Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

I met Gregg Snyder at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and sampled their flagship whiskies. I liked the bourbon but thought the rye was more interesting. Chicken Cock Rye is produced using a 95% rye/5% malted barley mash bill and is column distilled at 120 proof and through a doubler at 130 proof. Gregg says he chose these lower distillation proofs to maintain more of the grain flavors.

West Virginia Great Barrel Company was selected for cooperage, which uses tight-grain American White Oak from the Appalachian Mountains. Gregg says he inspects the logs to have at least 10 rings per inch. The staves are cut and seasoned for 2 years and naturally air-dried for up to a year. During production, the staves are given a precision medium plus toast by infrared equipment to a depth of 3/16 of an inch. Next, the staves are given a level 3 char, with a level 2 char on the heads. Greg went on to say the barrel entry proof for the rye whiskey is 120 and aged for at least 2.5 years. A video on West Virginia Great Barrel Company’s website explains further details about the Chicken Cock cooperage process. Let’s get to it!

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 10 minutes.

Distillery: Contract distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Co. for Grain & Barrel Spirits.

Proof: 90.

Age: At least 2 years.

Mash bill: 95% Rye/5% Malted Barley.

MSRP: $59.99.

Appearance: Light golden caramel.

Nose

Spearmint, Werther’s caramel, toffee, rye bread, vanilla, sage, dill, ginger, lemon citrus, apricots, allspice, and oak. There are a lot of good and interesting herbal flavors in this profile mixed with a decent amount of caramel, a touch of stone fruit, and spice. The first thing I noticed was the minty “Juicy Fruit” like spearmint sitting slightly above the caramel flavors. The overall balance is good with no heat to speak of.

Palate

Similar flavors from the nose are toffee, spearmint, rye bread, sage, vanilla bean, apricots, and lemon peel. A mild amount of allspice offers some balance with soft, toasted oak. The blending of flavors is well done with spearmint being less dominant than the nose, sitting slightly under the toffee. The mouthfeel is slightly creamy but on the thin side. I like this herbal forward profile. Though it doesn’t taste as young as it is, I would like to try this rye after a few more years in the barrel.

Finish

Mild allspice lingers on the palate with soft tobacco, rye bread, sage, vanilla, and spearmint coming back toward the end. The sip closes out with subtle tobacco for a delicate medium finish.

Conclusion

When I asked Gregg why the Chicken Cock flagships are bottled at 90-proof, he said to create a whiskey that was very easy to drink with no burn. In any case, that perfectly describes the drinking experience of Chicken Cock Rye. The first time I tasted Chicken Cock Rye, it reminded me of the herbal flavors I find in Wilderness Trail Rye. I soon found out that the yeast strain Chicken Cock uses is supplied by Ferm Solutions, which is co-owned by the founders of Wilderness Trail.

Recently I noticed Chicken Cock lowered the retail price of this rye from $69.99 to $59.99 in their online store. In comparison to other 90 to 94 proof rye whiskeys in my local area, there were brands such as Sazerac, High West Double Rye, Bulleit, Dad’s Hat, Woodford Reserve, Elijah Craig, and Jack Daniels priced between $23 to $53. As well as higher-proof rye whiskies from $34 to $60, such as Knob Creek (100 proof), New Riff (100 proof), Wild Turkey (101 proof), Willett 4-year (107.4 proof), Pikesville (110 proof), Old Overholt (114 proof), Rare Breed Rye (112.2 proof), and Stellum Rye (116.24 proof). A Google search found Chicken Cock Rye as low as $47 in one store, but most are from around $52 to $60 (some higher). I appreciate the expense it must take to create Chicken Cock Rye, but I think it’s going to be a harder sell at $60 retail given what it’s competing with on the shelf.

I’ve been enjoying Chicken Cock Rye when I’ve been in the mood for a lower proof, easy sipper or used as a mixer. I found that its herbal flavor profile makes a good old fashioned. But I would love to see an older-aged Chicken Cock Rye (and bourbon) between 100-107 proof that’s more competitively priced.

Rating: 5.6/10.

 

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.