The private barrel selected for Healthy Spirits comes with the following stats:

• Barrel No.: 10
• Whiskey Source: MGP, Indiana
• Mash Bill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
• Proof: 108.54
• Age: 6 years 5 months 13 days (Barreled 12/11/14, bottled 5/24/21)

Let’s jump into a glass. I tasted this after letting it sit for about 10 minutes in a traditional Glencairn. The aromas were already gently reaching out of the glass as I waited.

• Color: A nicely toasted orange-amber
• Nose: Herbal rye spices, long grasses, a sprig of dill, bright caramel, finely ground black pepper, an old-fashioned malted candy
• Palate: Peppery right up front alongside the dill and herbal rye grasses, a bright stone fruit akin to apricot, the caramel that thickens in the crevices of a doughy breakfast pastry
• Finish: A lingering peppery tingle that comes in waves, with the stone fruit note, the breakfast pastry dough, and a dash of the black pepper
• Overall: Classic MGP 95/5 rye goodness with a nice peppery zing.

I would sip this neat. At 108.54 proof, it’s also got enough oomph to stand up well in a rye-based cocktail or against a large ice cube’s glacial down-proofing. Six-plus years in the barrel have imparted a refined but solid oakiness that works subtly in support of the other more obvious flavors, like a dance floor at a party keeping the guests on their toes.