Seared mint | Burnt caramel | Maple candy | Aged oak | Roasted coffee bean | Grassy | Earthy

Nutmeg | Cinnamon | Aged oak | Raisin | Earthy undertone with an herbal accent

Seared mint | Rye spice | Peppercorn spice | Cinnamon spice | Spicy oak | Menthol | Dry

Sugarlands Distilling Company first laid down barrels for their Roaming Man line in 2015 and released their first Roaming Man Rye batch in 2017. Fast forward to the present, and the company is utilizing the first four barrels laid down for their limited edition 10 Year Rye to celebrate a decade of those barrels aging. Roaming Man Tennessee Cask Strength Straight Rye is a blend of ryes aged 4-5 years and utilizes the company’s 51% rye, 45% white corn, and 4% malted barley mashbill. Roaming Man Rye is also made with the largest whiskey pot still in the United States, and in conjunction with their grains, results in a unique flavor profile.

Though this is a barely legal rye, given it features the minimum requirement of rye grain at 51%, the rye qualities shine throughout its sip. The aroma begins with seared mint that turns to burnt caramel and maple candy before turning earthy. This earthiness carries into the palate, adding a slight herbal undertone. Nutmeg and cinnamon carry much of the palate with sudden pops of aged oak and raisin. But it’s the rye’s finish where it kicks into high gear. A savage amount of seared mint starts and lingers until the end, transitioning to a menthol aftertaste. During the finish, rye spice, peppercorn, cinnamon spice, and spicy oak all work in tandem to make this a bold and very spicy rye.

You have to give it to Sugarlands Distilling Company. They have been committed to their rye production, which has been a slow process. We tasted their rye at 2 and 3 years old, and it was clear the whiskey wasn’t ready for primetime. Having tasted it at 10 years old, the opposite was true, and it came with a new set of flaws. But this blend of 4.8 year old and 5.10 year old ryes might be the sweet spot.

Rye whiskey is currently undergoing some interesting developments, and Roaming Man Tennessee Cask Strength Straight Rye embodies many of those qualities. It's incredibly bold, especially for its 109 proof. Having been made in a pot still, it can be tasted from the sip’s onset as it’s earthy and incredibly spicy. As a result, it's a challenging pour. Not all of its flavors play nice, but over subsequent sips, you get acclimated to it, and other aspects of its flavor profile begin to come out. There’s still more work that needs to be done, but Roaming Man Tennessee Cask Strength Straight Rye is a hint at possible greatness to come.