Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch 1 Review

Rare Character
Limited Release Batch #1
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
113 Proof
MSRP: ~$89.99 (Seelbach’s)
Review

Please enjoy our Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch #1 Review!

From the Rare Character Whiskey website “We are incredibly proud to share our latest project with you—Rare Character Limited Release. “RCLR” is the most ambitious launch from Rare Character to date. Our Limited Batch Bourbon is a marriage of some of the finest barrels we have encountered in our journeys through the rickhouses of America—a combination of flavor profiles that achieves greater complexity, depth, and flavor together than on their own.”

The first release of the series is appropriately named Batch #1. Batch #2 is already in the works and will be released shortly, with additional batches planned for 2025.

A Combination of Kentucky Wheated and Rye Bourbons

Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch #1 begins with a foundation of 5.5-year Kentucky-distilled wheated bourbon. This was then layered with 8-year and 15-year Kentucky rye bourbons. The result is a bourbon with a cask strength of 113 proof. According to the brand, the base layer of 5.5-year wheat bourbon was critical, “ensuring the sweet, dessert-like qualities remain prominent, while the addition of short barrels brings a harmonious balance of oak, tannins, flavor, and proof.”

Tasting Notes – Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch #1 Review!

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn Glass

👉🏻Nose: Sweet chocolate caramel (Tootsie Rolls), brown sugar, vanilla, sweet cherry candy and tart orange citrus; subtle green tea, alcohol is relatively mild for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Sweet brown sugar syrup; Tootsie Rolls, sweet cherry, tart orange, mild tannins and white pepper spice
👉🏻Finish: Dark cherries, tart orange, white pepper spice, tannins, mild dry oak and faint brown sugar; long, pleasant warmth

The nose is fairly sweet, and reminiscent of a cherry orange vanilla brown sugar tootsie pop, if there were such a thing. (Is there?) Imagine the orange being tart rather than sweet, but the other flavors are as you would expect them to be in this chocolate toffee filled candy treat. As time goes on, the tart orange becomes more noticeable, however, later still, it subsides. There’s also a subtle earthiness, which comes from green tea leaves, and a pleasant background of rich vanilla.

In the taste, Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch #1 has similar Tootsie Roll flavors, with plenty of sweet syrupy brown sugar mixed in. Not to be left out, the cherry candy and tart orange are again part of the of the confectionery mix. There are now some mild tannins and white pepper spice, as well. While the finish does stay on theme, there’s a bit of a change of course. The cherries become darker and less sweet, tart orange lingers on, white pepper spice grows, some tannins remain, and mild dry oak and light barrel char become evident. The finish is long, with a pleasant warmth.

Summary

Rare Character Limited Release Batch 01 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a rich, delicious bourbon. I have to agree with the brand description of the overall profile (and that does not happen all the time). This bourbon definitely does have dessert-like qualities. To me that dessert was centered around a Tootsie Roll base, but who says Tootsie Rolls can’t be a dessert?! The 15 year old bourbon definitely contributes most to the finish, with the 8 year old providing body and balance throughout. Overall, this is a complex bourbon, achieving the goals set for this new Limited Batch Series.

Have you tried either of the new Rare Character Limited Release Batch Series Bourbons? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch #1 Review! If you would like to read reviews of related whiskeys, then check out our Fortuna Bourbon Review and our Fortuna Barrel Proof Bourbon Review!

Note: This bottle was graciously provided by the distillery for my review.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!