Pikesville Rye
I feel like I’m the only rye whiskey fan in the world who doesn’t love Pikesville Rye. It’s not that I dislike Pikesville. It’s a good, solid rye. It is. But a lot of whiskey lovers consider Pikesville to be the quintessential rye whiskey that’s readily available on the market. I don’t. Yes, I’m getting ahead of myself here, as I usually save my conclusions for the end of my reviews, but I haven’t reviewed many whiskeys lately and so I feel like getting straight to the point today. Pikesville is good, but nothing special, and a little overpriced. You really could stop reading here, as that’s all you really need to know about what I think of this whiskey.
A little background though. Pikesville Rye is made by Heaven Hill, one of the best American Whiskey distilleries. Heaven Hill also makes Rittenhouse Rye, which is one of my standard, go to bottles. I always have a bottle of Rittenhouse at home. It’s great in cocktails and is a solid sipper at a very affordable price. Pikesville is similar to Rittenhouse, but bottled at 55% ABV, rather than 50% ABV, and also aged for a little longer.
Pikesville is the same mashbill as Rittenhouse from the same distillery. But it’s also nearly twice the price. Yes, it’s higher proof and aged a little longer than Ritt, but is it really any tastier? Is that slightly higher ABV and extra bit of age worth the extra price? I don’t think so, but let’s jump right into the tasting notes and figure things out.
Pikesville Rye Review
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey
Region: Kentucky
Age: 6 years
ABV: 55%
Nose
Rye spice. Spicy caramel. Spearmint. Floral. Apricot. A solid, if unspectacular rye nose.
Palate
Rye bread. Cinnamon. Nutmeg. Allspice. Mint… kind of an artificial mint. A bit of caramel. Nice, but not all that complex. Medium bodied, average mouthfeel.
Finish
Fairly long and spicy hot. Mint candy. Cinnamon. Sweet cream.
Overall
Pikesville is good, but is it really any better than the standard and inexpensive Rittenhouse Rye? Not really. It’s spicier, with more mint than Ritt, but I wouldn’t say it’s better. Or at least not much better. Maybe a very minor step up, but emphasis on minor. And it’s almost twice the price. It’s a solid rye, but there are better rye whiskeys out there. Pikesville just doesn’t excite me.
SCORE: 5/10
Final Thoughts
I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t think that Pikesville is worth the price when Rittenhouse Rye is readily available and just as good. It’s a nice rye, sure, but it’s nothing special. If I’m going to pay $50 or more for a rye, I want more than what Pikesville delivers. I did a blind side by side of Pikesville vs. Rittenhouse, and I could barely tell the difference. I did correctly identify the two whiskeys blind, as the slightly higher proof gave the Pikesville away, but they both nosed and tasted almost identically.
The place where both Pikesville and Rittenhouse shine the brightest is in a cocktail. They’re both great in a Manhattan, Sazerac, or any other classic cocktail that calls for American whiskey. Sure it’s nice to have that extra ABV bump that Pikesville provides, but if you just end up mixing it into a cocktail, the 5% ABV difference becomes nearly unnoticeable.
They’re both good whiskeys. But give me Ritt at $30 rather than Pike at $50 any day.
Buying Advice: Buy Rittenhouse Rye instead. It’s cheaper and just as good.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
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