Single Barrel Series Rye — Barrel R95-200

Kentucky Straight Rye, Cask Strength, Single Barrel Series. Barrel R95-200. 115.44 proof, 57.72 percent ABV. Distilled January 15, 2018. Bottled March 2026. 95/5 mash bill — ninety-five percent rye, five percent malted barley. Hand-selected jointly by St. Louis Juice Box and The Brothers Beer & Bourbon House. Rare Character was founded by Pablo Moix — a Los Angeles bartender turned barrel hunter who spent two decades buying single barrels for his own bars before putting his name on a bottle. The Lexington outfit does not distill; they source and they taste warehouses for a living. The back label lists distill date, bottle date, and mash bill in plain print. The Hound respects a back label that tells the truth without footnotes. The pour did not need water at 115 proof — the rye carries more than it punishes. Toasted rye bread on the nose, a rounded baked-pepper note rather than the dry sneeze-pepper of younger rye, stone fruit pit on the palate, mint at the back, finish that goes long without going hot. When two St. Louis operators — one retail, one pour-by-the-glass — agree on a single barrel, the read is the barrel pulled harder than the rest of the lineup at the warehouse tasting. Otherwise they would have split. The price is the price. The juice is the juice.

Joint pick by Juice Box and The Brothers. Eight years and two months in oak, 95/5 mash bill carried clean at 115 proof. Ask Juice Box first; ask Steve second.