The boys behind the mics at Bourbon Pursuit have been on fire with the success of Pursuit United Double Oaked Bourbon & Rye. Since launching last year, these have quickly become some of the most sought-after bottles we carry, and we can barely keep them in stock.
I know folks go wild for the double oaked bourbon, but personally I think the ryes, especially the double oaked ones, are some of the best whiskeys they make.
Back in December, we dropped a fantastic single barrel double oaked rye that landed #4 on my “Finished Whiskeys of the Year” list. It was loaded with funky fruits and leathery spice. So earlier this year, Dee and I went back to try for a repeat—this time with a plan to blend two barrels to meet the growing demand.
Two barrels in, we stumbled onto something unexpected: a Rhone-finished rye, resting in an ex-Sagamore Char 4 Kelvin barrel. This one immediately stood out as a front-runner... but as we learned (and as many blenders have said), just because you’ve got bold personalities doesn’t mean they’ll play nice together. Every blend attempt with that Rhone barrel felt unbalanced. It was just too much.
We kept at it and found a stellar French Oak Medium Toast barrel, one with great structure and great potential. That became the foundation. After testing it with barrels aged in Sweet Shop Oak, High Vanilla, and more, we finally struck gold: another Seguin Moreau barrel (like our pick back in December) that brought it all together.
The result? A complex nose and a buttery, sweet-driven palate. If you’ve ever wished Pursuit United made a “Cigar Blend” this might just be the beta version.
Oh, and that unblendable Rhone barrel? We couldn’t let it go, so we bottled that one, too.
Pursuit United Double Oaked Rye Single Barrel 1CF-A-09-RHONE
An absolute beast of a rye. The nose is rich and sugary with huge oak presence to boot. There’s this salted caramel-like fragrance to the nose I often call out in dusty whiskey - the longer it rests you can begin to peel apart layers of dried dark fruits, slightly salted cured meats, and buttery toasted wood notes, like cracking open a hard cream soda fireside.
The palate is viscous and velvety, with this lovely dance of sweet and savory. There’s a beautifully coating tannin down the sides of the tongue, as one end of the flavor pulls towards cranberry and dark cherry pastry while the other pulls towards a slightly smoked caramel.
The finish is deep and satisfying, like a fresh slice of sourdough with sour cherries and warm butter before moving to spiced dark chocolate notes and long linger of sweet oak.
Pursuit United Double Oak Rye 2-Barrel Blend
Holy moly the nose on this pour is incredible. Rich golden raisin, date syrup, fresh raspberries, pineapple upside down cake, creme brûlée, caramel sauce, and warming oak. This is complex and deeply layered.
The palate is a perfect sum of its parts - creamy and buttery sweetness with Smarties candies and oak, vanilla bean ice cream and plenty of rich dark fruits accompanied by campfire-like warming smoked butterscotch and toasted oak.
The finish is a lovely mix of warming oak, expressed orange peel and molasses, continuing long, dry, and spiced. anyone looking for a Pursuit United Cigar Blend, consider this the beta test.
