Cinnamon bark | Spiced apples | Well aged oak | Pie crust | Faint baking spices | Brown sugar | Delicious aroma

Dry cinnamon | Aged oak | Burnt caramel | Rye spice | Mixed peppercorns | Spiced apples | Flaky dough

Cinnamon spice | Dry oak | Light burnt caramel | Faint spiced apple | White peppercorn spice | Light lingering heat

Many whiskey drinkers will be familiar with the name WhistlePig Whiskey, yet few know the name Bhakta. The company is named after Raj Peter Bhakta, the same man who founded WhistlePig. Bhakta fully parted ways with WhistlePig in 2019 and went on to form Bhakta Spirits after finding a trove of 50-plus-year-old Armagnac on one of his trips to France. Since then, the company has expanded to also producing a number of vintage spirits, including the rye in review. The 2013 offering produced a total of 800 cases of rye that was sourced from Indiana before being finished for 75 days in Calvados casks from Château BHAKTA’s, which is located in Condom, France, and bottled in Vermont.

MGP ryes tend to really hit their sweat spot at 10 years and above, and this assumption holds true here. The rye chosen for this blend displays less fruity traits typically seen in MGP ryes with the exception of apples which is clearly influenced by the whiskey’s time in Calvados casks. The nose is full of complex and delicious scents with a focus on cinnamon, spiced apples, and pie crust. These carry through to the palate, which is spice-forward but balanced nicely by sweeter notes of spiced apples and burnt caramel. The finish stays true to form, pulling in a white peppercorn spice, resulting in a light lingering heat. While the price will raise eyebrows, there’s no denying that the sip this whiskey produces is very enjoyable and a great twist on what you think of when it comes to traditional MGP rye.