Honey | Vanilla custard | Caramel | Maple syrup | Punchy rye spice

Caramel cream candy | Bold rye spice | Maple sugar candy | Cinnamon sugar covered graham cracker | Toasted oak | Creamy | Bold, rich & delicious

Rye spice | Turkish Delight candy | Candied apples | Long with gripping spice aftertaste

Two Souls Spirits is an independent bottler headed by James Estrada and Chad Civetti. Known as “The Whiskey Doctor,” Estrada has written for Bourbon Sippers and co-hosts the Whiskey Uncut Podcast. According to Two Souls Spirits, they intend to “curate craft spirits from across the United States,” that are “big, bold, 100% uncut and unfiltered, and exceptionally rare.”

In 2022 we reviewed the sister barrel to this rum cask finished rye. Because the base rye was identified as having a “heavier dose of dry oak on the palate,” Two Souls Spirits chose to finish this rye barrel in a used HAZMAT rum barrel for 3 months in order to “enhance the sweeter, richer notes of the whiskey.”

The resulting finished rye is every bit as good as its sister barrel, and in some ways better. While it deviates from the more traditional rye-spice focus venturing into sweeter territory, rye spice still forms the backbone and provides a solid foundation. Accents of caramel chews, maple sugar candy, cinnamon sugar graham crackers, and Turkish Delights bring sweet flavors into the fold, working cohesively with the spicy rye undertone. Like its sister barrel it’s a big whiskey at over 146 proof, but isn’t overly hot, maintaining a high level of drinkability. It’s a one-off barrel, unfortunately, but one that excites me about both Two Souls Spirits and Yahara Bay Distillers.

The bottle being reviewed comes from barrel YB2, bottle 158.