Elvis Rye Whiskey Review

Like the Elvis TN Whiskey, saying Elvis Rye Whiskey feels weird. The King Rye Whiskey would have been a better name. But I get it, if you’re licensing Elvis’ name and image you wanna get your money’s worth and use that name as much as possible. And in as big a font as possible. Though […]

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Like the Elvis TN Whiskey, saying Elvis Rye Whiskey feels weird. The King Rye Whiskey would have been a better name. But I get it, if you’re licensing Elvis’ name and image you wanna get your money’s worth and use that name as much as possible. And in as big a font as possible. Though I would have gone for more of an album cover tribute if it were me.

Elvis Rye Whiskey Review

I get it, three-color labels with a basic design are easy, simple and cheap, but how much cooler, and eye-catching, would it be to use the Separate Ways cover? Remove Separate Ways and write The King in the same font and under his feet use a legally similar font to RCA and put RYE. At the very least the label should be red if it’s The King. If you’re going to pander to fans lean in.

This looks like an ink-jet job of a label with a 30-second concept. If you’re going to charge fans $50 for a young MGP rye, the least you can do is give them something cool to look at. Give them something fun to take part in, a label and bottle they might want to keep after. Don’t give them a yawn-worthy three-color label with a weird shiny lightning bolt on the neck. Elvis Rye Whiskey looks terrible when it should like The King of rye whiskey.

BUT, this isn’t a design blog, it’s a whiskey blog, and while I may hate the design of the label(s) it doesn’t affect the way the whiskey tastes and hence the score. Plenty of whiskeys with terrible labels have gotten great scores on here and, alternatively, whiskeys with killer labels have gotten horrible scores. At the end of the day, I only care about two things when it comes to whiskey: knowing what I’m drinking and how it smells and tastes.

Technically that’s three things, but the last two go together, you get it. Looking at the label they did an excellent job of covering the “where is it from” bases. We’re all good there and I commend them for that. All that’s left now is to get to drinkin’ and see how this Rye Review nets out.


Elvis Rye Whiskey – Details and Tasting Notes

 

Whiskey Details

Style: Rye Whiskey (Straight)
Region: Indiana, USA
Distiller: MGP
Bottler: Grain & Barrel

Mash Bill: At least 51% Rye + Corn (maybe) + Malted Barley (could be MGP 95/5)
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 3 Years
ABV: 45%

Elvis Rye Whiskey Price: $50*

Related Whiskey

Elvis Tennessee Whiskey
Porter’s Small Batch Rye
O.H. Ingram Rye Whiskey
Redemption Rye
Kooper Family Rye

White background tasting shot with the Elvis Rye Whiskey bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.
“Elvis Presley has long been hailed as the undisputed King of Rock & Roll.” – Elvis Whiskey

 

Elvis Rye Whiskey Tasting Notes

EYE
Light copperish amber

NOSE
Herbally dilly rye spice, copper, nuts, baking and pepper spice, with a light bit of vanilla and tropical fruit.

It’s definitely rye. So it has that going for it.

PALATE
Herbally dilly rye spice, roasted nuts, spice and dried fruit with some vanilla frosting and spice.

The palate reminds me a bit of the Highspire Rye that was “purposefully young”… I didn’t like it.

FINISH
Medium-Short -> Dilly rye spice, toffee, dried fruit and woody oak.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Ok balance, medium-light body, slightly dry, light, feel.


Elvis Rye Whiskey – Overall Thoughts and Score

I’ve had good-decent young MGP rye and I’ve had mediocre-bad young MGP rye. The distillate is the same, the new charred oak barrels are the same, what changes is where the barrels are stored. I’m guessing these were lower-rick barrels that didn’t get a ton of oak extraction so it’s a bit fruity.

What’s in this isn’t bad, but it’s the same MGP profile you can get in a hundred other NDP bottles, and this is the risk of being a straight-up, non-blending, whiskey NDP. You’re getting the same available whiskey as everyone else and you have to hope your branding pulls you through.

The one, kinda unique, thing I can say about this Elvis Rye Whiskey is that as I’ve been sniffing and sipping it I keep coming back to this idea of apple pie. I’m not getting “apple pie” per-say, but the combination of notes keeps summoning the idea of it.

SCORE: 2.5/5 (average, drinkable, possible minor flaws ~ C+ | 77-79)

*Disclosure: The bottle for this Elvis Rye Whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.

Elvis Rye Whiskey Label

Elvis Rye Whiskey Review $50
Overall
2.5
  • Nose
    (2.5)
  • Palate
    (2.5)
  • Finish
    (2.5)
  • BBF
    (2.5)
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0 (0 votes)
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Elvis Tennessee Whiskey Review

I feel like they should have just called this Elvis Tennessee Whiskey “Tiger Man Whiskey”. It’s a better name and feels a little less… weird. Celebrity whiskey and spirits is not a new thing, but celebrity whiskey for a long-dead celebrity? That’s new, and even though it was his name, calling it Elvis Whiskey just […]

The post Elvis Tennessee Whiskey Review appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

I feel like they should have just called this Elvis Tennessee Whiskey “Tiger Man Whiskey”. It’s a better name and feels a little less… weird. Celebrity whiskey and spirits is not a new thing, but celebrity whiskey for a long-dead celebrity? That’s new, and even though it was his name, calling it Elvis Whiskey just doesn’t quite sound right.

Elvis Tennessee Whiskey Review

But what does sound right is being able to say I know where this whiskey came from, and I love that. Even though it doesn’t outright say the name “Tennessee Distilling LTD” on the bottle, there is only one “distillery for hire” in Columbia, TN and it’s TDL. So while the name feels weird in my mouth, their labeling is spot on. I love it.

And speaking of mouths, I need to get some of this in mine. So Let’s do so some hip thrusts, crack this Tennessee Whiskey and get to drinkin’.


Elvis Tennessee Whiskey – Details and Tasting Notes

 

Whiskey Details

Style: Tennessee Whiskey (Straight)
Region: Tennessee, USA
Distiller: Tennessee Distilling LTD
Bottler: Grain & Barrel

Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Rye + Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 2.5 Years
ABV: 45%

Elvis Tennessee Whiskey Price: $50*

Related Whiskey

Uncle Nearest 1856
Barrell Bourbon Batch 30
Heaven’s Door Rye Whiskey
Heaven’s Door Double Barrel Whiskey
Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon

White background tasting shot with the Elvis Tennessee Whiskey bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.
“Elvis Presley was a man of many nicknames, including Tiger Man, the King of the Jungle.” – Elvis Whiskey

Elvis Tennessee Whiskey Tasting Notes

EYE
Medium amber

NOSE
Caramel, vanilla, baking spice, apples and oak with a light copper and Playdoh ice cream.

Light and easy, this is a whisky that doesn’t give a ton, but what’s there is nice.

PALATE
Dried fruit, caramel, vanilla, cereal grain sweetness and a bit of oak and nuts.

There is a cakey sweetness riding through the whole thing that isn’t unpleasant, but a tad odd.

FINISH
Medium-short -> Grain, caramel, vanilla and spice fade to a light nutty oak.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Decent balance, medium-light body and a thin light feel.


Elvis Tennessee Whiskey – Overall Thoughts and Score

It’s better than I thought it would be, but still average on the whole. There isn’t a whole lot going on, but what is there is easy, light and approachable. This isn’t a big bold whiskey, but a light “smooth” easy whisky that rides right down the middle. It’s as MOTR as it gets.

Reading the label I’m surprised it’s about 2.5 years old, I would have expected something this young to be a bit woodier, not oaky, and a bit more spirity. So good on the TDL folks and their maturation. Though, as I mentioned above, the Elvis Tennessee Whiskey is definitely lacking depth. It’s light, it’s bright, it’s fresh, but also very topical and I keep hoping and waiting for more, but it never arrives.

SCORE: 2.5/5 (average, drinkable, possible minor flaws ~ C+ | 77-79)

*Disclosure: The bottle for this bourbon review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.

Elvis Tennessee Whiskey Label

Elvis Tennessee Whiskey Review $50
Overall
2.5
  • Nose
    (2.5)
  • Palate
    (2.5)
  • Finish
    (2.5)
  • BBF
    (2.5)
Sending
User Review
0 (0 votes)
Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)

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