Welcome to Taste Test, where every week our critic Jonah Flicker explores the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Sunday for his latest whiskey review.

Another week, another celebrity-affiliated spirit brand. This times things are different, however—the celebrity, James Dean, has not been alive for a very long time, and having his name on the bottle really doesn’t matter at all. That’s okay though, because this 13-year-old, 112-proof rye is a fantastic whiskey in its own right, and one that you should sip on its own or use to whip up a killer Manhattan.

Lasso Motel, which was founded by Dynasty Spirits president Devin Odell in 2024, is named after the Belmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The brand already has a deep lineup of sourced Kentucky and Indiana whiskeys, bourbons and ryes that are either bottled as straight whiskeys or given cask finishes. Last year, we covered the Darts release, a decent bourbon finished in armagnac, sherry, and Cognac barrels that is meant to be enjoyed with a cigarette, kind of a riff on a cigar blend. Lasso Motel also has an excellent, award-winning 18-year-old American straight whiskey in the lineup that is worth checking out.

So let’s dive into this new liquid. This is a 95 percent rye grain/five percent malted barley mashbill rye whiskey that was distilled at MGP in Indiana. Right off the bat, this would be a hard one to get wrong. Thirteen-year-old MGP rye bottled at 112 proof is a recipe for success, a classic rye style that is aged for longer than usual and bottled at a higher proof, which means less dilution, more flavor, and a deeper palate. Big notes of oak, vanilla, dried fruit, peppercorn, and cinnamon greet you as you sip, followed by flavors of dried orange, ripe pear, plum, and some maple syrup. Red Hots and caramel notes linger on the finish, which has a nice, warming heat. You should definitely sip this whiskey neat, but I encourage you to try it in a Manhattan as well, even with its $150 price tag.

And now the celebrity elephant in the room. The full name of this whiskey is Lasso Motel x James Dean 13-Year Rye Whiskey, because it was conceived and produced in partnership with the James Dean Estate. Dean was a fantastic actor who appeared in great movies like East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. He died way too young in a car accident at 24, an unfortunate demise that cemented his legendary status. There is some marketing language from the brand about how the whiskey has the same “rebel soul and timeless Americana that continues to define James Dean’s legacy.” That’s a lot, it’s just whiskey. But it really doesn’t matter at all, and I mean that as a compliment because this 13-year-old MGP rye whiskey is just a really solid sipper, regardless of the name attached to it. And, after all, that should always be the most important thing for any whiskey.

Score: 91