P: Moderate mouthfeel, gain leading with an almost toast-like quality. The more familiar lightly floral and slightly spicy notes come through. There's a mellow pine element that comes through after a while, and a slight hint of lemon on the high end. Has moments where it's almost got a cola-like quality. 

F: Leading with some black tea tannins, this has again a more substantial, almost bready body to the finish. There's some light sweetness, but it's tempered by a growing bitterness that has a lightly rooty, vegetal character. 

 

As a straight sipper, this is the first Beam product I think I've been pretty happy with. It's less forward and aggressive than other ryes and not as extreme an exercise, but it's a pretty enjoyable even-tempered rye. I'll definitely keep this on hand for mellow sipping and for guests who may not be as fond of in-your-face ryes.