Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Old Rickhouse Rye

ReviewsAmerican WhiskeyIndianaStarlight DistilleryRye

Nov 7

Written By David Levine

Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Old Rickhouse Rye

Indiana Straight Rye from Starlight, Indiana

58.3% ABV/116.6 Proof

4.5 YO, Barrel #1609

Eye: Dark amber - a beautiful color. Medium rims and droplet legs.

Nose: Wow - this is a hell of a nose. Sweet rye, absolutely delicious. Lots of vanilla, baked goods and caramelized brioche crusts in French toast. No proof heat at all.

Palate: Sweet rye bread studded with dried fruits, cinnamon bark, and slathered in sweet butter and corn custard. The rye is clearly on the sweet side like its Indiana cousin in Lawrenceberg, with plenty of herbal and floral notes flowing out. No mint, just lots of custard. Mouthfeel is creamy, medium-bodied, a bit of heat but just a little.

Finish: Finish allows a bit of mint out, with sweet absinthe in the background.

Overall: I love this stuff - a sweet rye is my style, more akin to Maryland and Indiana than Pennsylvania 95/5 (even though it should be noted that MGP’s rye is usually 95/5). I could drink this all day quite happily.

Rating: 7.8

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)