Union Horse Single Barrel Rye Vs. Rossville Union Rye

It’s the battle of the “Unions”!
I wanted to put this bottle of Union Horse Rye single barrel up against a worthy opponent to help figure out just how good it is (or isn’t). I decided to match it up with another barrel proof rye that I’ve been pretty impressed with recently. Rossville Union is owned by MGP, is a blend of some of their best 5-6yo Rye barrels (both 51% and 95% rye mashbills). Union Horse Rye is a 100% rye mashbill.
Fancy Glencairn likes that home-state Union Horse bottle. Let’s see if it can win against another excellent contender!

Rossville) $59, 112.6 proof.
-The Nose is complex, with vanilla, caramel, wintergreen, and eucalyptus, along with some slight citrus and floral notes.
-The Palate is light in mouthfeel but full of flavor. There is caramel, vanilla, cherry, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and then citrus.
-The Finish is medium long, with that citrus giving way to rye spice, black pepper, oak char, and a minty aftertaste.
Overall I really like the complexity of this pour, with the only complaint being that I’ve had these flavors in many good MGP sourced ryes before.

Union Horse) $59, 126.9 proof. Almost 6 years old.
-The Nose reminds me of Willett 4yr Rye, with intense floral notes, dark cherry, vanilla, caramel, and mint.
-The Palate explodes with sweet caramel, vanilla, dark cherry, and floral citrus, along with a very unique applewood smoke note.
-The Finish is medium long, with lingering smoke, black pepper, cinnamon, and oak char.
Overall this is a flavor bomb with very unique notes.

VERDICT) It’s tough to beat really good MGP rye, especially with a 100% rye mashbill, but Union Horse has definitely done it with this bottle. One of the most unique ryes I’ve had. If you like Willett, you’ll definitely like this one.
Fancy Glencairn is happy that Missouri claims a victory today!

What do you guys think of these?