Green apple | Orange peel | Fresh mint | Cinnamon sugar | Oak

Butterscotch | Orange chocolate | Warm apple cider | Slight bubble gum note | Nice mouthfeel

Rye spice | Oak | Leather | Graham cracker | Lingering black pepper

Having already released a Straight Bourbon and Wheated Bourbon, Green River Distilling Co. is finally expanding into rye. Featuring a hearty 95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill, and aged 4-6 years, it checks the right boxes. But it wouldn’t be a Green River Distilling Co. whiskey if its price wasn’t part of the discussion, and at $35, the company makes value one of its main selling points.

The rye opens with an acute and traditional green apple scent before moving to a non-standard orange scent. Fresh mint follows behind, as does cinnamon sugar and oak, to form a satisfying aroma. The palate shifts to rich butterscotch before moving to an effective combination of orange chocolate and warm apple cider. A slight bubble gum note is also present for good measure, and the palate is capped off with a noticeably viscous mouthfeel. The finish hits with rye spice immediately, followed by oak and leather right behind it. As the finish settles, a graham cracker note enters precisely at the right time before the whiskey leaves you with a lingering black pepper note.

Following in the footsteps of their Straight Bourbon, Green River Straight Rye is an easy drinker that packs in a good amount of flavor at an excellent price. Green River’s notable mouthfeel is also present once again, which is a good sign that they are able to replicate it, and it can be one of their company’s main calling cards.

In the end, the rye’s flavor profile and price squarely puts it into the everyday drinker category. It feels like this category has somewhat cooled lately, with the number of new ryes below $40 becoming increasingly less common. Along with their Straight Bourbon, Green River Distilling Co. has solidified itself as a go-to for everyday value-based pours.