What Can You Tell Me About Ri?
I've become a big fan of rye, especially when Jonathan Hudak is at the bar at Tilth whipping up The Monk. And I'm out to discover rye from as many different distilleries as I can get my hands on. Lots of Al Dente readers shared their favorite ryes with me last week:
- Alberta Premium
- Hudson Manhattan
- Old Overholt
- Old Potero
- ri 1 (Rye One)
- Rittenhouse 100
- Sazarac
- Templeton
- Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye
What's yours?
I found Old Overholt, Jim Beam Rye and Rye One (a new stock item) at my little local liquor store. I tried Rye One for the very first time a few weeks ago when friends brought it over for New Year's Eve. The bottle--and the name--are as hip as they come. The former restaurant review for the New York Time's, Frank Bruni, said this about it on Twitter:
Introduced to Ri rye -- smooth, with just enuf nuance -- though ordering was comical. "What's your best rye?" "We have ri." "But what KIND?"
Have you tried ri rye? How does it stack up against your favorite rye?
I tried to find out more about Rye One, and it appears to be made by Jim Beam though there doesn't seem to be any mention of it on the company's website, and the bottle itself references only bottlers Fielding & Jones LTD.
What can you tell me about Rye One?
Is Jim Beam's Rye One similar to the new Starbucks coffee shops popping up in Seattle, shops such as 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, that bear the name of the neighborhood and no trace of the parent brand? I'm curious to learn more...
---Tracy Schneider
Chris on February 18, 2010 at 12:16 PM
I found it too sweet for my taste, and with not enough rye flavor. (Actually, almost no rye flavor). It was my 2nd bottle of rye, so I was pretty disappointed! I haven't followed the suggestions in this Atlantic Monthly online post
http://food.theatlantic.com/mixmaster/preparing-for-the-rye-revolution-1.php
but I happen to be drinking Sazerac rye right now. It's powerfully flavored, but also very strong; dilution is certainly required.