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Whiskey Review: Old Elk Wheat N’ Rye

We review Old Elk Wheat N' Rye, a blend of the distillery's 7-year Straight Wheat and 6-year Straight Rye whiskeys that's bottled at 54.2% ABV.

OVERALL RATING

7
$109.99
  • Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, founder of The Whiskey Wash, is an award-winning whiskey journalist, expert, and judge
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Old Elk Wheat N' Rye review

Tasting Notes

About:

A blend of the distillery’s 7-year Straight Wheat and 6-year Straight Rye whiskeys that’s bottled at 54.2% ABV.
Appearance:
What’s seen in the glass here reflects a typical golden amber profile, supported by moderate legs and decent viscosity.
Nose:
Spicy, soft, and warm are the first things that come to mind on the nose, drawing together aromatics of honey, coriander, green apple, some subtle oak, a wee bit of warm bread, and graham crackers.
Palate:
This opens a bit spicy but then quickly follows with a wave of sweetness that wipes the spice away, which feels a bit unbalanced. There’s some black pepper, honey, marzipan, sweet cherries, a little undercurrent of maple, oak, and a hint of green apple at the end.
Finish:
The finish here is initially a bit more sweet than spicy, but more spice emerges as it hangs for a long time before dropping off.
Comments:
Mastery of blended whiskey requires subtle showcasing of the varied flavors of the bottling’s components. The case of Old Elk Wheat N’ Rye admirably showcases that potential but is not as well-rounded as one could optimally hope for. The sweet and spicy balance doesn’t always work well together, but this is a pretty good expression overall.

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.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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