Before bourbon, rye whiskey was America’s first native spirit. Prohibition permanently disrupted rye production, and many of the distilleries that produced it never reopened. But with the rediscovery of classic, rye-based drinks during the early-aughts cocktail renaissance, bartenders fell back in love with the bold, spicy style of whiskey — and with that, rye’s comeback began.
Rye’s resurgence shows no signs of slowing down. It often feels like a new rye whiskey hits the market almost every day. So, we track down a handful of bartenders who have kept tabs on all the new releases and have worked them into their own cocktail-making routines. Here are some of their favorites, both new to the world and new to their back bars.
The best new ryes, according to bartenders:
- Exclave Rye
- WhistlePig PiggyBack 100% Rye
- WhistlePig Old World Rye
- Oaklore North Carolina Straight Rye Whiskey
- Sagamore Spirits Rye
- Rye & Sons Straight Rye
- A. Overholt Straight Rye
- High N’ Wicked Straight Rye
- Angel’s Envy Rye
- Still Austin Straight Rye: The Artist
- Great Jones Empire Rye
- Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye
“Exclave Rye. The nose is a rich, deep mahogany with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. The taste is bright with notes of pine, grain, and spice. Founder Andrew Albert is deeply passionate about New Orleans’ culture and its cocktails, and he is a local, to boot! We love supporting our culture and community here in New Orleans. Exclave Spirits celebrates the significant contributions of the Black community to the world of distilled spirits and we are here for it!” —Abigail Gullo, creative director, Loa Bar International House Hotel, New Orleans
“We like the WhistlePig brand and their eclectic ways of making rye whiskeys, especially the PiggyBack Rye for cocktails or the 12 Year Old World Rye for sipping. Most rye whiskeys allow 51 percent rye in the mash, but WhistlePig uses 100 percent, which gives better concentration and complexity. They also use Old World casks like [those used to age] sherry or Sauternes to add a little toastiness and sweetness to their whiskeys.” —Olivier Rousselle, director of food and beverage operations, Godfrey Hotel Hollywood, Los Angeles
“We have a passionate focus here at Sea Level to support local [brands], which extends to our back bar. We’re fortunate to have Oaklore Distilling Co. right down the street, and their North Carolina Straight Rye Whiskey is one of the best! We love that it is produced grain-to-glass here in North Carolina, and it’s a crowd favorite for our cocktail program. With an age statement of 6-plus years, it has a beautiful balance of rye spice and oak sweetness you don’t find in most ryes.” —Azure Cassidy, beverage director, Sea Level, Charlotte, N.C.
“A new addition to our bar, Sagamore is from a rye-focused distillery in Baltimore that specializes in the category. The mash bill is extremely high in rye at about 95 percent and combines a high- and low-tone rye for the final product. What makes this rye whiskey special is the aromas and botanical [aromas] that can be experienced before tasting. Licorice, white flowers, red flowers, hard herbs, and pineapple core all explode from the glass before the palate, which is focused on honey and more pineapple as well as white raisins, cinnamon, and oak tannin. It’s also great for spirit-forward cocktails, especially with a Manhattan or a rye Sazerac.” —Nick Daddona, bartender, Dark Bar at the Boston Harbor Hotel, Boston
“A new and exciting addition to our market is Rye & Sons. Helmed by Andre Mack, a renowned sommelier and winemaker, Rye & Sons is an exciting approach to rye from a wine perspective. They approach each bottling year by year and choose a blend that best represents how the whiskey inside the barrel is aging. The result is a rye that is both complex and approachable at around $30 per bottle, which lends itself to any classic cocktail that you can imagine including an amazing Sazerac.” —Colin Williams, bar manager, Saffron, New Orleans
“A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey is an exciting new product from America’s oldest whiskey brand. It’s a blend of 80 percent rye and 20 percent malted barley that has a rich texture and is phenomenal to sip neat or make a killer Old Fashioned with. It’s the same mash bill that Abraham Overholt used in 1810, so each sip is like a step back in time. At $40 a bottle, it is a steal to have on your back bar.” —Alex Barbatsis, bartending consultant, Bees and Bats Beverage, Chicago
“I love High N’ Wicked Straight Rye. Coming out of the New Riff Distilling, which makes amazing whiskeys, this bottling has a nose that starts with rich caramel, lemon oil, dark cocoa powder, and toasted orange oil, then leans into roasted almonds, cinnamon toast, cedar dust, and orange blossom. The palate starts with rye bread crust, spiced orange tea, and caramel hard candy, and is quickly balanced with a mouthwatering minerality. This whiskey is incredibly easy and enjoyable to sip neat, bottled at a very approachable 45 percent ABV, and mixes in the classic stirred or built cocktails like a champ. It also punches through sours and juicy drinks, as if it were bottled in bond or stronger.” —H. Joseph Ehrmann, mixologist and owner, Elixir, San Francisco
“Angel’s Envy Rye has definitely earned its place here at Lindens! This rye is super unique in its processing, spending the last 18 months of finishing in Caribbean rum casks. The rum casks impart an aromatic and earthy sweetness that highlights the spice notes in the rye. There are also undertones of date, berry, and caramel that add to the rye’s overall depth and mouthfeel. We chose Angel’s Envy rye for our seasonal Mushroom Old Fashioned because of this perfect blend of depth and sweetness.” —Amanda Lee, head bartender, Lindens, NYC
“One of my favorite new ryes to bring on to the back bar at Cure is Still Austin’s The Artist. The proof, coming in at 99.6, is great for mixing in cocktails; they also have a cask strength if you’re looking for something hotter. The real selling point for me is their attention to detail on the grain they use. While most ryes include some corn and/or barley in the mash bill, The Artist is made from 100 percent Texas rye. I get citrus peel and cherry on the nose with notes of ginger and milk chocolate. When looking for a rye that pairs wonderfully with floral, herbal, and lighter fruit flavors, this is a winner.” —Liz Kelley, head bartender, Cure, New Orleans
“I’m a fan of Great Jones Empire rye. It’s got great body and has a lot of delicious cinnamon and vanilla notes while maintaining rye’s signature sharpness. Great Jones is Manhattan’s first distillery since the days of Prohibition, and this whiskey uses only New York-grown rye grain. Fittingly enough, it’s an excellent rye to use in a Manhattan!” —Sammi Katz, co-author and bartender, Spirited Women, NYC
“The newest rye that we have added to our back bar at Banks Seafood & Steak is Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye. This is a new release for 2024, part of their limited-release series that often produces outstanding bottles for collecting or sipping. It is beautifully aromatic with a combination of sweet (sugar cane, vanilla, caramel, cherry) and spice (roasted pepper, toast, and tobacco). It is also very balanced between weight and concentration for a barrel-strength bottling that comes in at 110 proof. I suggest this with a splash of cold water or with a big cube so you can enjoy it as it evolves in the glass from earthy and powerful to luscious and soft.” —Ben Chesna, beverage and wine director, The Banks Seafood & Steak, Boston
