Last Night's Tipple

After my Atomic Fireball experience with Bulleit two nights ago, I decided to see whether I could get the same sort of character after a straight rye. Bulleit is, of course, a rye-heavy Bourbon; and Old Grand-Dad, the other Bourbon that I've gotten the Atomic Fireball thing from, is rye-heavy, too. So, the inescapable conclusion is that it's the rye influence that produces cinnamon aromas and flavors. Therefore, one would think that a straight rye, which has more rye in the mashbill than a rye-heavy Bourbon, would have more cinnamon aromas and flavors. I may have to taste my way through my ryes again, but I got nothing of cinnamon out of Baby Sazerac last night. It's unmistakably a rye whiskey -- it has the spicy notes that scream, "I'm a rye!" -- but the spiciness isn't cinnamon. I have no explanation for that, other than to say that American whiskey is a vast and intriguing world.