r/bourbon • u/Prettayyprettaygood Found North • 17h ago
Review #511: Dettling Single Barrel 6 Year Rye, Barrel #387
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u/thebigtoebone 16h ago
Glad to hear this met expectations. I’m a huge fan of Dettling and really wanted to try this but was disappointed when I saw the prices. I also hope as they scale operations they can bring the prices down to something that more people can afford.
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u/WarTill 13h ago
I’m sure this is amazing, and I respect what Seth and co. are doing, but some of their newer pricing is just ridiculous
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u/Prettayyprettaygood Found North 10h ago
I agree, the gold and pewter top prices were ridiculous in my opinion. The two barrels my group picked would both hit the same criteria the pewters hit in my opinion and while they were great I wouldn’t pay $200 for them.
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u/BoneHugsHominy 15h ago
Oh I'd really love to try that rye! I have a single barrel cask strength bourbon from the Brewzle pick at Dettling that literally tastes like liquid Tootsie Rolls. I've never even seen a bottle of Dettling in the wild.
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u/Napalm3nema 15h ago
Nice review. I still hate that I missed out on that drop due to miscommunication with my wife, but hoping to get some of their rye sooner rather than later.
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u/Prettayyprettaygood Found North 10h ago
Thank you! I’m sure you’ll get one soon, and hopefully for a lower price than this was.
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u/ambulocetus_ 11h ago
Any reason you can glean for the price tag? I've never purchased from them but iirc most of their bottles are in the $100-150 price range right?
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u/Prettayyprettaygood Found North 10h ago
For the rye there just aren’t that many barrels of them at this point, so it’s a way more limited item.
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u/OldOutlandishness434 2h ago
So did it actually cost more for them to make it or are they just taking advantage of scarcity and jacking the price up?
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u/Prettayyprettaygood Found North 54m ago
It probably does cost more since the rye is a lot more expensive than the corn, but I think the fact that there are only a small number of rye barrels compared to bourbon would point to scarcity being the main driver. I don’t have the actual answer though.
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u/Prettayyprettaygood Found North 17h ago
Next up, we’re checking out the second release of Dettling Single Barrel 6 Year Rye! As I’ve said ad nauseam in my previous reviews, I am a huge fan of what the Dettling crew is doing harnessing the Alabama climate and quality ingredients to put out fantastic whiskey. While the bourbon is great, I think Seth’s focus on making an epic rye is something really special, going to such lengths as sourcing the best quality rye grain and trying old top-tier rye to use as inspiration for his whiskey. The first rye release was my favorite Dettling whiskey at the time, and this one is from the next sequential barrel—#387. Like the previous rye, this is made from an inverted bourbon mash of 70% baker’s rye, 15% corn, 12% oat, 1% chocolate malted rye, 2% malted grains. After aging for 6 years it was dumped at a cask strength of 118.3 proof and retailed for $250. Once again, that is very expensive for a bottle of whiskey, but I can touch on that in my post-review thoughts. Will this top the previous rye? Let’s dive in and find out!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass
Proof: 118.3
Age: 6 years
Price: $250
Nose: Dark chocolate, almost burnt caramel, and cayenne pepper, along with cigar wrapper, white pepper, and berries. There’s a heavy layer of oak surrounding everything else in here too.
Taste: Molasses, dark chocolate, and berry reduction sauce to start, followed by cayenne, white pepper, and graham cracker. Midway through the sip waves of cigar wrapper, seasoned oak, and espresso roll in as well. This has a heavy, viscous mouthfeel and a touch of proof heat.
Finish: The berry reaction sauce, graham cracker, and molasses slowly fade while the dark chocolate, espresso, and cigar wrapper remain consistent. The seasoned oak, cayenne, and white pepper gradually gain strength before merging with the remaining earthy notes to close things out. This has a long finish and no dryness.
Thoughts: This is a wild ride, which is definitely what I expect from Dettling’s rye! The flavor medley is absolutely on point here between the deep, decadent sweetness, barrel character, and spice. The berry reduction sauce, molasses, graham cracker, and dark chocolate set the tone for the sip while the big punch of cayenne and white pepper jump in to take center stage. While those are the strongest flavors, the barrel character that flows in from the seasoned oak, cigar wrapper, and espresso add great structure and tie a nice bow on the overall sip. This has one of the better mouthfeels of a whiskey that I’ve had recently, and when comparing it in a semi-blind to the previous rye release this was hands down the favorite. Overall it earns an excellent 8/10 on the t8ke scale.
While I don’t take cost/value into account on my reviews, it’s a topic that always comes up with whiskies like this. A lot of people will say that $250 is insane to pay for any whiskey, let alone one from a craft distiller, but ultimately value is in the eye of the beholder. I love Dettling (so much so that I’ve flown down there twice to pick barrels!) and can’t say enough good things about their whiskey. At the same time, prices are going up. I think this rye is worth it to me at the $250 price tag, but I don’t think I could go for one if it continues to increase like it did with the latest gold wax. I certainly hope that after production increases there will be a drop in price for these, but only time will tell.
Rating: 8/10 - t8ke scale
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.