I was at the corner bar the other day and asked the barmaid whether they had any rye.  She said they didn't, and I wasn't surprised.  Finding rye whiskey is no easy task- not here in New York City.

"Fuckin' rye?"

I turned to my left and saw Albert, one of the local drunks staring at me.  "Yep, Al, rye."

He ran his hand through his thin, tangled hair, looked at the bar top and mumbled, "Rye.  Bye, bye, Ms. American pie.  Drove my Chevy to the levy and what the fuck is rye?"

I have a feeling Albert isn't the only person in the dark on this one.  Trying to figure out what makes whiskey, whiskey, scotch, scotch, and so forth, one doesn't get much help from looking at the bottles or asking bartenders.  They seldom know.

So here's a simple sketch of how these types of whiskeys differ.

Rye- made with no less than 51% rye.
Scotch- made primarily from barley and in Scotland.
Whiskey- usually made mostly from corn, though wheat whiskeys can be found, like Maker's Mark, Old Fitzgerald, and Old Rip Van Winkle.

Different grain makes for a different tasting whiskey, which says nothing of the differences in how these types of whiskey are made.

So we turn to tasting two ryes, straight up.  Jim Beam Rye is aged 4 years and weighs in at 80 proof.  Whiskey sot Jim Murray, author of The Complete Guide to Whiskey, says of Jim Beam Rye,

"That this is a rye that refuses to take prisoners, a volcano of flavors erupting over the taste buds, making for one of the world's super-great whiskeys."

I simply shrugged at it.  Yes, it was decent, nosing of vanilla and rye, and tasting sweet (but not quite bourbon sweet) and bitter and finishing long and soft.  But I sure as hell didn't find that Jim Beam Rye, had a nose with "perhaps, a sprig of lavender," nor that "as soon as it lands on the palate, the rye oil spreads itself across the mouth for a bitter-sweet fruitiness."  Call me rubber tongue, but I found Jim Beam Rye good but not particularly complex.  But hey, at $10-$13 a bottle, it's still a good buy.  (Rating ***3/4)
                     (Click here to order Jim Beam Rye)

Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye (which doesn't appear in Murray's otherwise exhaustive book) is another story.  While Beam is gold-brown in color, Van Winkle is deep red.  It's been aged 13 years and is 95.6 proof.  It's aroma is less sharp than Beam's and broader.  Take a sip of it and you'll find a creamy, very smooth candied taste.  and the aftertaste is lingering, sweet and has bits of caramel and vanilla in it.   After one glass of Beam, I didn't really crave another.  But after sipping two ounces of Van Winkle I was eagerly pouring another.  Hell, I damn near called Julian P. Van Winkle (who runs Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery) in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and begged him to send me a barrel of it, in return for my first born.  It's that good.  This is a marvelous rye, and certainly worth seeking out. 
(Rating ****1/2)
             (Click here to order Van Winkle 13 Year Old Rye)