Backbone Bone Snapper X-Ray Reserve 4 Year Old Straight Rye Batch #1
Backbone Bone Snapper X-Ray Reserve 4 Year Old Straight Rye Batch #1 is a 110-proof (55% ABV), 750mL straight rye whiskey from Backbone Bourbon Company — Bone Snapper barrels held past the brand's usual ~30-month bottling window until four years or more in oak made them ready. Same 95% rye / 5% malted barley mash as the original, distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and bottled non-chill filtered. It earned 89 points from Whisky Advocate (Batch 2, Fall 2019). Order online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 55% (110 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 4 years or more in oak (barrels held past the standard Bone Snapper window)
- Origin: Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, by Backbone Bourbon Company
- Production: 95% rye / 5% malted barley; non-chill filtered
- Awards: 89 points, Whisky Advocate (Batch 2, Fall 2019)
The Barrels That Got Away
Bone Snapper is normally bottled young — around thirty months — bright and spicy. The X-Ray Reserve exists because some barrels, in the brand's own words, needed more time: they sat in oak past the four-year mark until they were ready for bottling, and the extra years did what time does to high-rye whiskey — rounded the edges, deepened the honey, and added a pine-and-eucalyptus complexity the younger bottling doesn't have. Among rye whiskeys, it's the patient one: same 95/5 mash as the original Bone Snapper, a completely different drink.
Tasting Notes
Pine tree and cinnamon on the nose; the first sip brings honey and caramel with peppery spice, spearmint and eucalyptus arriving in the mid-palate, and a long, smooth finish. Bold but composed at 110 proof.
How to Enjoy
Neat to appreciate the full 110-proof character, or with a few drops of water to open the honey and eucalyptus. It makes a rye-forward Manhattan or Sazerac with real depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is X-Ray Reserve different from regular Bone Snapper?
Same 95% rye / 5% malted barley mash, but aged 4 years or more in oak instead of the standard ~30-month window — deeper, rounder, and more complex at a higher proof (110 vs 108).
What batch is this bottle?
The title reads Batch #1; batch numbers on the shelf should be confirmed against the bottle, as the brand's site is not current.
Is it chill filtered?
No — it is bottled non-chill filtered.
Where can I buy Bone Snapper X-Ray Reserve online?
This 750mL bottle is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor — it ships from San Diego, CA.
Four-plus years of rye at full strength — order Bone Snapper X-Ray Reserve 4 Year Old Straight Rye from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.