Rare Character Limited Release 2026 Batch#1 Kentucky Straight Whiskey 750ml

Rare Character is a Kentucky-based whiskey brand founded in 2021 by Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky, who were later joined by Andy Shapira, a veteran of the Heaven Hill Distillery family. Rather than running a distillery, the team travels the country identifying and purchasing individual casks of bourbon, rye, and American whiskey, then blends selected barrels into small, deliberately limited releases. The Limited Release series sits at the top of the brand's lineup, built from barrels the team felt worked best combined rather than bottled on their own, with each annual batch carrying its own commissioned artwork.

This inaugural 2026 Batch #1 whiskey opens with a foundation of 5.5-year-old Kentucky-distilled wheated bourbon, layered with 8-year and 15-year Kentucky rye bourbons. Because the blend draws on barrels of differing mashbills rather than a single recipe, it's classified as Kentucky Straight Whiskey rather than straight bourbon. The three components were married gradually to preserve consistency across the blend, then bottled at cask strength, landing at roughly 113 proof, without added water or coloring.

The wheated base carries the blend's sweeter, dessert-leaning character, while the aged rye components bring in bolder, spicier undertones and a deeper oak presence. The result balances softness against structure, with the longer-aged rye lending backbone and dried-spice complexity to the rounder, more approachable wheated foundation underneath.