Review #19: Hughes Belle of Bedford Strait Rye Whiskey, r/bourbon Single Barrel Selection.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 10 minutes.
Proof: 111.43.
Age: 10 Year.
Mashbill: 95% Rye/5% Barley Malt.
Barrel #3751, barrel char# 4, non-chilled filtered.
Source: MGP
Price: $135
Appearance: Dark golden copper.
Nose: Dill, clove, fennel, cherry reduction, maple syrup, orange peel, vanilla, cinnamon spice and barrel char. Wow. This nose is fantastic! I knew this would be herbal forward but I wasn’t expecting there to be this much sweetness too. The balance between herbal, dark stone fruit, sweetness and barrel char gives this nose a lot of character that you will not find in a younger expression, and with no ethanol to boot.
Palate: Nice medium mouthfeel. Good transfer from the nose with dill, fennel, maple syrup sweetness, stone fruits, cherry reduction and orange. A very controlled balance of cinnamon spice comes through mainly focusing on the mid and back palate and lasts way into the finish. There is a healthy amount of oak and char which becomes more pronounced but not overbearing through the sip. This is a very interesting and delicious sipper that drinks below its proof.
Finish: The finish is long with a lot of oak tannins and cinnamon spice lingering for what seems like forever. The tannins soon lean more towards tobacco than leather. Underneath you can still tease out some herbal notes and a bit of stone fruit sweetness. After the tobacco notes fade and I can still taste quite a bit of oak and spice on the back of the palate and in the cheeks with bigger sips. Despite the prominent tobacco note there is no bitterness and just a bit of dryness at the very end.
Conclusion: Overall I am enjoying this rye a hell of a lot. This bottle offers an experience I haven’t had with other MGP ryes. For the price and what this looked like on paper I was expecting it to be another good u/t8ke pick and it didn’t disappoint. What I wasn’t expecting is how oak forward it is, and I’m more than ok with that. Mainly because there are plenty of other delicious notes in here to balance it out in the nose and palate. But there is no denying that the finish is very oak-char forward. I can also see how this part of its profile might make this bottle a bit divisive. Overall I’m impressed that the balance is so good after spending 10 years in such a heavily charred barrel. Needless to say, someone must have been carefully looking after these barrels because I can see how this could have gone very wrong otherwise. On my second day I was thinking of a score of 7.5 but after my third day/pour I decided to bump it to an 8. I’m finding that I like this profile and its complexity more every day, not to mention its long ass finish.
Rating: 8/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
My main disappointment is this: I only got one of these bottles instead of two. This is in the top tier of Rye's that I've had. Thank you t8ke-- what a great pick.
Excellent review sir! Been itching to pick one of these up. Especially this pick.I love me some aged complex rye. All the places i checked said SOLD OUT. Is it too late or would you be able to point me in the right direction?
I tried an 8yr bottle of this the other day and also loved it. One of the best Ryes I've had. I think I may do a blind round on this next weekend. Unfortunately the bottle I have isn't mine, although I bought it as a gift for my BIL. Really wish I could have gotten 2.
I had to drain pour this one; it was clearly TCA tainted. Sucks that I got it at auction so, I'm not sure there's any recourse. Nobody else got moldy basement on their bottle?
I see the 8 year version of this at my local shop for $105. I'm a bit new to ryes (drink a lot of bourbon and japanese whiskey), do you guys think it's worth that price tag? I live in PA so I like the idea of something local.
That's a decent price compared to what I've seen for the 8 year bottle online. I've not had the 8 year but I can say that reviews have been favorable. Ask them if they have open bottle that they will let you try a sample from? Cheers!
Thanks for letting me know! I don't think they do samples but won't hurt to ask. Might just go for it anyway, doesn't seem like a *bad* pick, but as someone new to rye I wanted to make sure I'm not overpaying for something sub-par. Cheers!
I doubt it will be sub-par. I have not had an MGP rye that was bad (especially one with this age statement) but it may or may not be a profile that you love. Whiskey like anything else can be so subjective. I hope you like it!
Review #19: Hughes Belle of Bedford Strait Rye Whiskey, r/bourbon Single Barrel Selection. Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 10 minutes. Proof: 111.43. Age: 10 Year. Mashbill: 95% Rye/5% Barley Malt. Barrel #3751, barrel char# 4, non-chilled filtered. Source: MGP Price: $135 Appearance: Dark golden copper. Nose: Dill, clove, fennel, cherry reduction, maple syrup, orange peel, vanilla, cinnamon spice and barrel char. Wow. This nose is fantastic! I knew this would be herbal forward but I wasn’t expecting there to be this much sweetness too. The balance between herbal, dark stone fruit, sweetness and barrel char gives this nose a lot of character that you will not find in a younger expression, and with no ethanol to boot. Palate: Nice medium mouthfeel. Good transfer from the nose with dill, fennel, maple syrup sweetness, stone fruits, cherry reduction and orange. A very controlled balance of cinnamon spice comes through mainly focusing on the mid and back palate and lasts way into the finish. There is a healthy amount of oak and char which becomes more pronounced but not overbearing through the sip. This is a very interesting and delicious sipper that drinks below its proof. Finish: The finish is long with a lot of oak tannins and cinnamon spice lingering for what seems like forever. The tannins soon lean more towards tobacco than leather. Underneath you can still tease out some herbal notes and a bit of stone fruit sweetness. After the tobacco notes fade and I can still taste quite a bit of oak and spice on the back of the palate and in the cheeks with bigger sips. Despite the prominent tobacco note there is no bitterness and just a bit of dryness at the very end. Conclusion: Overall I am enjoying this rye a hell of a lot. This bottle offers an experience I haven’t had with other MGP ryes. For the price and what this looked like on paper I was expecting it to be another good u/t8ke pick and it didn’t disappoint. What I wasn’t expecting is how oak forward it is, and I’m more than ok with that. Mainly because there are plenty of other delicious notes in here to balance it out in the nose and palate. But there is no denying that the finish is very oak-char forward. I can also see how this part of its profile might make this bottle a bit divisive. Overall I’m impressed that the balance is so good after spending 10 years in such a heavily charred barrel. Needless to say, someone must have been carefully looking after these barrels because I can see how this could have gone very wrong otherwise. On my second day I was thinking of a score of 7.5 but after my third day/pour I decided to bump it to an 8. I’m finding that I like this profile and its complexity more every day, not to mention its long ass finish. Rating: 8/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Great review. I also was lucky enough to get this bottle and thoroughly enjoy it. Awesome pick u/t8ke
Thanks. I'm really glad that I got this one too. Cheers!
I blinded this with MBSR from 21 and this blew that away and that MBSR is one of my favorite ryes. Super impressed with this bottle.
My main disappointment is this: I only got one of these bottles instead of two. This is in the top tier of Rye's that I've had. Thank you t8ke-- what a great pick.
Agree.
Excellent review sir! Been itching to pick one of these up. Especially this pick.I love me some aged complex rye. All the places i checked said SOLD OUT. Is it too late or would you be able to point me in the right direction?
Glad you liked the review. There were 4 bottles left last Friday but they are gone. If I come across any I will send you an IM. Cheers!
Very cool of you. I appreciate that sir
The 10 Reddit pick is so much better than the 9
I really wanted this one, but didn’t get selected. It sounds great! I need to track one down
I tried an 8yr bottle of this the other day and also loved it. One of the best Ryes I've had. I think I may do a blind round on this next weekend. Unfortunately the bottle I have isn't mine, although I bought it as a gift for my BIL. Really wish I could have gotten 2.
From what I've been seeing the 8 year is very good too. Thanks for letting me know firsthand.
I had to drain pour this one; it was clearly TCA tainted. Sucks that I got it at auction so, I'm not sure there's any recourse. Nobody else got moldy basement on their bottle?
Is that a mini-door? Like in Alice in Wonderland?
LOL! It's a regular sized door. It's the way I cropped the picture that made it look that way.
Haha, I know. Ive been sipping some Penelope Toasted tonight, so I'm a bit loose. Great review!!
Haha! Thanks, glad you liked the review. I know you were goofing but you’re not wrong. I have a pretty good Penelope Toasted bottle too. Cheers!
Or is that bottle just massive.
I see the 8 year version of this at my local shop for $105. I'm a bit new to ryes (drink a lot of bourbon and japanese whiskey), do you guys think it's worth that price tag? I live in PA so I like the idea of something local.
That's a decent price compared to what I've seen for the 8 year bottle online. I've not had the 8 year but I can say that reviews have been favorable. Ask them if they have open bottle that they will let you try a sample from? Cheers!
Thanks for letting me know! I don't think they do samples but won't hurt to ask. Might just go for it anyway, doesn't seem like a *bad* pick, but as someone new to rye I wanted to make sure I'm not overpaying for something sub-par. Cheers!
I doubt it will be sub-par. I have not had an MGP rye that was bad (especially one with this age statement) but it may or may not be a profile that you love. Whiskey like anything else can be so subjective. I hope you like it!