Still Austin‘s fourth and final seasonal bottled in bond expression has arrived, and unlike the previous three releases — all bourbon — this one is composed of rye. 100% Texas-grown rye to be specific. As a bonded release, it spends 4 years in barrel before hitting the bottle at 50% abv.
Update: This rye has been reissued for 2025, so we’re adding fresh thoughts here while keeping the 2024 review intact. In addition to a few differences in the front label, you can find the release year on the back label if you want to see which bottle you’re getting — which, it turns out, you should.
Still Austin Bottled in Bond Rye 2025 Review
100% Brasetto rye, still at least 4 years old.
This is surprisingly a different whiskey than the 2024 release, and in a non-trivial way. (I tasted them side by side fresh for this update.) While the 2024 seems impossibly sweet and bubbly, with loads of dessert-like elements, the 2025 is quite a bit harder edged on the nose, and more obviously crafted from 100% rye. Baking spices take a back seat to pepper and some char, with a clove-heavy aroma holding court, unshakeable.
The palate doesn’t mix things up. It’s not as sweet as the 2024 release, and the herbal/vegetal elements of a classic rye come across hard. Bready and tougher, the more brooding (and commonly visible) side of rye is dominant here, sapping the whiskey of a lot of its sweetness. Again a big allspice/clove character gives the whiskey a pungent grip, leading to elements of pipe tobacco and a weighty clove quality as the experience builds.
The finish is epic but not at all the exotic chocolate/raisin/maple experience that the effusive 2024 provides. Instead, here we have a dense and almost too-serious investigation into the power of rye, coalescing into a whiskey that’s pungent and powerful, a savory yin to 2024’s yang. 100 proof. B+ / $80 [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Still Austin Bottled in Bond Rye 2024 Review
No big surprises lie in store for the drinker here, though the quality of the product is clearly on point. The nose is herbal and peppery while avoiding the bitter greenness that impacts so many ryes — especially 100% or 95/5 renditions. Pleasant notes of butterscotch and peanut butter — surprising given there’s no corn here — sweeten up the nose a bit, with warming undertones of cinnamon and nutmeg close behind.
The whiskey strikes the palate with moderate sweetness — a brown sugar and honey quality that is tamed by baking spices and, eventually, a pinch of red pepper. Creamy in body with a reprise of peanuts and some almonds, the whiskey eventually moves toward more of a chocolate character, touched with ample, toasty notes of barrel char. There’s further sweetness on the back end in the form of maple syrup, slathered over toasted rye bread along with hints of raisins.
All told it’s delightful departure from the usual grass-fed experience that defines today’s typical rye offerings as well as a crackerjack cocktail ingredient — and another winner from Still Austin. 100 proof. A / $80 [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
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