Distillery: Chattanooga Whiskey
Proof: 99
Age: 3 years
Mashbill: Pale Malted Rye, Yellow Corn, Caramel Malted Rye, and Chocolate Malted Rye
Price: $40
Company
Founded in 2011, Chattanooga Whiskey became the first distillery in Chattanooga in over a century. In 2015, they began crafting their proprietary malt-forward style of whiskey called Tennessee High Malt in their experimental distillery. After years of experimenting, they released Chattanooga Whiskey 91 and Whiskey Cask 111 at their Riverfront Distillery.
Production
The company started the development of Chattanooga Whiskey 99 Rye back in 2015 and it was first released in their Experimental Collection. It’s made in batches of 6-10 barrels and most of the rye grain comes from Canada.
Chattanooga Whiskey 99 Rye Review: Flavor Profile
Chattanooga Whiskey provided the sample used in this review.
Nose – 3.75/5
Salted caramel, apple, and rye with a hint of pine and graham cracker. More complex than expected.
Palate – 4/5
Initial baking spice fades into hints of cherry coke. Then the rye comes in with notes of caramel and vanilla. It’s not too spicy but heats up after a few chews. Really interesting and complex flavors I’ve never tasted in a rye whiskey.
Finish – 4/5
The finish is heavier on the rye with an initial blast of heat. Then the cherry coke notes come back and eventually fade into backing spice, rye, cinnamon, and bread for a satisfying and medium-length finish.
Value – 3.75/5
At $40, I think this is fairly priced. It’s really unique and has some sweet notes that most ryes don’t have, while not being overly sweet.
Most who love the traditional rye profiles probably won’t love it, though.
Since it uses a lot of malted grains, it simply doesn’t have that rye “pop” that most ryes have. That said, anyone who likes bourbon more and wants to get into rye should definitely start here.
Chattanooga Whiskey 99 Rye Review: The Verdict
3.875/5
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 4.25 – 5
- Gold – 3.25 – 4.24
- Silver – 2.75 – 3.24
- Bronze – <2.75
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.