Candy corn | Butterscotch | Toasted oak | Raspberry | Peach | Cantaloupe

Honey | Butterscotch | Stewed peaches | Seasoned oak | Nice mouthfeel | Sweet

Rye spice | Cinnamon bark | Cola | Light leather | Golden raisin | Charred oak | Seared mint | Lingering spice

Golf and whiskey have always been unofficial acquaintances, but in 2024, Heaven Hill partnered with the PGA, and Elijah Craig was named the official bourbon of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. Now it feels like golf and bourbon go hand in hand on the links.  

Bushwood Spirits is a golf-centric spirits company created by Brad Carpenter. An injury 13 years ago prevented him from playing golf, and the idea for Bushwood Spirits sprang up while he was recovering. The company was formed in 2016 and sold its first bottle in October 2021. Bushwood Spirits bottles adorn a heavy metal golf ball topper and other golf-related iconography on their labels. The company’s bourbon releases carry the name “Long Ball,” while their ryes fall under the “Stillwater” moniker. This Gold Label release carries a single barrel designation and is aged 7 years.

The rye’s age statement is impressive, especially for a company as young and new as Stillwater Spirits. Though higher-aged ryes aren’t rare, there seem to be more double-digit ryes on the market than those in the range of 7 years like this one. The result is a rye that drinks quite beautifully. The aroma is warm and rich, filled with candy corn, butterscotch, and assorted fruits. The palate offers a nice semi-thick mouthfeel that layers on honey, butterscotch, stewed peaches, and seasoned oak. The finish ends on the spicy side, with rye spice quickly ramping up, leaving behind cinnamon bark, light leather, golden raisin, and charred oak.

For a relatively new company with little information about itself and where it sources from, Bushwood Stillwater Gold Label Single Barrel Rye comes off as a surprise. Being a “low rye” - just meeting the legal requirements to be classified as a rye - its sip manages to be the best of two worlds, pleasing both rye and bourbon drinkers alike. Rye drinkers don’t always show much love towards “low rye” ryes, as they come off as non-committal, but Bushwood Stillwater Gold Label Single Barrel Rye makes the case that this style can have something unique to say. Be warned, you’re likely not to get much golfing done if you pack this bottle in your club bag.

The bottle in review is bottle 58 of 222 from barrel number 9956.