11 Best High Rye Bourbons For Those Who Love Spicy Whiskey

If you like your whiskey to have a spicy edge but still appreciate its classic sweetness, high rye bourbons are a perfect middle ground. These whiskeys are made of at least 51% corn, meaning they qualify as bourbon, but they have a much higher percentage of rye in the mash bill compared to most bottles. There is no set definition of just how much rye is needed, but many people say it needs to be at least 20% rye. Rye brings out a range of spices in whiskey, leading to bolder bourbons with a bit more bite. These bottles are a great way to explore this side of whiskey without losing the sweetness that makes bourbon so appealing.

With my extensive history of tasting, reviewing, and studying bourbon, I've chosen some bottles that are not just high rye but also of exceptional quality. Each offers its own unique balance of sweetness, spice, and oak. Some of these will make a brilliant new everyday sipper, whereas others are a little more intense and may be best saved for those special occasions. Either way, all of them are worthy of your consideration if you're a high rye bourbon fan. 

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

Four Roses Single Barrel is a versatile whiskey with consistent quality, making it a solid choice if you want to splash out on a reliable top-shelf whiskey. I say "splash out," but at $46.99 at Total Wine, it still represents excellent value for money and is one of the best whiskeys you can get for under $60. Despite being 35% rye, it doesn't deliver its spice quite as potently as others here, but it still has more than enough power to keep you interested. Its ability to balance that spice against its range of fruity notes is impressive.

That comes from the likes of plum and cherry, which are a nice complement to the sweetness you expect from bourbon. The spice here mainly comes from cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg, which are significant but don't overpower one another. They help create a lovely warmth that lasts through to the long finish, where they're joined by toasted oak. It's bottled at 100 proof and has enough strength to deliver these flavors with impressive intensity without becoming too aggressive. It's an excellent gateway not only to high rye bourbon but also single barrel whiskey and high-end expressions in general.

The regular bottle of Bulleit Bourbon is highly popular but can split opinion among enthusiasts. It can be seen as basic, but these criticisms can't be laid at the door of the 10-year bottle, which contains a mash bill of 28% rye, comfortably placing it within the high rye category. That grain influence is certainly noticeable but it's tempered by the 10 years of aging, creating a whiskey with bold character but rounded edges. This makes it a beginner-friendly bourbon that doesn't entirely rely on its sweetness to make an impression.

Yet, it's that sweetness, deep caramel, and butterscotch notes that you're likely to notice first. This one showcases raisin flavors, which are common dark fruity notes found in some rye whiskeys, but in this case, it's met with brighter fruits too, such as apricot and orange. Then, you get the more expected rye influence of cinnamon and pepper. Finally, the 10 years of aging brings some deeper oak and contributes to its lingering finish. At $39.99 at Total Wine, it's a good price for an impressive whiskey with such extended maturation.

Basil Hayden Kentucky Straight Bourbon isn't what you'd expect from a high rye bourbon because it's light and approachable. These qualities make it one of the best bourbons for beginners, aided by its low proof of 80. With a mash bill that contains 27% rye, it's a good example of how higher rye content doesn't mean an overpowering whiskey. Here, the spice is beautifully balanced by the sweeter notes. It may be a little too delicate for some enthusiasts, but I've always found it to be a great, easy-drinking option, as there is still some nuance there.

That nuance includes the aroma, which is delicate but still allows you to find a mix of fruit and spice. You'll first be greeted by some honey and vanilla sweetness, balanced by a soft foundation of toasted oak. The rye mainly brings flavors of cinnamon and black pepper, which gradually develop and don't ever hit you with a wave of heat like others here. That lack of harshness is showcased on its smooth finish. A bottle is listed for $29.99 at Total Wine. At that lower price, it's an excellent choice that showcases how high rye doesn't equal aggressiveness.

At just $22.99 at Total Wine, Old Grand-Dad Bonded is one of the best-value options if you're looking for a bourbon with plenty of rye influence. Old Grand-Dad is one of the oldest bourbon brands still around today and known for its rye kick across its range of expressions. The 100 proof has the same amount of rye as Basil Hayden (27%), but Old Grand-Dad is much spicier. That may be partly due to this whiskey being bonded, meaning it adheres to the rules of The Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897 and the 100-proof required within it. That extra strength helps it deliver a bold, full-flavored experience while still being incredible value for money.

As can be the way with some rye expressions, the nose is nice, but it does little to tell you about the spices on the palate. You're mostly hit with black pepper and cinnamon. Some lingering oak and subtle earthy notes also add to its earthy character. There is still plenty of sweetness to balance it, but what should impress you the most is the depth it has for the price. It does perhaps lack the refinement of most of the more expensive bottles, but it's far from being rough or harsh. Instead, it's a wonderful introduction to rye.

As with the Old Grand-Dad bottle, the 1792 Small Batch puts its rye influence front and center. And like the Old Grand-Dad bottle, it's highly affordable at $24.99 at Total Wine. The exact grain percentages aren't shown, but it feels comfortably above that 20% threshold. The biggest rye influence comes in the form of pepper. It hits you quickly as you begin tasting, lingers nicely in the background, and seems to get more pronounced as you move toward the finish, where it is joined by lingering caramel to end the tasting on a delicious and warm note.

Before you get to that, there is a butterscotch sweetness to enjoy, and you should be able to pick out more subtle spice notes of cinnamon and clove. There's a noticeable oak influence too, adding a slightly dry edge that helps to stop any one flavor from becoming overwhelming. It's these features that help it to become one of my favorite small-batch bourbons, and at a proof of 93.7, it offers a little more strength than basic bottles without becoming too intense.

While Old Grand-Dad is one of the oldest brands, New Riff is one of the best up-and-coming distilleries that whiskey lovers should know about. Its bottled-in-bond bottle is one I have a lot of respect for, as it offers excellent quality and consistency. New Riff makes it one of the best bonded bottles available today, and the bottle has its own distinct personality. Its mash bill contains 30% rye, alongside 65% corn and 5% malted barley, giving it more than enough rye while still leaving plenty of room for classic bourbon sweetness.

It's priced at $39.99 at Total Wine and delivers plenty of flavor without losing its balance. That balance starts with the creamy vanilla delivered on the full-bodied mouthfeel. Once you've enjoyed that, you'll soon be hit by the contrasting notes of pepper, cinnamon, and clove. Along with this, you'll enjoy some dark fruits and oak for depth. With an impressively long and warm finish, it confirms itself as one of the best robust high rye bourbons around.

Many of the best high rye bourbons around come from relative newcomers. I say relative, as Redemption has been around since 2010, but that's still not a long time in whiskey terms. Redemption doesn't distill its own bourbon, making it a sourced bourbon. This can often lead to boring or uninspired whiskey, but Redemption is one of the few brands that do it well, and I respect that it doesn't hide the fact it blends sourced barrels.

Redemption High Rye is perhaps the best example of this blending craft, as it has a particularly spicy character without being overly aggressive. It's well priced ($21.99 at Total Wine) for anyone who appreciates the dry and assertive profile that comes from its 36% rye mash bill. Bottled at 92 proof, the nose offers light vanilla and red berry fruitiness with a subtle hint of oak. Big peppery spice hits you quickly on the palate, where it's joined by clove, cinnamon, mint, licorice, and woody notes for added complexity. Caramel sweetness keeps everything balanced, and the long finish is endlessly satisfying, especially with its rye warmth.

This is another bottle from Beam Distilling, and at $68.99 at Total Wine, is one of the most expensive bottles on the list. This bourbon has been aged for seven years, is high rye, and single barrel. It's bottled at 107 proof, making it a highly potent whiskey. You'll get to enjoy plenty of rye spice contrasted by the richness of a well-aged whiskey. The exact grain percentages aren't disclosed, but there's no doubting the rye influence here. That said, there's not much of it on the nose, as the earthy notes mainly come from dried oak.

One of the features you want to see from a higher-end bourbon is a deeper level of sweetness, and you get that here with rich brown sugar. That char from the nose makes an appearance on the palate before the rye makes itself known. It does so in the form of a lovely combination of dark fruit and baking spices. That higher proof allows these flavors to be delivered with plenty of intensity and contributes to a finish that feels both full-bodied and warm. You may wish to explore the more affordable side of high rye bourbon first, but if you stretch your budget to include this Baker's bottle, you won't be disappointed.

Bardstown, which built its distillery in 2016, is another young company producing excellent bourbon. Its Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which used to be known as the "Origin Series," is its flagship product. It's priced at $41.99 at Total Wine and offers plenty of character for the price. And at 36% rye, it more than meets the threshold for what people call high rye bourbon. It's bottled at 96 proof, giving it enough strength to deliver on its flavors without overpowering your palate. Those flavors give you an excellent balance of traditional caramel and oak but with pronounced rye influence.

You may be surprised by how fruity the nose is. There is a nice interplay between apricot and orange, bolstered with fresh mint on the palate, and you're quickly greeted by a wave of cinnamon. It's immediately balanced by vanilla before more earthy notes come into the fray in the form of oak and pepper. I love how you can always taste that contrast between the fruity sweetness and the drier rye character, almost as if both are fighting to get your attention without either side ever winning. After a bold and lingering finish, you'll realize the only winner was your taste buds.

Spice can be an interesting flavor in whiskey, as a lot of the time, you get a general taste of baking spice without any specific flavor popping out. There is nothing wrong with that, but Rabbit Hole Heigold is a good example of a whiskey where you can clearly taste those different spices. That means you'll get to enjoy cinnamon and clove, with a clear pepper kick joining them toward the finish. The impressive part is how those notes don't dominate the tasting experience. That may be in part due to its 25% of rye in the mash bill, or perhaps its unique use of malted rye.

Whatever the reason, the bourbon is still able to retain a lot of sweetness. It flows over your taste buds, alongside silky butterscotch and lively citrus, before those aforementioned spices make an appearance. There's also a subtle herbal quality, with oak and almond adding further depth. At $60 on Wine.com, Rabbit Hole Heigold is a more premium option, but its distinctive malted rye character makes it worth exploring if you can find it.

Still Austin The Musician is another fantastic example of a modern high rye bourbon. It's made with 70% white corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley, all of which are grown in Texas, the home of the distillery. Bottled at 98.4 proof, it has a decent level of power while still retaining a nice balance between sweetness and spice. It tastes like a fairly young bottle, but that doesn't mean it's without flavor. Its raw energy differs from the more rounded bottles on this list, but that may be more to your personal preference.

The nose is particularly inviting, as there are pineapple and toasted coconut flavors. Traditional bourbon aromas are still there, making it a fascinating contrast. A similar contrast continues onto the palate but with a different dance. This time, you have earthy notes, such as cinnamon and almonds, in harmony with sweeter elements of tropical fruit and toffee. The spice in the finish develops into more of a peppery warmth, confirming its distinctive flavor profile. It's available for $39.99 at Total Wine, and gives you the opportunity to try something different. It's a little edgy and a little raw, but still packed full of unique Texas character.

In putting this list together, I wanted to be careful to ensure all these whiskeys were worthy of selection. That meant they had to have at least 20% rye in their mash bill or, in instances where it's not disclosed, clearly have the taste and character of a high rye bourbon. It was also important that it wasn't just a list of all the high rye bourbons out there. I only included the ones that I felt were worth recognizing.

Price and availability have also played an important role, as I included bottles that offer something worthwhile at their respective price point. Having spent nearly two decades exploring whiskey, I've drawn on my own tasting experience to make these selections and believe all of them will appeal to anyone who enjoys spicier whiskey.