Art of the Spirits "Easy Elegance Cask Strength" Rye Whiskey Review

We kind of have the best of everything going on right now in whiskey in the United States. The largest distillers are getting creative to push the boundaries and reinvent their brands. Craft distilleries bring a whole new level of innovation to the category as well. Finally, there are people like Richard Paul, owner of Art of Spirits in Denver, Colorado. He buys whiskey, gets creative with it, then sells it with complete transparency about how he sources whiskey and what he does to make it unique.

Richard got started by bringing his love of art to the brand he would create. He spent years on the road working with a couple of artists affiliated with Harley-Davidson where he would sell their products around the country.

He decided to combine his love of art, with his relationships with Danial James and David Uhl (the two artists who work with Harley-Davidson) to create Art of Spirits, a whiskey brand that allows Richard to get creative on the whiskey and incorporate the art of James/Uhl onto the labels. Additionally, he takes the concept of pairing whiskey and art a step further by giving away his own artistic creations to those that buy his product. With each release he gives away a $3,000 barrel display and a $500 whiskey dispensing system he creates himself. The winners are drawn at random from those that buy his products through the website totalbev.com.

Richard was kind enough to send me a bottle of his latest release. It’s called Easy Elegance and it is a cask strength rye. The label features two elegant ladies in what looks to be around the turn of the 20th century (based on their clothing).

Here’s a look at all of the details of the product as well as my notes from the tasting I did.

The Details

Release: Easy Elegance Cask Strength

Type of Whiskey: Rye

Mashbill: 90% Rye, 5% Corn, 5% Malted Barley

Barrel: 30 Gallon/Char #4 (Alligator)

Yield: 120 Bottles (all hand-numbered)

Age: 30 Months

Proof: 127.24

Learn More: artofthespirits.com

Retail Price: $149.99

Buy This Product: Click here to buy a bottle at totalbev.com (use the coupon code ART25 to get $25 off.

Richard’s Appearance of The Bourbon Daily: Show #722

Steve’s Review

Nose: The nosing starts as soon as you pop the cork. This one is a big, bold whiskey that literally jumps out of the bottle before you even take a pour. I’m catching a variety of scents here that include: oak, vanilla bean, honey and a hint of floral.

Palate: Across the palate this one grows in flavor and intensity. You’re going to get some nice tropical fruit notes upfront, followed by a blast of baked goods and a caramel and toasted marshmallow smattering across the center of your tongue.

Finish: This one finishes with a nice spark of peppery rye that increases in warmth for quite a bit after you swallow the whiskey. I absolutely love what is going on with this one on the finish.

Recommendation: I can’t recommend this one enough. I haven’t loved a rye this much since Jim Beam came out with its Booker’s Rye a few years ago. For $125 (after the coupon code listed above) it’s as good of a deal as you will find in artisan small batch whiskey. In fact, buy two bottles because this one is a drinker… it’s not going to sit around long on your bar, you are going to be drinking this one!