Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye Review

Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye is an annual release from the distillery that comes out in July. It doesn’t say on the bottle which season it encompasses, but being a regular summer release I would imagine this is distilled in the fall after the grain harvest and bottled in the spring four+ years later.

Seeing so many distilleries return to the tradition of Bonded Whiskey makes me happy. I love seeing this unified standard of 4+ years, 100 Proof, only water added, etc. being adopted and adhered to by distilleries big and small. It’s even more fun and educational to compare and contrast whiskeys when you can get some side-by-side that followed the same rules.

But bonded never means tasty, and that’s always the big question, so let’s get to drinkin’ and get some answers.

Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Style: Rye (Straight)
Region: Iowa
Distiller: Cedar Ridge

Mash Bill: 85% Rye, 12% Corn, 3% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 4+ Years
ABV: 50%

Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye Price: $50*

Related Whiskey

Twelve Five Rye
Cedar Ridge Malted Rye Whiskey
Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon
Cedar Ridge Wheat Whiskey
Cedar Ridge Single Malt Whiskey

White background tasting shot with the Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye sample bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“This special release commemorates the 1897 Bottled-In-Bond Act. At 85%, this rye whiskey reflects the hard work of our harvester and their farm.” – Cedar Ridge

Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye Tasting Notes

EYE
Copperish amber

NOSE
Oak, orchard fruit, caramel, spice, breadiness, citrus and touches of dill and minerality with a lightly biscuity note.

A fairly standard rye aroma, nothing groundbreaking, but nothing wrong with it either.

PALATE
Cinnamon heavy baking spice, herbal, toffee, oak, green fruit, metallic taffy and a slight minerality and some chocolate Necco.

Woah, this is weird. It’s like if there was an olde style candy made of rye mixed with a baked good.

FINISH
Medium -> Cinnamon, oak, vanilla, minerality fades to chocolate Necco.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Decent balance, medium body and a warm oily feel.

Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye – Overall Thoughts and Score

The aroma is enjoyable but very typical and unsurprising. The palate and finish on the other hand, are unique. The first sip I couldn’t equate it to any other rye on the market and now that the sample is finished… I still can’t. Closest would be the Frey Ranch Rye, but even that’s not a great comparison. The Frey is decidedly richer and also has less of a “baked goods” quality.

The longer it opens the more a cinnamon candy note appears, cinnamon bears, not red hots. It ends up being quite the spicy warm rye with a slight crafty rustic essence but without any of the crafty crap. I wish I had a larger sample of the Cedar Ridge Bottled In Bond Rye because I think it would make a great cocktail rye and I’d love to try it in something like a Basin Street.

SCORE: 3.5/5 (tasty, worth checking out ~ B | 83-86)

*Disclosure: The sample for this Rye Whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.