Review #868 - Green River Kentucky Straight Rye
Using a MGP-esque mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, Green River produces this core range Kentucky Straight Rye at their distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky. Like the equivalent bourbon bottling, there's no age statement on this standard release, but we know that it's at least 4 years old considering their use of the term 'straight,' paired with the NAS presentation.
This is bottled at a strength of 47.5% ABV (95 proof), and they do tell us on the label that it isn't chill filtered.
Green River Kentucky Straight Rye
USA - Rye
Price: USD 35 (2026)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 47.5% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 10 months; bottles at 90% and 40% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Minty and spicy - rye, molasses, some dill and a bit of black pepper. Sweet oaky influence, along with some orange peel and mint toothpaste; bruleed sugar, anise, earthy notes, and toast are accents.
Palate: Oranges, brown sugar, soft toasted oak, and a bit of vanilla. There's more oaky sweetness now, and there's just a subtle rye spice, but black pepper notes build on later sips. The mouthfeel is medium-thin.
Finish: Anise adds a kick of spice, and we also get vague herbal notes, chalk, rounded oak, and a bit of orange fruit. The finish grows more mellow; it has a medium length.
Final Note: This is a perfectly good entry-level rye from Green River - it has some classic rye spice and subtle oak aging, but it doesn't taste very old, and the low bottling strength lets it down in terms of flavor density. It's a relatively simple flavor profile, but we liked how there were some subtle fruit and sugar influences in there along with the rye spice.
Value is pretty good, as the price here is reasonable. This competes with other budget ryes such as Wild Turkey 101 Rye and Old Forester 100 Proof Rye, and we think it's comparable in flavor to those.
Our Rating: 5.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.00
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
