Caleb's Crossing Rye Whiskey (2024) Review

Last year, I included a rye whiskey called Raconteur Rye on my list of Top 10 Most Memorable Whiskies of 2024. This rye whiskey was not distilled by David Jennings (of Rarebird101 fame) or bottled by him, but he did guide the final product through careful finishing and blending.

David seemed to enjoy doing it because he’s continued the art of blending and finishing with his father for a new project – one that carries his family name. He tells a story that his love for American whiskey and his dad’s love for French wine and brandy initially made it hard to find a common ground for a new spirits business, but eventually they landed on a concept that focuses on American whiskey finished in French wine or spirits casks.

Exploring the backstory of Caleb’s Crossing

The name for their project harkens back to a Jennings ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. His name was Caleb Jennings and the brand is called Caleb’s Crossing. You can read the complete backstory here.

Caleb’s Crossing Rye Whiskey started off as rye whiskey sourced from MGP. This is the classic 95% rye recipe that almost everyone reading this review has experienced at some point in their life. It was aged for 8 years in an oak barrel sourced from Kelvin Cooperage. If you’re new to the scene, Kelvin barrels are like the Mercedes-Benz of barrels in the fact that they look, perform and feel awesome but can also be a little bit leaky from time to time.

David wasn’t content to just call it a day because of the rye was aged in that awesome barrel, so he managed to source some (white) Pineau des Charentes (a type of fortefied wine) barrels to finish the liquid in. His initial goal was to put the rye back into the Kelvin barrel after it took on enough of the wine influence, but good fortune struck and he managed to secure a different type of barrel for the final act. This barrel came from “Tullahoma” and once held rye whiskey distilled by Cascade Hollow (aka George Dickel).

Didn’t know that George Dickel made a rye? It’s not often talked about and rarely released on its own. And no, I’m not talking about this one. Outside of the collaboration blend with Leopold Bros, Rare Character bottles starting with “TNR/TKO,” Old Carter Rye Whiskey and a few obscure single barrels bottled by Bone Snapper, I don’t know where this stuff goes that they make. It supposedly uses the same 95/5 rye whiskey recipe as MGP’s, but it goes through the Lincoln County Process prior to entering the barrel.

Anyway, David dumped the rye whiskey that had been resting in the Pineau barrel into the Tullahoma barrel and proceeded to slow-proof it down until it reached 113.77 – which is the proof I believe he thought was just right. So how did he do? Thanks to my friend Mike over at Mostly Peaceful Bourbon, I’m getting a chance to taste it. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: It’s rare that I comment on the color of a whiskey, but this one felt like I needed to say something. This whiskey is incredibly dark. In direct light, it’s a brooding blood red. I’m impressed with the color.

Nose: Sweet scents of cherry turnovers and brown sugar Pop Tarts start this dram off with a lot of baked goods influence. After that comes the unmistakable smell of toasted marshmallows and a bit of brown butter. The underlying wine note integrates well into some of the pine needles and citrus aromas I’m picking up. It makes the experience that much more dessert-like.

Palate: The flavors that first cross my tongue start with cinnamon steeped herbal tea, cardamom and a hint of sandalwood. These let me know that the Pineau cask hasn’t drowned out the other flavors – a good thing if you ask me!. Moving on to fruit, this thing is drenched with cherry licorice, orange Jolly Ranchers and wine that borders on being white grape juice. The rye whiskey doesn’t throw in the towel, it wants to be seen with mint, red pepper flakes and some cinnamon. I find a touch of bitter oak, but any negative effects of it are quickly squashed with sweet notes of cola and brown sugar. The heat level does taste a bit more than its proof would suggest. I’m not saying it’s HOT hot, but I was expecting a very subdued experience especially after this whiskey saw time in three different barrels. The proofy nature of the heat is just another layer to discover as you peel back each one in this complex whiskey.

Finish: Lingering spices rule the day on the finish with cinnamon, oak spice and anise. There are fruit notes like dates, grapes and orange peel that stick around. I find a terrific sweetness that hangs around long after the sip is complete. An overall sweetness encapsulates the whole finish. Very nice

Score: 8.2/10

One of the things I love best about rye whiskey – after the herbal and botanical notes – are the array of unique fruit notes that they bring to the table. I typically find citrus fruits and stone fruits, but rarely do they have grape and wine flavors. This bottle had those notes and more impressively, they were the perfect compliment to the natural fruit notes already found in the base rye whiskey.

Every part of this pour was perfectly balanced and layered with flavor. If I had only one ding to give, it’s that I wanted more of that new charred oak influence from the Kelvin barrel brought into the final product. It might just be a “me” thing, but MGP 95/5 takes forever to absorb tannins so maybe that was never going to be a thing. As it stands, this rye whiskey relies on its bright youthful character rather than going off the deep end with tannins. It all depends on what you’re looking for in a rye whiskey.

Final Thoughts

As far as unique rye whiskies goes, this one takes the cake. I love when a whiskey brings new flavors and scents to the table while still having all the underlying goodness that you’d expect. Finishing is the perfect way to achieve that. Purists will roll their eyes at that statement, but expertly crafted finishing treatments don’t scream out for attention, they seamlessly blend in like this one does. I think David tried very hard to make sure that the final product didn’t deviate too far from what it started out as and if that was the case, he succeeded admirably.