The Every(wo)man’s Rye

We skiers drink a lot of whiskey—it just comes with the territory. And though we may not have the most discriminating palates out there—Homer Simpson’s credo, “If it’s brown, drink it down,” pretty much sums it up—we do know some of the stuff just doesn’t go down that easy.

This is especially true when it comes to rye, which is like whiskey 2.0 owing to its spice and kick. But Colorado’s TINCUP American Whiskey has a new rye that continues the brand’s simple mission to make whiskey that you don’t have to learn to like.

While bourbon is made mostly with corn, which makes it sweeter and generally easier to drink, rye whiskey is made with—surprise!—mostly rye grain. But TINCUP’s rye manages to be approachable: It’s smooth and balanced, with just a little love bite (rather than the typical horse-kick) at the end. We picked up the mellow flavors of wood and leather, and we thought the finish smacked of apricot and pepper.

Three More Great Rye Whiskeys to Try this Winter

Inspired by the mining town of Tincup, Colorado, just outside of Crested Butte, the brand uses Colorado’s Eldorado spring water, Indiana corn and rye, American white oak barrels, and some tricks of the trade founder Jess Graber has learned along the way.

“A river rat gave me my first whiskey still in Nederland in 1972,” he said in his trademark salt-of-the-earth style during a recent tasting of the stuff. “I started bringing jars to parties, and no one died, so I thought I might have something here.” (Graber also co-founded Colorado’s beloved Stranahan’s in 2004.)

The rye iteration is the third in TINCUP’s quiver, with a straight-up American whiskey O.G. and TINCUP 10, which is aged 10 years. And Graber’s inspiration for creating the new label?

Check out more info about TINCUP’s Rye Whiskey and their other option on the brand’s website.

More TinCup history: Booze of the Month – TINCUP American Whiskey