Old Overholt, from the Jim Beam Distillery, is a deep straw, light-golden colored younger whiskey. On the nose, the alcohol is a bit forward but shows pleasant grainy spiciness with the hint of maple syrup. On the palate it comes in spicy with a touch of sweetness and good acidity and a short to medium finish. (Beam Global Spirits)

(r¯ı)1, another offering from the Beam, has soft alcohol on the nose, which suggests more time in the barrel. It has a rich deep, gold color, with notes of baking spices, caramel and a touch of vanilla. Dark fruits, like Bing Cherries and plums, are present on the palate along with a bit of smoke before a medium finish. (Beam Global Spirits)

Wild Turkey Rye, which comes from its own Kentucky distillery, presents with oak notes, molasses and orange peel. It tastes of candied orange, stewed dark fruits with a touch of bitter almond on the palate. (Skyy Spirits)

Russell’s Reserve 6 Year Old from the Wild Turkey Distillery has scents of honey, molasses, sweet apple cider with cinnamon and butterscotch. The alcohol is very present and Russell’s has good acidity with flavors of spicy white pepper and roasted almond and a medium finish. (Skyy Spirits)

Sazarac from the Buffalo Trace Distillery has a bit of sweetness on the nose with honey, toffee, caramel and black pepper giving way to spices and a bitter almond note on the palate. This rye is robust with rich butterscotch and vanilla nougat, opening up to a pleasing sweetness and a slightly long and lingering spicy finish. (Sazerac Company)

The Buffalo Trace Distillery also offers Sazarac 18 Year Old. It has very concentrated aromas; the alcohol is soft, with notes of apricot jam, honey and baking spices. It is rich and creamy on the palate and fills the mouth with oak notes, cream soda, baked apple, brown sugar and butterscotch with a nice warm and long finish. (Sazerac Company)

Van Winkle 13-Year-Old Family Reserve, with the color of a sunset, has scents of caramel, vanilla, stewed apricots, peaches and orange zest. This rye comes in full bodied with flavors of orange marmalade, butterscotch and pecan pie. It has a nice, long and happy finish. (Sazerac Company)

Old Potrero 19th Century Style rye has a unique nose of rye bread and woody oak. This San Francisco rye tastes like biting into a slice of rye bread. It is earthy, funky and all about rye. (Anchor Distilling Company)

A very special treat was a sample of the Hirsch 25 Year Old, with its dark amber, deep orange almost chestnut color confirming its age. On the nose it has toasted oak and vanilla and dried apricots give way to spice in the form of clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. On the palate, layers of flavors reveal themselves, spicy with candied orange peel, stewed cherries and prunes. The finish goes on and on. (Preiss Imports)