Rare Character Limited Release 2025 Batch 01 Straight Rye Whiskey

Distillery - Rare Character

MSRP - $90

Proof - 11

Age - NAS

Mashbill - Blend

Tasting Notes

• Nose – Brown sugar, mint, black pepper, and leather.

• Palate – Cherry syrup, rye spice, black pepper.

• Finish – Long and layered with tobacco, rye spice, black pepper, and oak.

Food Pairing – Gulab Jamun

• As Katie and I spent time with this pour, we kept coming back to how the rye spice and black pepper run straight through from the nose to the finish. It made us lean toward a dessert pairing, but we weren’t sure what would stand up to something this rye forward and syrupy. I suggested gulab jamun — a traditional Indian dessert that’s soft, warm, and soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup — because its sweetness felt like the right counterbalance. We figured the flavors might meet in the middle, and they did. The syrup softened the spice, and the rye’s pepper and tobacco notes added a little edge to the dessert’s sweetness.

Nav and Katie’s Thoughts

• Coming off Day 5 with the Rare Character Limited Release Bourbon, I was really curious to see how their rye would compare at a similar proof point. Right away, this pour showed a completely different personality. Where the bourbon leaned into fig, chocolate, and oak, the rye came out of the gate with leather, brown sugar, and a punch of rye spice and black pepper that carried all the way through. Overall, I liked the rye better while Katie preferred the bourbon, but we both agreed that Rare Character is doing something really interesting with these blends and that tasting them back-to-back made us appreciate the range they’re working with.

Distillery Link - Rare Character Limited Release 2025 Batch 1 Rye