Binder’s Stash Rye Reviews: “Chosen Few”, “Furioso”, “Not a Rye Guy”

Background

I didn’t really expect to be here! My last Binder’s Stash review was highly complimentary of the bottle itself, but candidly a little skeptical of the whole positioning/marketing/branding of the line. Since then, I’ve been able to connect casually with Bill a few times and hopefully will be able to share more in the future as to his process for putting out high quality single barrels. One of the things I’ve noted though is that he seems to have an affinity for the 51% rye, 49% malted barley MGP mashbill. The same one that Smoke Wagon utilized, albeit at a younger age, to great effect.

I, candidly, have the good fortune of having excellent friends who keep letting me taste these picks. Having already enjoyed this mashbill aged to 5 & 6 years, I was excited to try these three 10 year old iterations. Given these are all the same age, (basically) the same 119 proof, same mashbill, and same distillery… this becomes a pretty pure examination of the differences in single barrels. Let’s get to the notes!

Binder’s Stash Single Barrel Rye “Furioso” (10 Years, 118.8 Proof)

Nose: Citrus first and foremost. Candied lemon, a bit of honey/menthol. I guess now that I talk my way around it… it’s a bit like a hot toddy. There’s also an interesting baking spice note that’s almost approaching a cocoa powder tiramisu dusting but with a bit of cinnamon.

Palate: Orange peels and orange oils. I’m definitely getting a nice brisk, tart citrus. Slight hints of tea, some orchard fruit, a decent honey style viscosity, and a star anise note. There’s a gentle creaminess as well, making this occasionally trend towards a lemon curd.

Finish: That star anise note gets promoted to black licorice on the finish. It’s lovingly long, with an interesting baking spice and syrupy numbing quality. A little medicinal in that regard.

Great to Excellent (7.5/10)

Overall: A pretty glorious finish on this I’m not going to lie. It never tips too far into too sweet, too spicy, or really in any one direction. It instead is content to tickle the taste buds across the board really effectively. Effective is actually a good way to describe this, and that sounds like a backhanded compliment but it’s absolutely not. This is a very well executed and effective whiskey.

Binder’s Stash Single Barrel Rye “Chosen Few” (10 Years, 119 Proof)

Nose: I’m getting far more orchard fruit here. Overripe peaches baked into a cobbler… light on the spices. Not zero spices, just integrated and second fiddle to a slightly sweeter nose.

Palate: It’s part syrupy, part beeswaxy. The syrupy fruit note is the starting point, but then comes a crescendo of oak and spice. This is challenging… in a way I really enjoy. Almost like if you barrel aged Mike’s hot honey.

Finish: Whoa… I’m getting this jelly bean and oak finish that’s pretty unique. Like artificial fruit flavors intermingling with toasted oak, pipe tobacco, and then honestly a pinch of mint. This is fun!

Excellent (8/10)

Overall: Man, I’m digging the brashness of this particular barrel. It’s a little bit of a rollercoaster, and the texture rules. I will be honest, if you don’t like rye this is not going to convince you. It’s spicy and fruity and just plain odd in a way that most bourbons are not.

Binder’s Stash Single Barrel Rye “Not a Rye Guy” (10 Years, 119 Proof)

Nose: At first, it’s strikingly similar to Chosen Few. That orchard fruit baked goods type nose. Maybe if I search there’s a bit more muddled mint and/or menthol, and the occasional lemon custard, but otherwise I’m getting similar vibes to Chosen Few.

Palate: Pepper jelly and a carry over of that baked orchard fruit note. Syrupy peaches, cinnamon sugar, and a thick french toast. But intermingled with all of those sweeter notes is a pretty hefty set of spices. Black pepper and cinnamon mostly, but sometimes cloves as well.

Finish: Leather, hints of pipe tobacco, black pepper and a whole bunch of mint. It tips a bit too far into black pepper territory for me on the finish. Providing a little too much heat. It’s not a total vibe killer, but it does somewhat leave me longing for the smothered french toast vibes from the palate.

Very Good to Great (6.5/10)

Overall: Yeah I mean you get it, the finish wasn’t for me. Would I be shocked if someone tasted these three barrels and had a totally different order? Not in the slightest! Would I rank these all the same blind? Honestly, probably not! Are you sick of me asking questions to myself? Undoubtedly. Moral of the story is that I don’t really think you could go wrong with any. And I think there’s some more similarities than my notes let on. They all have a very similar mouth feel, and absolutely some overlap in notes. Good stuff all around!