Green Jolly Rancher | Granny Smith apples | Peach | Pepper | Mild cinnamon

Caramel popcorn | Candy corn | Cinnamon bark

Rye spice | Burnt popcorn | Toasted grain | Cocoa powder

Wheel Horse Rye Batch 1 made an impression on us at first because of its $28 price point. It certainly helped get its foot in the door, but was welcomed to stay thanks to its pleasing straightforward flavors and pure drinkability. Surprisingly, Wheel Horse Batch 3 isn’t the carbon copy as you’d might expect.

Out of the gate, Batch 3's aroma is steller thanks to its sweet apple scents contrasted by pepper and cinnamon. It’s followed by a palate that isn’t overly flashy but enjoyable due to a combination of caramel popcorn and candy corn. The finish is the oddball here, bordering on unique and even strange. Traditional rye spice goes up against toasted and burnt notes that might be polarizing to many. It’s not a dealbreaker but poses more of a challenge than Batch 1. Creeping into the $30 range still makes Wheel Horse Rye a great deal, but departing that magic $28 price point hurts a little. Both Wheel Horse Rye and Bourbon continue to leave their mark and my interest in them continues.