"Vitals: 95 proof, pricing at least $70 at retail.

The Test: Here, we’ve got a bigger, badder nose than the Stein rye, much more barrel-forward: more wood, more spice, less fruit and flower, with a generic cinnamon and vanilla character.

On the palate, the rye character is somewhat subdued (it could almost pass as a high-rye bourbon). There’s a funny burnt, grassy, resinous taste in the mid-palate, like scorched evergreen wood or the last hit on a mediocre bowl of weed.

I thought water might even things out a bit, but instead it just seems to exacerbate the sappy, grassy flavor, adding a little cinnamon and clove. I don’t love this – in fact, I prefer the Stein-branded version."

~The Whiskey Wash