Copper & Cask Bourbon & Rye Set: "X" 10-Year Bourbon + 7-Year Rye Batch 012 (2 x 750ml)

One grain bill separates these two bottles, making the set a useful way to learn what rye does. Both come from MGP in Indiana, and both were bottled at cask strength by Copper & Cask in Rhode Island. One is bourbon. The other is 95% rye.

Copper & Cask "X" already carries a rye accent. Barrel Master Stephen Corrigan blended 45 casks of 10- to 12-year-old bourbon, and part of that blend comes from a 36% rye mashbill. The rest is a 21% rye recipe. The result is round and dessert-like, with chocolate cake, butterscotch, and cherry cola, held together by three extra years of oak.

Rye Batch 012 pushes the grain all the way. Eight barrels of seven-year 95% rye were blended; most of the whiskey went into tawny port barrels, while a smaller portion rested in new, toasted oak. Port adds plum jam and dried fruit; the rye answers with chai spice and clove. At 120.2 proof, it is the hotter of the two.

Taste X first at 116.4 proof, then move to the rye. The jump from bourbon sweetness to rye spice shows up clearly, and the shared cherry note links the two.

FAQ

What's the difference between Copper & Cask X and the 7-Year Rye? X is a bourbon blended from 21% and 36% rye mashbills and aged 10 to 12 years. Batch 012 is 95% rye, aged seven years, and mostly finished in tawny port barrels. X tastes sweeter and chocolate-led; the rye tastes spicier and fruitier.

What is the mashbill of Copper & Cask Rye Batch 012? 95% rye, distilled by MGP in Indiana.

Which should I drink first? X, at 116.4 proof. The rye is 120.2 proof and spicier, so it reads more clearly second.

Is this set a good gift for a bourbon drinker new to rye? Yes. X already contains a high-rye bourbon component, so it bridges into the full rye.

Copper & Cask "X" 10-Year Bourbon (116.4 proof)

• Nose: Milk chocolate, salted caramel, and toasted oak.
• Palate: Butterscotch and roasted almond, then dark chocolate cake and cherry cola.
• Finish: Long, with mocha and burnt toffee, ending on candied orange peel.

Copper & Cask 7-Year Rye, Batch 012 (120.2 proof)

• Nose: Plum jam, brown sugar and dried fruit.
• Palate: Molasses, toasted marshmallow, cherry pie and chai spice.
• Finish: Long and layered, with baked apple, clove, orange zest and soft oak spice.

Build a board that gives each bottle its own lane. Smoked meats and charcuterie with dried figs or cherries suit the port-finished rye. Pecan brittle or candied walnuts sit between both. For dessert, dark cherry chocolate ties X's cherry cola to the rye's cherry pie.