Veteran Rye Review: 10th Mountain Rye Whiskey

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History – The 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company founded in 2014 in Vale, Colorado has utilized its proximity to the former location of the training area (Camp Hale) of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division to create a tribute and develop its branding, name and Veteran affiliation. Just seeing the company’s name will capture any Veterans attention. Although not Veteran owned, 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company performs a huge amount of philanthropist work for many Veteran charity and non-profit groups. Click the link for their list  10th Mountain Philanthropy List. Now that we’ve established where the name comes from, it’s important to note that 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company is more than just a tribute to the 10th Mountain Division. 

“The 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company is an extension of the mountain lifestyle, bringing together the old with the new. Generation after generation, men and women alike, all share this same passion, enjoying it for a day, a weekend, a lifetime, or somewhere in between. No matter how long it’s embraced, the combination of friends, mountains, memories, and spirits, brings people together like no other. To encourage these relationships, to embrace the mountain lifestyle, and to honor the 10th Mountain soldiers who inspired our way of life, we created a tribute spirit company in Vail Colorado. Not only is it a tribute to the 10th Mountain soldier, but it is also a tribute to those that enjoy the mountain lifestyle, living it fully, every day.” – 10th Mountain History and Lifestyle

10th Mountain Rye Whiskey has won numerous awards in the short amount of time it’s been available. These awards include:

Global Spirits Competition: Double Gold

North American Whiskey and Bourbon Competition: Gold

Denver International Spirits Festival: Silver

Jim Murray’s 2018 Whiskey Bible rating: 94 points

Value –  This Rye was graciously donated by the Founder and CEO of 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company, Ryan Thompson. We reached out to his company about reviewing their products and he responded with great interest in helping out a Military Veteran owned company.  Despite the generosity, this review will remain honest and unbiased as that is our intent with all of our Bourbon and Whiskey reviews. With that being said, this bottle is worth every penny. You’re not going to find many other Rye Whiskeys with this much flavor, fullness and overall satisfaction for the current MSRP of $49.99. 

Appearance – The bottle is tall and stylish with unique labeling. It comes corked and has a dog tag hanging from the neck of the bottle noting the distiller, batch number, and date bottled. The bottle is filled with a delicious golden amber colored rye whiskey.

Nose – Rye Spice / Crisp Green Apple / Light Cinnamon / Low Alcohol Fumes/ Light Oak  This rye smells wonderful! The notes compliment each other very well, especially the apple and cinnamon with the spiciness of the rye grain. The aroma is so good that you get hung up smelling it. Since it delivers little to no alcohol fumes, it’s great to sit down, stick it under your nose and just breathe it in. It has a prominent sweet fruitiness to it. I had a hard time picking out the fruit, but ended up landing on a green apple note. It’s sweet but also smells fresh and crisp with a hint of tart. Very impressive. 

Palate –  Low Heat / Full Body Feel / Spicy Rye / Crisp Green Apple / New Oak / Refreshing This pour has a lot going for it. Not only do the nosing notes match the palate (which isn’t common), it has a strange refreshing feel to the mouth. The heat level is low, which it should be for 86 Proof, but it’s surprisingly refreshing. Refreshing is not a term I ever thought I would describe whiskey, but this is. There must be something different in that Colorado mountain water. After taking a sip and sloshing it around, you notice how full bodied the whiskey is and how it delivers its rye and crisp fruit smells into flavors. It’s like drinking a sweet rye dessert.

Finish – Very Low Heat / Slightly Dry / Light Rye / Light Oak  Well, it all can’t be amazing. The finish is just good. It has a very low heat level. It leaves your mouth a bit dry, as a rye should. Also, it leaves no long lingering rye or oak notes. It takes just a few seconds for the flavors to go away and you are left with a dry mouth that just wants another sip.

Summary – Overall, this is my new “go to” rye. I think this is an excellent pour. I’m blown away by the combination of smells and flavors and how they manage to maintain their strength throughout the entire experience. It’s even more impressive that the age statement is labeled as a minimum of 1 year. I look forward to this rye in the future as the age statement grows. I’m going to predict it wins lots of awards.

Uniqueness – 1-10 – 8

Appearance- 1-10 – 8

Nose- 1-20 – 17

Palate- 1-20 – 18

Finish- 1-20 – 14

Value- 1-20 – 19

8.4

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