Crater Lake has a wide range of spirits (distilled by Bendistillery), though this rye is their first aged spirit,. Until now, it was just clear stuff – gins (which I really liked) and vodkas.

I love rye whiskey, and this is a decent one, though a tad on the mild side. Crater Lake is a nice, copper colored whiskey that’s 95% rye and 40% alcohol. Even with 95% of the grain being rye, the spice is pretty tame. Maybe this is because of the 40% alcohol level (some of the more premium ryes can be as high at 60%), or maybe it’s something in the aging (Crater Lake doesn’t list the age of this whiskey).

At $30, Crater Lake Rye will get you a whiskey that has a really nice smell, some marzipan/almond sweetness in the flavor, with a touch of apricots and cherry. The alcohol hits you in the nose a little bit, particularly for a lower-alcohol spirit. It is a good cocktail rye, and it’s a good sipper too.