rye Small Batch No.21
(Fog's End Distillery, Gonzales, CA) 90° prf

Nose: Butterscotch, toffee, caramel, vanilla, honey, marzipan, jelly bean, popcorn, kettle corn, green banana, red wine, grappa, rum, sherry.
Palate: Toffee, butterscotch, caramel, creamy, buttery, brown sugar, chocolate, honey, jelly belly, creamy vanilla, peaches, dried fruit, kettle corn, nutty, clove, liqueur-like, classic rye.
Finish: Toffee, soft caramel, whipped cream, pepper, oak, balanced, soft, smooth, different.

Gold Medal

Masterson's 10 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey
(3 Badge Beverage Corp., CA) 90° prf

Nose: Nougat, light custard, sugarcane, mesquite honey, candy, peach pie, cherry, banana, popcorn, grass, spice, leather.
Palate: Caramel, cocoa, vanilla, honey, cotton candy, cherry, sweet stone fruit, apricot, tropical fruit, green apple, slight peach, citrus, grainy, toasty, caraway seeds, ginger, herbs, spicy, tobacco, wood, oak, smooth, well-balanced.
Finish: Vanilla, buttery, grain, vegetal, clove, spicy, peppery, mineral, well-balanced, soft, smooth.

Gold Medal

Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whiskey
(Sagamore Spirit, Baltimore, MD) 112.4° prf

Nose: Toffee, caramel, dark brown sugar, maple, cocoa, vanilla, honey, honey crisp apples, orange zest, oak, birch, maritime.
Palate: Caramel, buttery, chocolate, vanilla, banana, sour apple, caraway, rye, bay leaf, coriander, clove, cooking spices, spicy, pepper, mineral, salty, bizarre, spirit-forward, smooth.
Finish: Stewed cherries, caraway, spicy, woodsy, mineral, iron, sharp, dry, mellow.

Gold Medal

Bare Knuckle American Rye Whiskey
(KO Distilling, Manassas, VA) 90° prf

Nose: Butterscotch, caramel, toffee, buttery, molasses, sugarcane, maple, vanilla, tropical fruit, sweet citrus, dried fruit, honeyed oats, grain, maritime, hickory, sweet oak, barrel-aged gin, well-aged barrels.
Palate: Caramel, molasses, maple syrup, honey, berry candy, orange peel, papaya, citrus, corn, grain, clove, spicy, peppery, malty, leather, earthy, minerals, oak, woodsy, hidden sweetness, smooth.
Finish: Roasted fruit, light pear, Tuscan juniper, cumin seed, gentian, spicy, peppery, iron, earthy, pine, just right.

Gold Medal

WhistlePig FarmStock Rye Whiskey
(GoAmericaGo Beverages, Shoreham, VT) 86° prf

Nose: Toffee, molasses, sugarcane, vanilla, maple, sweet cherry, green maraschino cherry, apple, citrus, honeysuckle, sweet spice, nutmeg, fresh new wood.
Palate: Toffee, caramel, creamy, buttery, nougat, honey, vanilla, cherry, apricot, dried fruit, herbal, thyme, basil, spicy, pepper, cinnamon, clove, oaky, powerful, complex, well-balanced oak, pleasant, a sipper.
Finish: Crisp apple, citrus, orange bitters, cherry pits, buttery, creamy, mint, pepper, smoky, seasoned wood, soft, delicate.

Gold Medal

Stein Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 5 years
(Stein Distillery, Joseph, OR) 92° prf

Nose: Vanilla, cream, honey, apricot, herbal, earthy mushrooms, hay, wheatgrass, grassy, moss, hazelnut, sweet nuttiness, sweetened coffee, cinnamon, spice, pepper, charcoal, cigarette ash, smoke.
Palate: Maple, cream, butter, cane sugar, citrus peel, sweet nuts, corn, sweet barbecue sauce, smoked violet, chamomile, herbs, cider, sweet reposado mezcal, young bourbon, spicy, minerals, earthy, burnt tea, woody, pine, cedar, balanced, mellow.
Finish: Lemon curd, honeysuckle, pepper, spicy, salinity, smoky, wood, nice, soft, smooth, mellow.

Gold Medal

SILVER MEDAL WINNERS

Wigle Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey
Organic
(Wigle Whiskey, Pittsburgh, PA) 84° prf

Nose: Butterscotch, chocolate, clotted cream, honey, molasses, dried fruit, raisin, cola, sweet nuttiness, almond, spice, ginger, cinnamon, clove, hay, straw, clay, earthy, musty, tree bark, wood chips, strong oak.
Palate: Molasses, honey, cherry, dried fruit, sweet butter, lanolin, walnut, bitter almond, light mint, moss, spicy, pepper, coffee, tobacco, rum-like, earthy, old wood, woodsy, oak.
Finish: Cherry, vanilla, spice, black pepper, mace, mossy, earthy, cedar, well-balanced, smooth, soft, easy, great for cocktails.

Silver Medal

RockFilter Organic Red Rider Rye Whiskey
(RockFilter Distillery, Spring Grove, MN) 91.5° prf

Nose: Light toffee, buttery, sugar, dried orange, sweet raisin, grainy, straw, bay leaf, aged ham, meaty, smoky, cigar box, saddlery, leather, musty, seawater.
Palate: Sugarcane, honey, fruitcake, sweet green apple, herbs, walnut, areca, bamboo, grain, toast, yeasty, pekoe tea, bay leaf, sweet Carolina barbecue sauce, country ham, leather, pipe tobacco, smoky, cigar box, oak.
Finish: Green apple, sweet walnuts, grain, caravan black tea, mint, bright pepper, dusty, woody, heavy barrel treatment, char, mesquite.

Silver Medal