People bring up Stranahans a lot in discussions like these, and I have the same thought. It's interesting and impressive what they've done, but the end result is inferior to major label bourbon.

If you're in SFBA and you want unique, independent rye, Old Potrero (an Anchor product) is a pretty good bet.

Also excellent are the Sonoma County Rye and the 1512 Spirts Aged Rye (their white rye is also good, but hardly what most people expect from rye; don't miss their wheat whiskey either.)

By far my favorite rye though is Goldrun: http://oldworldspirits.com/rye.html It's got some rare flavor notes, bready and yeasty almost--I like to say it has a "cheerios" note?--while still having some spice.

That said: I also love pretty much every bottle of High West I own (something like eight at this point.) They're all from the one source. Oh no. They're still well selected, blended, and aged. They make great drinks. Who cares if they're from the mainstream sources? I'm into drinking, not being a hipster.

I agree the regular Stranahan's is just ok, but a friend had a bottle of one of their special releases (I forgot the details, but it had a silver label, so probably a Snowflake) and it was significantly better. Check it out if you get a chance.