Skip to Content

Rare Saint 5 Year Straight Bourbon Review

Rare Saint 5 Year Straight Bourbon Review

Long before I was reviewing whiskey, I was reviewing restaurants on a website called Urbanspoon. The main reason I stopped was because the website was sold off and then shut down a couple years later. But I never stopped being a foodie because I loved the thrill of a new experience. In retrospect, this is probably why I latched onto the whiskey scene so hard. There is a certain thrill about trying a new bottle that makes you search out these new experiences.

As I eat my way through Indianapolis, I’ve learned to appreciate the restaurants that have been around for decades that form the bedrock of dining in this city. Working Man’s Friend, Shapiro’s Deli, Steer-In, The Rathskeller and St. Elmo Steak House. There are more, but in an era of restaurants closing so frequently, these landmarks continue to remain in business for a reason.

Out of all the restaurants I listed, the most complete example of a “dining experience” has to be St. Elmo Steak House. Their menu has remained relatively unchanged, but since they do everything so well it doesn’t need to. The drinks that their bar offers are almost as lauded as their food. In fact, their “Elmo Cola” was so popular it spawned retail versions by way of canned cocktails and an infused bourbon to make your own with.

St. Elmo and Huse Culinary

You may think that the owners of St. Elmo (Huse Culinary) had contracted an outside vendor to create these alcoholic beverages (and the foodstuffs they also sell). I know I thought the same thing until I started my research for my review of their Cherry Vanilla Infused Bourbon. It turns out that it’s all made in-house (with the exception of the canned cocktail). Even the whiskey is trucked to their warehouse in Indianapolis to continue maturation until it’s ready to be bottled. They now have over 200 barrels in their inventory with more being added each month.

If you’re wondering where they’re sourcing these barrels from – just turn one of their bottles around. You’ll see a “Distilled in Indiana” on the back. I’ve confirmed it’s from a certain large distillery down at the southern end of the state (wink wink, nudge nudge). Huse Culinary quickly learned that buying barrels in bulk allowed them greater access and probably a bit of a discount, so they started to think bigger. What if they made their own line of whiskies for their restaurants to use? And what if they could also sell it to retail stores? The idea quickly became a reality with the introduction of…

Rare Saint Fine & Rare Whiskies

Rare Saint seems like the perfect tie-in to the St. Elmo name. The line rolled out in the second half of 2024 to a few retailers with the goal of expanding across state lines. Three types of whiskey – a high rye bourbon, a wheated bourbon and rye whiskey – are the flagships of the lineup. More versions are coming for the brand in 2025, but for now I’m going to concentrate on the high rye bourbon for this review.

The high-rye bourbon found in Rare Saint (Black Label) Bourbon needs no introduction. It’s the familiar 60/36/4 mash bill that all MGP enthusiasts know and love. For many Non-Distiller Producers – like Smoke Wagon for instance – it’s the only one they’ll use. This tried-and-true recipe gives great flavor and sweetness due to the large percentage of rye. The barrels selected for Rare Saint Bourbon are aged no less than five years mainly in MGP’s metal-walled warehouses.

A couple more quick facts about the bourbon is that MGP utilizes a lower barrel entry proof (120) than most producers. This results in less water being added after maturation is complete. In turn, this results in more flavor being retained. One thing I do want to note is that many website descriptions of Rare Saint bourbon claim it uses “sweet corn” in the mash. I think this was misquoted and continues to be copy/pasted. If it did use sweet corn, it would be much more expensive than it’s price of $50/bottle.

While I was taking a tour of Huse Culinary, my guides informed me that this bourbon undergoes a proprietary process whereby the liquid goes into a special machine that eliminates unwanted organic compounds. They do this to ensure that every batch of bourbon remains similar to the last for consistency’s sake. To me, this sounds like chill filtering, but the machine (which I briefly saw a picture of) didn’t look anything like the other chill-filtering machine I’ve seen (Michter’s). It was more like a small space capsule with hoses that ran in and out. Either it was designed to put pressure/vacuum on the liquid inside or it was some type of centrifuge.

I got the opportunity to taste the treated and untreated bourbon side-by-side recently. The treated one seemed to be lacking in bitter tannins. I could taste more of the barrel influence in the untreated one. I wish I could tell you more, but the technology is still undergoing patents and such.

So how does this classic, yet futuristic, bottle of bourbon taste? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat from a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose is impactful as far as scents go, but is very light on tannins. This is either a blessing or a curse depending on the drinker. Instead, floral, ground cinnamon and light potpourri are some of the first notes I recognize. This is followed by sweet notes of brown sugar and Flan. There are even some fruit scents like cherry and citrus peel that are nice to find.

Palate: The palate delivers a lot of the same notes as the nose, only this time the rye character of the mash bill stands out by way of a little bit of peppermint candy cane. That’s surely the result of 36% rye, but don’t call me Shirley. Otherwise, spice notes like cinnamon powder and peppercorn share the stage with sweet notes like creamed corn, vanilla and a touch of brown sugar. Fruit notes continue to revolve around cherry and citrus while also giving way to lighter floral flavors. The heat is well controlled throughout and the mouthfeel retains its trademark oily nature.

Finish: Lighter oak and spice notes hangs around with leather and vanilla. I am also picking up on sweet notes like caramel. One of the stranger notes I find on the finish is wax paper. I’ve never tasted that in a whiskey before!

Score: 6.8/10

This is a bourbon that coaxes enough flavor from its high-rye recipe to make it an interesting sip. It is more mellow than I expected, has great balance and goes down easy. Whatever technology was used to remove the tannins did its job and allows the other flavors to leap out on your tongue in their absence. It’s a unique experience in that regard.

As it stands, this bourbon should be well received by both experienced enthusiasts and new ones who might be wary of high proofs or bitter tannins. I always say that the one way to encourage a casual drinker to become a more studious drinker is to get them to recognize the flavor spectrum that each whiskey has. The problem that most novices have is not being able to look through the heat or tannins of a particular whiskey. Rare Saint Bourbon seems to have solved that issue and would be a bottle I’d recommend to anyone.

Final Thoughts

Breaking into the crowded bourbon scene in 2024/2025 must have been very daunting for a brand like Rare Saint. But I think the folks at Huse Culinary are making a great first impression to consumers. They’ve got an attractive bottle and a cool story behind the brand – not to mention the whiskies they’re serving up have undergone rigorous testing to make sure they’re good right out of the gate. Plus, if you or the person you’re giving this bottle to has been to St. Elmo, it will evoke strong memories of that experience. I can’t wait to taste the rest of their lineup!

Featured Products

  • Neat Traveler
  • View Larger
  • Description:The Aged & Ore Neat Traveler is a complete travel kit for spirits. We combined our widely praised Neat Glass with one of our 3oz Flight Bottles and housed them together in a custom EVA travel case. Perfect for a night away with your favorite pour. The tie
  • Bottle Flight
  • View Larger
  • Description:The Aged & Ore Bottle Flight is a premium set of 4 custom silicone wrapped glass bottles designed to transport and share samples of your favorite spirits. The flight bottles come in a custom EVA travel case that fits perfectly in any small bag. An Aged &
  • Travel Bundle
  • View Larger
  • Description:This Bundle combines two of our crowd favorite products, creating the ultimate travel bundle to bring along your favorite spirits and glassware. Bundle Includes: Neat Traveler (Gray) Bottle Flight (Gray) Note: This bundle is only available in gray and col

*Bourbon Culture is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Enable Notifications OK No thanks