HUGHES BELLE OF BEDFORD
Single Barrel #3886 selected by Seelbach’s (2026)MASH BILL – 95% rye, 5% malted barley
PROOF – 109.1
AGE – 14 years
DISTILLERY – Hughes Bros. Distillers (sourcing from MGP)
PRICE – $163
WORTH BUYING? – Absolutely!
I’d like to think this bottle is a true sign that the whiskey boom is indeed over.
Four years ago I bought a bottle of rye with nearly these exact specs—same mash bill, same age, a single barrel, and oh so slightly warmer at 109.7 proof. That was the 2022 Sherbrook Rye release from Maryland Heritage, a small non-distiller producer in Dundalk, Maryland. Total cost was $290, a full $127 more than this Seelbach’s Hughes Bros pick. That’s a 44% price drop.
I really enjoyed that Sherbrook. A complex, beautifully matured MGP rye whiskey, balancing its dry and sweet aspects wonderfully.
But my enjoyment was tempered by the sticker shock. Ultimately, I regretted the purchase. Despite the unusually high age statement, MGP whiskey is ubiquitously sourced. There are many options out there, aged a wide variety of years. And Maryland Heritage, like Hughes Bros, had jumped on the old-timey label revival, a trend that seemed to jack up prices even further. Nostalgia has always been lucrative. I felt a twinge of cynicism about that Sherbrook.
But now, four years on, with the price of these specs having suddenly dropped by nearly half, I’ll take whatever old-timey label a non-distiller producer digs up! And if in four more years ryes like this have dropped another 44% to $90, well, I’ll be plunking my cash down for sure. There’s just something about a wise old rye whiskey that captures my senses, even more so than wise old bourbon. Old bourbon is the Old Timer with sage advice. Old rye is the Old Timer with a wry joke up their sleeve.
So how is it?
Here we are, five days after uncorking and four pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using both Canadian and traditional Glencairns.
COLOR – rich russet oranges alternating medium to dark in the light
NOSE – bright sweet cherry and apricot, dusty granite, oak, a bundle of rye grass and spice, vanilla icing, caramel fudge, lemon zest, black pepper
TASTE – a syrupy texture, gooey caramel and vanilla at the core, surrounded by a swirling gust of the fruit, rye spice, oak, and dusty granite all mixed up together
FINISH – herbaceous with the rye grasses and grain, and a sprig of dill; also the granite and oak, the fruit and candy notes now faint, the syrupy texture clinging to the mouth and helping the flavors to linger
OVERALL – a lovely, dusty antique rye that’s still got lots of life to it
I really enjoy this. It’s formidable without crossing into overbearing. The dry and sweet aspects are nicely balanced. The dusty qualities likewise mix well with the fresh and bright qualities. An Old Timer with spring in their step.
For some rye fans, dill is a note they can’t abide. I don’t mind it personally. Here it makes only a subtle cameo, largely overshadowed by the rye notes coming in the form of both grasses and grains. As the finish lingers, the rye grain note settles in to stay, verging into a really doughy rye bread sort of thing. Very savory.
The cherry and apricot notes work really well with the caramel and vanilla to keep things sweetly balanced against the granite, oak, and rye. This whiskey is like a good chorus, allowing all its voices to be heard even as they blend into a harmonious whole.
Like that Sherbrook 14 Year, as well as an 8 Year Belle of Bedford I enjoyed a handful of years ago, this isn’t a background sipper. It’s too interesting to go down unnoticed. It also knows how to entertain, so, it’s not a purely intellectual experience either. There is a sumptuous quality to it that nicely binds its darker, broodier tendencies with a bright wit.
If Seelbach’s or anyone else keeps offering rye whiskey with these specs at this price, I’ll be a regular customer for sure. And when I want to offer my friends and guests something classic and antique that can still hold its own in the nimble contemporary age, I’ll be pouring them a glass of this.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 