Rye grain | Butterscotch | Lemon zest | Charcoal

Cranberry | Burnt sugar | Rye spice | Slight creaminess

Dry rye spice | Light smoke | Short to medium length

Whiskey Del Bac has made a name for themselves as an early producer and supporter of American single malts. Their whiskeys stand out for their unique spin on an American single malt. Often employing mesquite finishing casks and mesquite charcoal filtering, many of their whiskeys encapsulate what you’d think a malt whiskey would taste like coming from Arizona.

From its labeling, it isn’t clear that Sentinel Straight Rye is from the Whiskey Del Bac folks. Labeled with “Finished in Whiskey Del Bac Casks,” but featuring a new label and bottle design, you might mistake it as someone else's product. Though it seems clear, Sentinel Straight Rye represents a new product line from the company as it is a sourced rye product from an undisclosed Indiana distillery.

If you’re familiar with Whiskey Del Bac’s American single malts you probably know what to expect with Sentinel Straight Rye with its mesquite finish. It will probably come to your surprise then that Sentinel Straight Rye isn’t nearly the smoky, mesquite tasting rye you’d expect it would be. The nose is quite delightful featuring a nice array of rye grain, butterscotch, lemon zest, and mellow charcoal. There are very light hints of mesquite, but you will be forgiven if you overlook and miss them. The same is true with the palate. A nice light cranberry note persists, with burnt sugar, rye spice, and an overall creaminess that is always welcomed. The finish is simple, with a dry rye spice note and a very light smoke note.

I’m surprised by how approachable this whiskey is with its mesquite finish. Whiskey Del Bac must have decided to play it safe with this release, as smoky whiskey can be very polarizing to a lot of American whiskey drinkers. The flip side though is those expecting a prominent mesquite note will likely be disappointed. There aren’t very many smoky ryes on the market, and although the customer base is likely small for this category, there’s no one that really controls the market for it. I love the idea behind this release, but Whiskey Del Bac pulled back too much with Batch No. 2 and the whiskey lacks gusto. I look forward to how Whiskey Del Bac evolves this new brand over the course of future batches, as there is still a lot to be done with a smoky finished rye whiskey.