As soon as I opened the Thirteenth Colony Southern Rye Whiskey bottle, I immediately smelled rich caramel; but once I got deep into the nosing, it had an almost fruity, minty, rye spice aroma. Phase two of the aroma settles into a brown sugar and rye spice mix. However, the longer you nose the whiskey, the more the rye emerges. After taking a sip or two, green apple notes reveal themselves. All of the notes are very mild.
There is no hiding the rye spice on the palate of Thirteenth Colony Southern Rye Whiskey. It almost mixes with mild brown sugar, black pepper, slight creaminess, and rye. It is easy to drink, as you would expect at 95 proof.
On the finish, rye spice, leather, and black peppermint. Most of the heat is on the back of the throat, in the finish. While Thirteenth Colony Southern Rye spice lingers on the back of the throat, it finishes short as it goes down.
Sample provided by 13th Colony Distillery.