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I received these bottles from Rare Character. Rare Character whiskeys are single barrel products chosen by different groups and offered through internet sales as well as the people who chose the barrels. They are bottled at barrel strength and unfiltered. They are always very good whiskeys. These two bottles are no exception. Here are our tasting notes.

Rare Character Bourbon Pursuit Rye Whiskey

Proof: 121.68

Age: Six Years, One Month

Nose:

• Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, plums, elusive baking spice notes, and oak wood.
• Matt: Vanilla, blackberries, French burnt peanuts and oak wood.

Taste:

• Mike: Rye grass, cinnamon and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the oak steps back and lets the plums and cinnamon spice come out to play. Tasted with a pecan and the oak comes forward again but cinnamon and nutmeg spice joins the party.
• Matt: Vanilla, blackberries, lemon zest and oak wood. The dried cranberry turned the blackberry fruit to strawberries. The pecan brought out notes of red delicious apples and chocolate.

Finish:

• Mike: Long with oak and spice. The dried cranberry made the spice stronger but the oak remained. The pecan brought out hints of chocolate.
• Matt: Long with notes of tobacco and oak wood. The dried cranberry made the finish shorter and thinner. The pecan enhanced the tobacco and oak wood.

Rare Character Trevor’s Liquor Rye Whiskey

Proof: 122.3

Age: Six Years, One Month

Nose:

• Mike: Rye grass, caramel, cinnamon and nutmeg with maybe a little ginger, oak wood.
• Matt: Caramel and marshmallows with some allspice and oak wood.

Taste: 

• Mike: Rye grass, caramel, a hint of citrus, cinnamon and oak wood. The dried cranberry reduced the cinnamon spice but enhanced the citrus, bringing out a nice lemon zest flavor. The pecan strengthened the rye grassiness with lemon zest and cinnamon spice.
• Matt: Caramel, red hot cinnamon candy, citrus and oak wood. The dried cranberry made the lemon zest and lemon custard with vanilla and cinnamon. The pecan gave the whiskey a nice buttery note with a little cocoa.

Finish:

• Mike: Long with oak wood and cinnamon spice. The dried cranberry added a little lingering lemon zest flavor. The pecan made the finish very long with oak wood, cinnamon and lemon zest.
• Matt: Long with oak wood and pipe tobacco. The dried cranberry added a citrus note to the finish. The pecan brought out oak and caramel with a note of cocoa.

I would pair these fine Rye whiskeys with a cigar with notes of chocolate and vanilla in the smoke. I would reach for a My Father The Judge cigar to pair with these whiskeys.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller