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Hogsworth The 15 “High Rye” Review

Can bourbon and Armagnac create whiskey magic? Hogsworth's The 15 High Rye boldly blends 53% bourbon with 47% French Armagnac for a spicy, innovative pour.

OVERALL RATING

8
$195
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Hogsworth – from Raj Bhakta – has unveiled “The 15,” a new cask strength collection featuring 15-year average age spirits available in three formats. The release includes H.W.’s Master Blend, a High Hog 3-Pack, and a Private Barrel Program exclusive to select retailers. “The 15 signals the start of Hogsworth’s next chapter,” the company stated in its announcement.

Building on the Master Blend, The 15 High Hog 3-Pack showcases three distinct profiles. The collection includes a sweeter High Corn variant, a spicier High Rye expression, and a smokier High Islay bottling. This trio retails for $195 for three 750ml bottles.

This review is for the “High Rye” recipe and features a unique blend of aged bourbon and Armagnac. This is another evolution for Bhakta spirits and their foray into Armagnac/Bourbon blends. It is an interesting pairing as I noted in my Hogsworth The 10 review. I believe there is a lot of merit here and am excited to see where this goes.

Vital Stats:
Blend is 53% Bourbon and 47% Armagnac.
8% 6 Minnesota Bourbon
5% 5 year 9 month Tennessee Bourbon
40% 5 year Tennessee Bourbon

17% 12 year French Armagnac
15% 15 year French Armagnac
15% 52 year French Armagnac

Bourbon Recipe
68% Corn
26% Rye
6% is unaccounted for.

An educated guess is that the above represents the averages between the various bourbons chosen for this blend.
Appearance:
Burnt umber – very slow legs
Nose:
Woody and dark earth tones greet your nose with this one. There is a lovely enveloping rye character to this. Cherries flambe with stewed apples and pears. Warmed walnuts with coffee beans.
Palate:
Spicey right on the first sip, it is certainly a rye. Powerful and peppery but not astringent. A rye has punch and this is enjoyable like a big bite of rye bread. Very dry with limited sweetness, robust tannins, and complexity.
Finish:
Oily mouthfeel with a very long finish. It has a lovely warming sensation to the chest that lingers. Yeasty/bready finish on the back end like a solid chew of bread out of the oven. Just a nice clean drink all the way around.
Comments:
The Armagnac is balancing the rye but also cleanly disappears into the drink. It is providing the right sweetness in parts to round out the hardest edges of the young whiskey without overpowering the lovely grass and earth flavors. If you really dig into the glass you can find the sweeter fruits. This creates a robust whiskey with good flavor for fans of something stronger. This pairs beautifully with a strong cigar or big meal. You’ll enjoy sipping this one slowly.

Overall it is fun to explore and poke around in. I’d share this with friends who want to see what’s new in the world of whiskey, and to show off someone taking a chance. I’m excited generally because this is a 3-part series and each one is trying to show off a new angle of the combination. High Corn and High Islay are the other two available in this group. They all promise to show off unique styling and as a package for under $200 it makes a great gift or whiskey night among friends.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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