The Prideful Goat 6-Year Straight Rye Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

 

Many whiskey drinkers are used to seeing new brands on the shelf that come out of nowhere but command a super-premium price. Aside from the sticker shock, what's noticeable is that the whiskey is almost always sourced and comes in a pretty package.

 

The Prideful Goat offered a different approach:

 

“While whiskey used to be a lot more inexpensive, we are dedicated to doing everything possible to keep costs low and trying to maintain the most reasonable pricing in current and future releases on the market. The Prideful Goat Straight Rye Whiskey is a fantastic, reasonably priced straight rye whiskey that is meant to be shared amongst friends.”

 

You may see plenty of social media posts about those new whiskeys, but searching for unbiased reviews is challenging. I’m here to fix that, at least with The Prideful Goat 6-Year Straight Rye.

 

The Prideful Goat Straight Rye was sourced from MGP (now Ross & Squibb) utilizing its 95% rye/5% malted barley recipe. As you can guess from the name, it took six years to mature in new, charred oak barrels. It aged for an additional undisclosed period at Gulf Coast Distillers (now Giant Texas Distillers) in Houston. Batches are limited to between 30 and 40 barrels.

 

Non-chill filtered, this whiskey weighs in at a healthy 59.2% ABV (118.4°). It enjoys distribution in eight states (with three more to follow): California, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kentucky, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Florida. It is also offered online at Seelbach’s and Bourbon Outfitters.

 

I procured my sample from Randy Sullivan of Bourbon Real Talk^®. There were no strings attached aside from taking part in the online presentation. I did the #DrinkCurious thing, which led me to pen my honest review and assessment.

 

Appearance: I sipped this one neat in my Glencairn glass. The Rye presented as orange amber, forming a medium rim and slow, sticky legs.

 

Nose: An interesting aroma consisted of butterscotch, bubble gum, orange peel, cinnamon, toasted oak, and clove. It took me longer than usual to pluck those out, but it was worth the wait. That bubble gum was unmistakable when I inhaled the vapor through my lips.

 

Palate: The mouthfeel was oily, and at the front of my palate, things began spicy with spearmint, cinnamon, and orange citrus. The middle featured that strange bubble gum and butterscotch combination, joined by caramel. The back offered leather, oak tannins, and clove.

 

Finish: A long, lingering finish left flavors of orange, caramel, leather, oak, and spearmint in my mouth and throat.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: This Rye has been among the more unusual MGP whiskeys I’ve encountered. I commend The Prideful Goat for not doing yet another me-too Rye. I found no reason to proof things down; the 118.4° was lovely and full of flavor. When you consider the $59.99 investment, this hits all the right buttons to take my Bottle rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.