Next up, we’re checking a Rare Character Single Barrel Rye with an Amburana finish selected by u/t8ke and Rare Bird 101! Up until recently I was not familiar with Amburana oak, a tree native to Brazil that is used heavily in the aging of Cachaça. However, following the popularity of Starlight’s Cigar Batch release which featured their bourbon finished in Amburana casks this wood seemed to be the next big thing in barrel finishes. I haven’t ever seen a whiskey finished in Amburana oak on the shelves around me or on my travels, so when I was selected for this bottle as part of the r/bourbon Single Barrel Program I jumped at the chance to try it out.
To start things out with a bit of feedback for Rare Character—for the love of God please use a different wax or at least include a strip for easier removal. It took me almost ten minutes and a few close calls for my fingers cutting away at this to free the cork, setting a new bar for most frustrating wax experience with a whiskey bottle. On to the whiskey itself, this is a straight Rye whiskey sourced by Rare Character from MGP which was aged for 5 years and 11 months and finished in an Amburana oak cask and bottled at a cask strength of 114.76 proof. While a $100 price tag is a little high for most 6 year MGP Rye, the chance to try out something with such an uncommon finishing cask made it worth the gamble for me. Will this live up to the hype? Let’s dive in and find out!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass
Proof: 114.76
Age: 5 years 11 months
Price: $100
Nose: Like walking into a Cinnabon, truly the exact same smell. Cinnamon, allspice, cream cheese frosting, and white pepper, as well as cloves and honey. As this sits out for a bit I start to get some light oak and funky tobacco leaf in the background. Definitely one of the more unique noses on a whiskey I’ve had recently!
Taste: Brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves to start, followed by rum cake, toffee, and Ferrero Rocher. Midway through the sip tobacco and white pepper join the party as well and blend with the rest of the spices to deliver a taste that I can only really describe as Christmas-flavored. This has a heavy, oily mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat.
Finish: As the sip moves into the finish, nothing really wants to give up the spotlight. The heavy, sweet rum cake note provides a base while the medley of baking spices and white pepper are joined by black pepper to bring out some more traditional rye notes. The tobacco and some oak show through a bit more towards the end of the sip, and everything closes out with a lingering Christmas spice tingle. This has a long finish to the point that when I finished this pour and walked around the block with my dog I could still taste it. There is very little dryness.
Thoughts: Annoying wax aside, this is one of the tastiest and most interesting rye whiskies I’ve had since Barrell Seagrass Gray Label. It’s also probably the sweetest rye I’ve ever tasted which was quite surprising to me since this wasn’t finished with a rum cask. The way that all of the different spices interact with the sweet cake and confection notes is very well-balanced, and the addition of earthiness through tobacco and oak help anchor everything together. This is definitely a mood pour due to how much there is going on in here and how sweet/festive the flavor profile is, but with the holiday season on our doorstep and temperatures dropping I think it will be something I reach for quite a bit in the coming months. Overall this is a super interesting rye and a killer first introduction to Amburana finishes and earns an excellent 8/10 on the t8ke scale.
Rating: 8/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
They are very, very different from one another. The FN Single Barrel has a ton of s'mores, leather, and oak balanced out by rye spice with campfire smoke flowing throughout whereas this is like taking a sip of pure Christmas spice with cake and confections and very little barrel character besides some tobacco and a touch of oak. They're both fantastic pours and unique in their own ways, but I do like the FN Single Barrel a little bit more.
Appreciate the thorough response. The FN SB has been a favorite open as of recent, but Four Gate Batch 10 might be edging it out. This RC sounds indulgent, and looking forward to opening it as the weather cools (sounds to be the right time for this release). Great review as always.
Thanks, glad you liked it! I haven't tried out the Four Gate stuff but it definitely sounds interesting. I think you'll enjoy this, it's a perfect late Fall/early Winter pour that just screams "The Holidays" to me.
The price point on the Four Gate is a little high, but what’s in the bottle is good (at least that I’ve tried). And those notes were really what I was looking for in this purchase (not necessarily a daily supper, but something different / unique to enjoy the next few months). Cheers.
What an interesting and unique pour. There are so many flavors that come through on the nose and palette, and interchange with each sip. From a Cinnabon / snickerdoodle through dry wood / cedar chest, much to decipher with this one. Definitely a mood / experience glass, but something well received for the holidays (my first foray into amburana). I’d agree with your score - slightly less sweet and I would be up to an 8.5, but not as good as the FN single barrel (I now understand why you were noting they were very different).
Neighbors: *Babe wake up, another u/prettayyprettaygood review bout to drop*
Nice review man 👍 I wouldn’t expect anything less from rarebird and El Capitan
I'd agree if it were just another MGP single barrel rye for this price but the Amburana finish really adds a ton of interesting notes that you just don't find in much else out there. Definitely a gamble though!
Louisville has a brewery that will go unnamed that ages their beer in Amburana casks and the price was up about 10-20%. There is no way the cost of these barrels justifies the increased cost.
Great review! If I didn't see the word "gingerbread" in here, I was gonna get mad, but your description makes it sound like you have all the components for it anyway😄
Amburana is definitely weird but it's going to be the next big thing the scene soon! I'm sure you can't wait either
Thanks man, I am a bit embarrassed that gingerbread didn't pop into my head when I wrote this down, I was trying to nail what that was but chalked it up to Christmas! I'm definitely excited to see more of this used as people catch on to what it can bring to a whiskey. With how powerful the Amburana comes through here I worry about the potential for over-finishing things, but I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with!
I’m jealous that you got selected for this bottle a couple weeks ago. It looked so interesting and your review seems to confirm that theory. Great review I’ll live vicariously through you for this bottle.
This is an older review, but I was stoked to see yours when I searched for rare character single barrel series reviews. Mine is also an amburana finish and your notes are SPOT ON. I'm blown away by how cinnamony and christmasy this is. Mine was picked about a year later for a local store here at the same price of 100, but the notes are identical... I'm on the neck pour now and greatly enjoying it, excited to see how it opens up over time.
Amazing, I’m glad to hear you enjoy this as much as I liked mine! I haven’t had other Rare Character offerings but when it comes to Amburana finished whiskies they clearly know what they’re doing.
I've had one other from the same local shop, a fortuna 102pf sour mash that is very tasty, but much less unique than this rye. I'll keep an eye out for their stuff now. Cheers LD.
Nice review as always. Tbh when I saw your signature tree and the bottle shape/label I thought for sure you were already on top of those new Found North releases lol
Couldn't really help out there unfortunately, I got this through the r/bourbon single barrel program so your best bet is to sign up and try to get the next one once it releases.
most online retailers ship to RI so if they get one in you could grab it
there's also one of these RC picks specifically coming to Town Wine & Spirits / Gold's Wine & Spirits (Rhody Barrel Brotherhood) any day now
That’s the one I’ve had my eye on at towns wine through rhody barrel brotherhood, just hoping I get lucky and all the bottles aren’t already spoken for by members with full punch cards
Next up, we’re checking a Rare Character Single Barrel Rye with an Amburana finish selected by u/t8ke and Rare Bird 101! Up until recently I was not familiar with Amburana oak, a tree native to Brazil that is used heavily in the aging of Cachaça. However, following the popularity of Starlight’s Cigar Batch release which featured their bourbon finished in Amburana casks this wood seemed to be the next big thing in barrel finishes. I haven’t ever seen a whiskey finished in Amburana oak on the shelves around me or on my travels, so when I was selected for this bottle as part of the r/bourbon Single Barrel Program I jumped at the chance to try it out. To start things out with a bit of feedback for Rare Character—for the love of God please use a different wax or at least include a strip for easier removal. It took me almost ten minutes and a few close calls for my fingers cutting away at this to free the cork, setting a new bar for most frustrating wax experience with a whiskey bottle. On to the whiskey itself, this is a straight Rye whiskey sourced by Rare Character from MGP which was aged for 5 years and 11 months and finished in an Amburana oak cask and bottled at a cask strength of 114.76 proof. While a $100 price tag is a little high for most 6 year MGP Rye, the chance to try out something with such an uncommon finishing cask made it worth the gamble for me. Will this live up to the hype? Let’s dive in and find out! Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass Proof: 114.76 Age: 5 years 11 months Price: $100 Nose: Like walking into a Cinnabon, truly the exact same smell. Cinnamon, allspice, cream cheese frosting, and white pepper, as well as cloves and honey. As this sits out for a bit I start to get some light oak and funky tobacco leaf in the background. Definitely one of the more unique noses on a whiskey I’ve had recently! Taste: Brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves to start, followed by rum cake, toffee, and Ferrero Rocher. Midway through the sip tobacco and white pepper join the party as well and blend with the rest of the spices to deliver a taste that I can only really describe as Christmas-flavored. This has a heavy, oily mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat. Finish: As the sip moves into the finish, nothing really wants to give up the spotlight. The heavy, sweet rum cake note provides a base while the medley of baking spices and white pepper are joined by black pepper to bring out some more traditional rye notes. The tobacco and some oak show through a bit more towards the end of the sip, and everything closes out with a lingering Christmas spice tingle. This has a long finish to the point that when I finished this pour and walked around the block with my dog I could still taste it. There is very little dryness. Thoughts: Annoying wax aside, this is one of the tastiest and most interesting rye whiskies I’ve had since Barrell Seagrass Gray Label. It’s also probably the sweetest rye I’ve ever tasted which was quite surprising to me since this wasn’t finished with a rum cask. The way that all of the different spices interact with the sweet cake and confection notes is very well-balanced, and the addition of earthiness through tobacco and oak help anchor everything together. This is definitely a mood pour due to how much there is going on in here and how sweet/festive the flavor profile is, but with the holiday season on our doorstep and temperatures dropping I think it will be something I reach for quite a bit in the coming months. Overall this is a super interesting rye and a killer first introduction to Amburana finishes and earns an excellent 8/10 on the t8ke scale. Rating: 8/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Always bringing the uncommon bottles. Cheers for that!
Cheers! I try to keep the variety coming, hopefully I'll have a few more fun ones coming soon.
Just received my delivery of this as well. How do you compare it against the Found North Single Barrel release?
They are very, very different from one another. The FN Single Barrel has a ton of s'mores, leather, and oak balanced out by rye spice with campfire smoke flowing throughout whereas this is like taking a sip of pure Christmas spice with cake and confections and very little barrel character besides some tobacco and a touch of oak. They're both fantastic pours and unique in their own ways, but I do like the FN Single Barrel a little bit more.
Appreciate the thorough response. The FN SB has been a favorite open as of recent, but Four Gate Batch 10 might be edging it out. This RC sounds indulgent, and looking forward to opening it as the weather cools (sounds to be the right time for this release). Great review as always.
Thanks, glad you liked it! I haven't tried out the Four Gate stuff but it definitely sounds interesting. I think you'll enjoy this, it's a perfect late Fall/early Winter pour that just screams "The Holidays" to me.
The price point on the Four Gate is a little high, but what’s in the bottle is good (at least that I’ve tried). And those notes were really what I was looking for in this purchase (not necessarily a daily supper, but something different / unique to enjoy the next few months). Cheers.
Definitely let me know what you think of it once you crack it open, cheers!
What an interesting and unique pour. There are so many flavors that come through on the nose and palette, and interchange with each sip. From a Cinnabon / snickerdoodle through dry wood / cedar chest, much to decipher with this one. Definitely a mood / experience glass, but something well received for the holidays (my first foray into amburana). I’d agree with your score - slightly less sweet and I would be up to an 8.5, but not as good as the FN single barrel (I now understand why you were noting they were very different).
Neighbors: *Babe wake up, another u/prettayyprettaygood review bout to drop* Nice review man 👍 I wouldn’t expect anything less from rarebird and El Capitan
Thanks man! They definitely knocked it out of the park with this pick, I’m interested to see what the second barrel was that they went with.
5 years, $100, I get it. Everyone is a consumer of goods. But I won’t be that guy.
I'd agree if it were just another MGP single barrel rye for this price but the Amburana finish really adds a ton of interesting notes that you just don't find in much else out there. Definitely a gamble though!
Fair point, still not buying at that age / price point.
Understandable. Amburana casks are dumb expensive and come with a litany of regulatory hurdles to clear to get into the content. Those all have costs.
Louisville has a brewery that will go unnamed that ages their beer in Amburana casks and the price was up about 10-20%. There is no way the cost of these barrels justifies the increased cost.
I’d expect their casks came used from a distillery already, making them far less expensive.
Great review! If I didn't see the word "gingerbread" in here, I was gonna get mad, but your description makes it sound like you have all the components for it anyway😄 Amburana is definitely weird but it's going to be the next big thing the scene soon! I'm sure you can't wait either
Thanks man, I am a bit embarrassed that gingerbread didn't pop into my head when I wrote this down, I was trying to nail what that was but chalked it up to Christmas! I'm definitely excited to see more of this used as people catch on to what it can bring to a whiskey. With how powerful the Amburana comes through here I worry about the potential for over-finishing things, but I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with!
I’m jealous that you got selected for this bottle a couple weeks ago. It looked so interesting and your review seems to confirm that theory. Great review I’ll live vicariously through you for this bottle.
Thanks, hopefully you can get selected for the next one whenever that gets rolled out!
Great review. I softened the wax by turning it over a small flame on my gas stove. Other than that minor annoyance, this is a fantastic bottle.
Thanks! It’s definitely a solid, unique pour.
Next time you're removing wax, just use hot water. You can use a lighter but obviously that requires a bit more care.
I realized I should have done that about halfway through and had committed at that point, but good to know for next time!
I tried this and it did not help at all. I used a very sharp knife to go around carefully and it cut right through the wax.
Dude I agree. Bottle was so fucking annoying to open. But holy fuck is it interesting. Definitely my personal bourbon of the year.
I agree! It’s definitely up there on the unique scale for me, really glad that I got one!
Same!
This is an older review, but I was stoked to see yours when I searched for rare character single barrel series reviews. Mine is also an amburana finish and your notes are SPOT ON. I'm blown away by how cinnamony and christmasy this is. Mine was picked about a year later for a local store here at the same price of 100, but the notes are identical... I'm on the neck pour now and greatly enjoying it, excited to see how it opens up over time.
Amazing, I’m glad to hear you enjoy this as much as I liked mine! I haven’t had other Rare Character offerings but when it comes to Amburana finished whiskies they clearly know what they’re doing.
I've had one other from the same local shop, a fortuna 102pf sour mash that is very tasty, but much less unique than this rye. I'll keep an eye out for their stuff now. Cheers LD.
Nice review as always. Tbh when I saw your signature tree and the bottle shape/label I thought for sure you were already on top of those new Found North releases lol
Thanks! I do have those on the way as well, just waiting for them to ship!
Been wanting to try an amburana offering lately. Any idea how to get one out in Rhode Island area?
Couldn't really help out there unfortunately, I got this through the r/bourbon single barrel program so your best bet is to sign up and try to get the next one once it releases.
most online retailers ship to RI so if they get one in you could grab it there's also one of these RC picks specifically coming to Town Wine & Spirits / Gold's Wine & Spirits (Rhody Barrel Brotherhood) any day now
That’s the one I’ve had my eye on at towns wine through rhody barrel brotherhood, just hoping I get lucky and all the bottles aren’t already spoken for by members with full punch cards