Rare Character Limited Release Batch No. 2 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Caramel comes through first, thick and sweet, with dark cherry sitting just behind it. Vanilla rounds out the sweetness, and then the whiskey turns drier: tobacco leaf, a dusting of cinnamon, and seasoned oak that lingers well past the swallow. It drinks like a Kentucky straight bourbon should, sweet up front and woody at the back.

New charred American oak did the work here. Char is what gives bourbon its color and much of its caramel and vanilla character, and this one shows that maturation plainly rather than hiding it under anything else.

Bottled at cask strength, so the whiskey goes into the 750 mL bottle undiluted, straight from the barrel proof. That means real weight on the palate and room to open it up with a splash or a large cube if the heat runs high for you.