Muteman Rye Whiskey Review

Quick notes of Muteman Rye Whiskey by The Helsinki Distilling Company (HDC), a sample I got from my buddy. This is small batch rye whiskey from Helsinki, although it doesn’t feel and look like one.

I can imagine people thinking that it’s core range bulk whiskey by HDC, when looking at the bottle branding and 40% alcohol by volume level. The Muteman brand looks cool, though. And they sell this stuff in similar cool looking square 500 ml bottles, as they sell HDC whiskies.

Of course the distillery isn’t big, so I know this is small batch. Matured in oak casks and sherry casks, this is an interesting new expression from Finland.

Tasting Notes

Matured in:

Oak casks, finished in Ex-Sherry casks

ABV: 40%

Colour: Golden amber

Nose: Starts with slightly bitter (Finnish) pale rye bread. Turns sweeter quite quickly. Spirited and oaky, the young age shows very well. Sherry kicks in late, bringing sponge notes.

Taste: Mix of oak and rye. Bit grassy. Very bitter. Hay and rye all the way.

Finish: Cinnamon apples and sharp rye notes. Hints of barley and exotic fruits. Definitely the best part. Juicy fruit bubble gum and nice sugary notes rise up very late in the aftertaste!

Balance: The young age shows differently than in HDC’s batch 1 which was fresh and pure. Although I kinda like this expression, because it’s rye, there’s lots of room for improvement. There’s quite a lot of unmatureness but I must add that there’s also a mellow side. Probably the sherry finish managed to tone things down a bit.