The Kosher Rye Recipe is the second sibling in Buffalo Trace's Kosher Experimental Collection — a bourbon built on the distillery's high-rye mashbill, distilled, aged, and bottled under kosher supervision. Where the Wheat Recipe whispers, this one steps forward with a gentle swagger.
At seven years and 47% ABV, the rye character is unmistakable from the first pour. The nose offers cracked pepper, candied orange peel, and a layered baking-spice perfume — clove, cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg — over a base of molasses and toasted oak. There is a brightness here, a snap of energy, that the wheated version simply does not possess.
On the palate the rye announces itself in earnest. Spice arrives first — peppery, almost herbal — followed quickly by toffee, candied ginger, and the unmistakable warmth of cinnamon red-hots. Mid-palate adds dark caramel and a hint of dried cherry, while the oak provides a dry, structured backbone. There is no rough edge here; the seven years have polished the rye into something both vivid and refined.
The finish is long and peppery, with allspice, dry oak tannin, and a curious final note of fresh mint that lifts the whole experience. It is a bourbon that begs for a second sip, then a third, as each pass reveals another spice-cabinet detail.
This is a bourbon for those who love their Buffalo Trace with a little more bite — cousins to Eagle Rare or Stagg Jr. in temperament, though gentler than either. The kosher process lends the whole release a quiet sense of intention, a craftsmanship that feels both ancient and entirely contemporary. Pour it neat, and let the spices do their slow, deliberate work.
