This 4-year-old Rye from Mike and Matt Blaum’s family distillery in Galena, Illinois is distilled from a mashbill of 92% Rye, 5% smoked malt, and 3% malted barley. The smoked malt adds a nice touch of toasted caramel and toasted vanilla to the nose, along with notes of black tea, muted baking spices, old leather, and touches of brown sugar and charred oak. The taste is spicy and complex with good notes of clove, cinnamon, and a hint of chili powder along with honey, toasted vanilla, caramel, and a slightly herbal touch. The finish is long and well-balanced with a good complexity and notes of maple, spearmint, and black tea. Excellent! (January, 2020)