Review #190: The Senator 2019

The Senator is a 6 year barrel proof MGP rye release by Strong Spirits and Proof and Wood. Strong Spirits was founded by the folks from Redemption Whiskey after they sold Redemption and the rumor is that their contacts and MGP were more than happy to keep supplying their new venture with high end stocks. They managed to somehow get their first release, The Presidential Dram, mired in the 2016 election politics which mus thave been fun for them. After that they started releasing their rye as the Senator and their bourbon as the Ambassador. I’ve tasted the 2018 bottlings of both and they were both great but they both eluded me until just recently when I was able to secure the Senator at a reasonable price. MGP ryes tend to be hit or miss with me as they can have that dill note that I don’t care for so here’s hoping the 2019 Senator release holds up.

 

The Senator Summer 2019 Bottling

Age: 6 years

Abv: 112.1 proof

Price: $85

Neat

Nose: Rich and spicy with just enough sweetness. Baking spice, rye spice, herbal and vanilla notes.

Taste: Warm with a rich medley of herbs and spices balanced by sweet vanilla and hints of oak. Solid mouthfeel.

Finish: Long and spicy with rye and baking spice notes with subtler oak notes.

Conclusion

This was very much a The Price is Right level of spice for me, it was just up to the edge without going over. There were no real surprises here and this delivered exactly what I wanted from a good MGP rye. The bottle also looks great which isn’t a big deal but is a nice plus.

TL;DR: Excellent execution of the standard MGP rye profile.

8 - an excellent bottle I’d like to have at home

Fair - Worth the money, happy with my purchase

As a side note I took the picture while I was checking on some home made beef jerky, it wasn’t ready yet.

Scale

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