Review #18: Heaven's Door Rye

Heaven’s Door is a whiskey line that is somehow associated with Bob Dylan and while I generally stay away from celebrity endorsed whiskey(or at least try it a bar) I somehow ended up buying this bottle shortly after release through a combination of good reviews at the top of a Google search and the recommendation of a staff member from Twin Liquors. It’s been collecting dust on my shelf for a while now so it seemed like a good time to do a review. The rye is sourced, most likely from MGP, and is finished in some sort of fancy barrel that is supposed to make it more accessible than most rye whiskies.

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 92 proof (46% ABV)

Color: A medium amber

Neat

Nose: Fresh herbs with strong dill notes and a more subtle note of floral honey

Taste: More herbs, especially dill, with a hint of baking spice and some sweetness but not too much

Finish: Thankfully the dill gives way to mostly baking spice with a bit of lingering sweetness

On a rock

Nose: The dill is mercifully gone leaving the floral honey to rise to the top

Taste: Starts a little sweet then gets dilly and finally transitions to dill and baking spice

Finish: Somehow more dill than the neat?

Conclusion

Overall I wasn’t a fan. I don’t generally like heavy herbal notes in whiskey especially dill or coriander though the sweet and spicy finish on the neat pour was a highlight. This is actually the only bottle in my collection that I currently regret buying, my wife bought the Dark Rye :). It tastes like under aged MGP to me with heavy emphasis on the dill notes. Especially for the price I was expecting a lot more. If I’m looking for pricey sourced rye I’ll probably stick with High West’s A Mid Winter Night’s Dram or Yipee Kay Yay.

0 Stars - Poor to Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this

Scale

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