Grilled peach | Grapefruit | Buttercream frosting | Cinnamon sugar

Brown sugar | Cream soda | Apple fritter | Herbal tea | Honeyed butterscotch

Orange | Rye spice | Cinnamon | Baking spices | Sweet oak | Light pie crust

Caleb’s Crossing Whiskey Company was founded by Washington Lafayette and David Jennings, spirits author and founder of the Wild Turkey blog, Rare Bird 101. This is the fourth release from the company, with Pineau Finish Rye, Dual Cask Bourbon, and the first release of Straight Bourbon & Rye Blend preceding it. Two things stand out immediately: the blend includes a 8 year old Green River Bourbon, which hasn’t hit the market in any considerable way just yet, and a Ross & Squibb rye that is an impressive 12.5 years old, which few would risk blending with (as it's typically great as is). But as we’re seeing more and more, doing things others may not attempt can lead to great results.

The whiskey’s aroma is welcoming thanks to grilled peach, grapefruit, buttercream frosting, and cinnamon sugar. The palate leads with more bourbon-driven notes of brown sugar, cream soda, and apple fritter, which aligns with the flavor profile of earlier Green River bourbons before they transitioned to more spicy affairs. The finish put its rye influence in front, with orange, rye spice, cinnamon, sweet oak, and a light lingering pie crust.

There have been a number of bourbon/rye blends that have hit the market, but few that have been overly memorable. Coincidentally, Wild Turkey released one as part of their Master’s Keep series. Caleb’s Crossing Straight Bourbon & Rye Blend Batch BBR-2 works because of the choices made about its components. It’s well-rounded and full-bodied, and a lot of that has to do with the brown sugar goodness that can be found in Green River Bourbon and the maturity of its high aged rye component. It can’t be an easy decision to blend with a 12 year old rye, as MGP rye of that age is so good as is. But to use it in a blend helps elevate the entire sip, while the inclusion of the bourbon helps add a dimension that would otherwise be missing. That is one benefit of blending, and Lafayette and Jennings understand that and went with the risk. Though the price may seem high to some, its blended components and resulting sip go a long way to justify it.