All About Rye

Join Cocktail Collective for All About Rye, a guided rye whiskey tasting and spirit-education class in Salt Lake City for anyone ready to understand one of whiskey’s boldest, most expressive categories.

Rye is known for structure, spice, and energy, but its character changes dramatically with grain, mash bill, distillation, barrel aging, proof, climate, and time. We’ll explore rye’s role in American whiskey history and the production choices that create notes of pepper, baking spice, toasted grain, fruit, caramel, oak, herbs, and cocoa.

Through a guided tasting, you’ll learn to evaluate aroma, texture, sweetness, spice, oak, proof, heat, and finish while building practical vocabulary you can use with confidence. This is a skill-building class designed to help you taste more deliberately, read a rye label with more clarity, and better understand how rye behaves in the glass.

Your ticket includes:

• A five-taster rye whiskey menu

• Education on rye whiskey history, production, mash bills, aging, and flavor

• Guided tasting technique and practical whiskey vocabulary

• A hands-on sensory and flavor-comparison lesson

• A lite paired sample tray

• A tasting guide and printed class handout with educational information

This class is designed for curious beginners, whiskey enthusiasts, bartenders, brand representatives, spirit professionals, and anyone who wants to taste and discuss rye whiskey with greater confidence. Seating is limited to 20 guests so the class remains focused, conversational, and genuinely hands-on. All attendees must be 21 years of age or older.

We are Cocktail Collective!

The Cocktail Collective is a small, black, and woman-owned business that offers educational cocktail and spirit classes guided by industry professionals. You must be 21 years or older to attend our events.