Templeton 6 Year Rye Review
Templeton 6 Year Rye Review
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Quick Facts
Is This For Me?
You like a sweet, oak-and-vanilla rye with cinnamon, orange peel and a cool hint of mint, at a moderate 91.5 proof and a fair price.
You want a straight rye or a bold, high-rye punch. Templeton has said it adds a proprietary formula before bottling, and several critics found it sweet but simple.
Flavor Profile at a Glance
What It Tastes Like
Nose
Vanilla and oak lead, with butterscotch, a floral lift and an herbal, anise-like edge. Some reviewers also find apple or cherry.
Palate
Oak and cinnamon carry it, with vanilla, rye spice, orange peel and a cool streak of mint. Butterscotch, caramel, apple or a little chocolate show up for some reviewers.
Finish
Medium-long: rye spice, cinnamon and oak linger, with a dry edge and a little black pepper for some.
Best Ways to Enjoy
Neat
How most reviewers drank it: sweet oak and vanilla up front, then cinnamon and a light rye spice.
With Water
Optional at 91.5 proof. Add a few drops at a time if the spice runs hot for you.
On Ice
A reasonable warm-weather pour, though ice will mute some of its sweetness and spice.
Cocktail Scores
Price & Value
Templeton 6 Year Rye typically sells for about $38–$50 for a 750 ml bottle; Templeton's own shop lists it at $39.99. That puts it a step above the brand's 90-proof flagship rye and level with several straight ryes of similar age. Reviewers mostly rated it a solid, sweet sipper rather than a standout, so the value case rests on its age statement more than its depth.
Bottle Transparency
- DistilleryDistilled at MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana; aged and bottled by Templeton in Templeton, Iowa
- Barrel DetailsAged more than six years in charred new American oak barrels
- FiltrationNot specified
- Mash Bill95% rye, 5% malted barley
- Production NotesSold as rye whiskey, not straight rye. Templeton has said it adds a proprietary formula before bottling (as reported by reviewers from 2016 to 2024); the brand's own product page makes no additive statement.
The RyeCentral Templeton 6 Year Rye Review
What It Is
Templeton 6 Year Rye — sold abroad as Signature Reserve 6 Year Old — is a 95% rye, 5% malted barley whiskey distilled at MGP in Indiana, aged more than six years in charred new American oak and bottled at 91.5 proof (45.75% ABV) by Templeton in Iowa. It arrived in 2016 as a higher-proof, age-stated step up from the brand's original 80-proof rye. It is labelled rye whiskey rather than straight rye, and Templeton has said it adds a proprietary formula before bottling.
Palate and Finish
On the nose reviewers most often find vanilla and oak, then butterscotch, a floral lift and an herbal, anise-like edge; some also pick up apple or cherry. The palate is sweet and oak-led — cinnamon, vanilla and rye spice, with orange peel and a cool streak of mint — and some reviewers add butterscotch, caramel, brown sugar or a little chocolate. The body is light to medium, and the finish runs medium-long, with rye spice, cinnamon and oak lingering and a little black pepper for some.
Best Ways to Enjoy
Most reviewers drank it neat. It also works as a mid-proof base for a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, and its sweetness suits stirred drinks better than sours.
Price & Value
At about $38–$50 it sits in a crowded part of the rye shelf, alongside straight ryes of similar age. Most reviewers found it pleasant and sweet; few found it memorable.
The Verdict
The RyeCentral Consensus Score lands at 3.6 across ten scored sources. Retail and community rating pools run warmer than most critics — the crowd average sits about a third of a point above the critic average — and one critic's very low score is the largest single pull on the figure. It is an easy, sweet, oak-forward rye that most drinkers rate well and most critics call good rather than great. Want more age and proof from the same brand? Compare our Templeton 10 Year Rye review.
Community Tasting Notes
This figure rests on ten independently scored sources — five critics plus five retail and community rating pools. No single source moves it by more than about 0.15 of a point, and the retail and community pools sit about a third of a point warmer than the critics.
Top Reported Flavors
Typical Spread of Opinion
Illustrative shape derived from the average and the range of scores — not a published per-star breakdown.
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Pros & Cons
Pros
- Sweet, oak-forward palate with cinnamon, vanilla and orange peel
- Six-year age statement at 91.5 proof
- Works neat or as a stirred-cocktail base
- Retail and community rating pools rate it warmly
- Fairly priced at about $38–$50
Cons
- Not a straight rye: Templeton has said it adds a proprietary formula before bottling
- Distilled at MGP in Indiana, not by Templeton
- Several critics found it sweet but simple for the price
- Light body and modest rye spice for a 95% rye
- May not satisfy purists who expect transparency in production
How Templeton 6 Year Rye Compares
In our Templeton 6 Year Rye tasting notes, the extra two years in charred new American oak show up as more oak and cinnamon and a longer finish than the 4 Year. The Templeton 6 Year Rye proof of 91.5 (45.75% ABV) also edges out its closest MGP-sourced 95/5 rye rivals. The Templeton 6 Year Rye price typically runs $38–$50, above both the 4 Year and Bulleit 95 while offering the most age of the three — here is the head-to-head.
| Bottle | Proof / ABV | Age | Mash Bill | Source | Typical Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Templeton 6 Year Rye | 91.5 / 45.75% | 6 years | 95% rye, 5% malted barley | MGP (Indiana) | $38–$50 |
| Templeton 4 Year “The Good Stuff” | 80 / 40% | 4 years | 95% rye, 5% malted barley | MGP (Indiana) | $28–$35 |
| Bulleit 95 Rye | 90 / 45% | NAS (~4–5 yr) | 95% rye, 5% malted barley | MGP (Indiana) | $25–$35 |
Specs verified against retailer listings and brand data (October 2026). Prices are typical U.S. shelf ranges and vary by market.
Templeton 6 Year vs 4 Year
Templeton 6 Year vs 4 Year comes down to proof and time: the 6 Year steps up from 80 to 91.5 proof and adds two years of oak, giving more oak and cinnamon and a longer finish, while both share the MGP 95/5 rye mash bill. Templeton's own site no longer lists the 80-proof 4 Year — its flagship has been a 90-proof straight rye since November 2024 — so remaining 4 Year bottles are mostly retail stock. Both make a good rye Old Fashioned.
Buyer Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
This one is catalogued with our Templeton rye reviews.
The closest match in the range is Putnam New England Rye review.
Quality You Can Trust
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