Fresh mint | Spearmint | Lavender | Orange peel | Rye grain | Honeycomb

Cinnamon | Nougat | Herbal | Fruit cup | Rye spice | Sweet then spicy

Cinnamon | Rye spice | Toasted oak | Dry & hot

15 Stars gets its name from when Kentucky was recognized as the 15th US state on the historic 15 star and 15 stripe US flag in 1795. The country was a hotbed of emerging talent, as high quality craftsmen and artisans came together to build the new country. According to 15 Stars, the brand is meant to pay homage to those men and women of our founding nation.

‍15 Stars First West Fine Aged Rye Batch 001 was the company’s first foray into rye whiskey. It was a blend of three different aged ryes from three different states, which is still a novel approach even a year later. Rye from a single distillery can often have a singular focus, and blending has the potential to open up the flavor profile and make it more diverse.

15 Stars First West Fine Aged Rye Batch 2-SSDD opens similar to Batch 001 with its delightful lavender scent but brings stronger mint-infused scents that are typical of many ryes. The palate works well, mixing cinnamon and nougat with herbal and sweet fruit cup notes. The sweet palate quickly turns spicy as rye spice and pepper get introduced in the finish. It’s clear blending different sourced ryes of different ages brings all of the typical rye flavor notes together in one sip. Mint and herbal is mixed with fruit and spice. It's kind of like a greatest hits of rye flavors. The only things that are holding it back is it isn’t as full flavored as you’d expect it to be, and the spice and dryness of the finish counter the palate’s goodwill. It still makes for an enjoyable sip, but despite all this rye gives you, I still want more from it.