Thirteenth Colony Cask Strength Rye Review 2025
Fans of Thirteenth Colony have been asking for a cask strength version of their Flagship Southern Rye Whiskey and they have answered with this first-ever small batch release cask strength rye – batch #1. It is aged between 4 – 6 years and is a blend of 80 barrels with a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. Grab a pour and lets get to work on this Thirteenth Colony Cask Strength Southern Rye review.
Classification: Southern Rye Whiskey
Age: 4 – 6 years
Proof: 120.7
Proof Designation: Cask Strength
Filtered Status: Non-Chill Filtered
Mash bill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Barrel Char Level: Undisclosed
Barrel Entry Proof: Undisclosed
Distillate Source: Indiana
Distillery: Undisclosed Indiana
Company: Thirteenth Colony Distilleries
Bottled By: Thirteenth Colony Distilleries
Distilled/Aging Location: Americus, Georgia
Master Distiller: Graham Arthur
Release Date: August 2025
Batch Notes: batch size is 80 barrels
MSRP: $89.99
Secondary Market: $145
Availability: Somewhat Available
Thirteenth Colony Cask Strength Rye Review
September 10, 2025
My tasting reviews are unique in that I include the notes of several well-known whiskey critics. The hope is that this format will help me and others to explore and expand their tasting experience. After you have taken your own tasting notes, read the reviews and see if there is a flavor note that others discerned that now you can detect as well.
For this tasting: Opened Bottle (about 1 week), Glencairn Glass, Neat, Room Temp, Breathe: 5 minutes
Legs
Beads formed on the crown at about 4 seconds, the legs began to form/fall at 20 seconds, and the first legs reached the bowl at about 46 seconds.
Nose
The nose on the freshly cracked bottle had some very unusual notes including whole-grain dill mustard and horseradish. After one week, the mustard note dissipated significantly and the horseradish note was gone.
After one week: brown sugar, caramel, roasted dill, baking spices, juniper, maple syrup, vanilla.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Bourbon of the Week: no comments about the nose
Whiskey Weather: The nose is very complex. I get brown sugar, molasses and vanilla right up front. Then it turns more classic rye with some dill, spearmint and cloves. Then on the backend I get some red fruit that you would almost get from a wine finish. The nose is very good.
My Bourbon Journey: Big, heavy, rich, bold baking spices. This kind of heavy, chocolate, caramel, pecan pie kind of feel. Spicy caramel, spicy honey. Brown sugars, a hint of maple, a little mint. It’s kind of an aggressive rye with some sweetness.
Palate
I strongly recommend a short pour and then coming back to this a week later. It is very unbalanced and too spicy upon first crack.
These notes are after one week: caramel, brown sugar, cloves, rye spice, white pepper, dill, oak tannins, barrel char. It is still spice forward with sweetness being dominated by the spiciness and tannins.
After 2 weeks of being open, now this is very complex and balanced. The spiciness, oak tannins and sweetness comingle nicely and I like it quite a bit.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Bourbon of the Week: Ohhh! It is spicy! You get a lot of southern influence on this. The first sip was a little rough. The second sip simmers down just a little bit. It does seem to drink above its proof.
The taste on this is absolutely phenomenal. We talked about the spiciness so let’s leave that alone. The sweetness I get on this is absolutely amazing. You get brown sugars, vanillas and caramels. Mixed with the spice, you get clove, black pepper, and a maple influence. I also get a raisin and wine influence. Absolute banger of a bottle for me. I give it a 9.13
Whiskey Weather: This definitely has a rye profile. It reminds me of a Michter’s 10 year rye but with just a little more punch and heat to it. There’s a nice rye spice up front along with some rye bready notes. Then it becomes a little sweeter with some vanilla cookie and maple syrup, even some red fruits. This gets an 8.3 out of 10.
My Bourbon Journey: This is a classic example of a nose and palate being very spot-on. A lot of that really rich or intense baking spice, but with some sweetness.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe a little bit of cardamon, something along those lines, that gives a little bit more of that earthiness. But again, also that kind of chocolate caramel pecan pie feel to it. There’s a little hint of dryness, I think that is just the more intense barrel notes showing up. So, you’re getting a real nice mixture of the sweet decadent side along with some of the savoriness of what the wood barrel is offering.
Heavy brown sugars almost to the point of caramelized molasses. Something thick, rich, kind of decadent and savory at the same time. But it also has liveliness to it, like orange zest. There’s a brightness that it has that’s interesting and works really well with the barrel influence that it has. Some mint.
You’ve got this mass amount of different flavors trying to kind of push and pull, all while kind of working very seamlessly together.
Finish
Medium-long finish with mild maple syrup, dill, baking spices, cloves, white pepper, cardamom. The “tail-end” of the finish, after everything else dissipates, is a mild sour note, which is disappointing.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Bourbon of the Week: no comments about the finish.
Whiskey Weather: On the backend you get a little more spice with some spearmint, some oak, and almost like a root bear sensation.
My Bourbon Journey: no comments about the finish.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel from the freshly cracked bottle is thin…not watery, but still thin or weak. The spice, oak, and alcohol dominate. A good mouthfeel would help balance out and harmonize these flavors.
But, the mouthfeel after being open for a week is Silken. The spice and rye flavors still poke through to dominate the finish, but the drinking experience is better as the ethanol and spiciness have tamed down.
Mouthfeel Rating Guide: Thin = Watery | Silken = smooth & slippery, but not mouth coating | Creamy = coats the tongue like heavy cream does. | Rich or Unctuous = coats the entire palate like quality olive oil
The Burn
Hot. This drinks a bit above its proof. I would guess this to be about 125 – 130 proof, not 120.7. In my mind, a good whiskey drinks below it’s proof.
The Burn Rating Guide:
Very Low = it drinks like it is a much lower proof
Low = it drinks like it is a little lower proof
Average = the heat is about what I would expect
Hot = it is hotter than what I would expect
Scorching! = it drinks much hotter than what I would expect
Tasting Summary
This is definitely better after being open for a week. The fresh crack yielded a nose with whole-grain dill mustard and a horseradish note. That almost disappeared after one week. The fresh crack was too spicy, with the alcohol, intense spice and oak tannins not playing nicely together on the palate. A week later, things have balanced out, so my summary and rating will be on the one week pour, not the fresh crack.
Sweet caramel and brown sugar hit the palate first but is quickly followed with the classic “rye dill” flavor and hot baking spices along with some drying oak tannins. After being open for a week, the balance between sweet, spice and oak has greatly improved. If you like a spicy rye, then this is for you! But for me, I prefer a little more sweetness rather than a highly spicy pour.
My Rating… Fresh Crack: 6.6 After 1 week: 7.9
This bottle required 2 ratings (Fresh Crack and Open for 1 week) because it definitely improved after being open. The higher the score the better the whiskey is in my opinion. For reference, my best rated bottle so far is the George T. Stagg 2022 (138.7p) with a score of 9.7.
| Score Type | Score | Examples |
| Likability Score | 7.9 | 1.0 – 10.0 |
My Tasting Notes
A blank version of this tasting notes wheel is available in both a color and a black & white version in the member’s area.
Notes and History
13th Colony Distilleries was founded in 2009 in Americus, Georgia, becoming the state’s oldest operating distillery since the days of Prohibition. The family-owned business began as a personal project to create liquor gifts, but grew into a passion for crafting spirits. While they operate a distillery with a pot still, the whiskey in their popular Double Oaked Bourbon is sourced, not distilled by them, leading to some scrutiny regarding the lack of a “straight” designation on older labels.
The company’s history is rooted in Georgia, the “13th Colony” of the United States, and they are known for their aged-to-taste approach rather than strict age statements. The intense heat of the Georgia climate is believed to draw flavors from the oak barrels faster than whiskey aged in cooler regions such as Kentucky.
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