Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Whiskey 2025 Batch 02
Rare Character Limited Release Kentucky Straight Whiskey 2025 Batch 02 is a cask-strength limited release from Lexington, Kentucky's Rare Character Whiskey Co.: Kentucky straight whiskey (officially classified by the brand as straight rye) bottled at a full 123.4 proof (61.7% ABV), uncut and unfiltered, in this 750mL bottle — and it is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
Rare Character's Limited Release line is where the team bottles its most distinctive barrels at full proof, a few thousand bottles at a time. The 2025 Batch 02 is a rich, high-octane pour that wears its proof honestly — bold dessert-caramel sweetness up front with a firm rye-spice backbone underneath, the way great cask-strength whiskey should balance.
Tasting notes: nose of vanilla custard, dried berries, burnt orange peel, toasted oak, and brown sugar; palate of rich dessert caramel, pie spices, creamy oak, and bold rye heat; long warm finish of caramel, cinnamon bark, savory oak, and rye spice.
Why buy Batch 02? Because 123.4-proof limited-release whiskey at this level of polish is a collector's pour that also drinks beautifully — rich enough for slow sipping, bold enough to split one pour across a whole evening. Compare with other high-proof bottles in whisky, browse the Rare Character brand collection, and see more limited releases in bourbon.
Serving note: neat in a Glencairn — at 123.4 proof, a teaspoon of water tames the heat and opens the caramel and orange peel.
What proof is Batch 02? 123.4 proof (61.7% ABV), cask strength, 750mL.
Is it a bourbon or a rye? Rare Character officially classifies the 2025 Batch 02 as Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.
How limited is it? A numbered limited release — a few thousand bottles.
Who makes Rare Character? Rare Character Whiskey Co., Lexington, Kentucky.