Bold rye spice | Rye bread | Wintergreen | Rye grain | Faint fudge | Touch of dark chocolate | Forthright proof

Spiced syrup | Rye spice | Baking spice | Cinnamon powder | Dry oak | Fresh dough | Light tobacco leaf | Leather | Touch of spiced vanilla | Full of earthy and spicy notes

Big rye spice | Light rye bread | Aged oak | Touch of leather | Billowing gripping heat | Lingering

The Souza family, who is known for D&S Farms in Atwater, California since 1917, added Corbin Cash Distillery to their family legacy when they opened shop in 2009. I found their Corbin Cash 1917 Barrel Proof Merced Rye to be full of flavor, so much so that it made our Best of Rye list of 2022. The one small fault of the rye was its overly dry finish which ultimately held it back from an even higher rating.

Enter Lost Lantern, an independent bottler of American whiskey, who is now on their ninth single cask collection since launching in 2020. Limited to just 217 bottles, their 2023 Single Cask #4 from Corbin Cash is an impressive showing for both companies involved. Full of rich bold flavors, this bottle delivers in spades. It starts with a nose that leaves little room for hiding what the proof of this rye is. However, it's the midpoint of the sip where the whiskey stretches its legs and shines, revealing spicy and earthy notes that will absolutely delight high proof rye lovers. It ends with hints of its 100% rye origin and time spent in the barrel. In short, this particular single barrel is a different pour compared to the Corbin Cash 1917 I had last year from the brand. While I found the nose in Corbin Cash 1917 to be more attention grabbing, the extra time in the barrel afforded to this Lost Lantern release smoothed out the noticeable dryness by comparison. Fans of high proof ryes take note, this one should be on your radar.