Clear Water Distilling René Rye-Magnac

Rene Rye-Magnac, 42% ABV, blend of rye whiskey sourced in the USA (Ross and Squibb formerly MGP?) and XO Armagnac from France by Clear Water Distilling, Pleasant Grove, UT. This is Batch 1, Bottle 2214, $90. Named after Rene Cassin, a soldier who won the Nobel Peace Prize--hence the blend of apparent opposites. https://www.clearwaterdistilling.com/product/rene-rye-magnac/ Brown straw color and thin legs in the glass. Sweet vanilla oak and over-ripe apples on the nose. Floral and a hint of cereal mush, but no spicy or grassy notes indicating that this is a rye base liquer. Rye spice and pepper flashes in the mouth with some ethanol. Sweet grain, vanilla oak, apple, grape, and orange flavors. Light body and thin mouthfeel. Finish has baking spices, mint, and leather showing up, but then turns a little sour. Not a long/lingering finish except for the dry/alkaline salty/sour taste. Ice flattens the rye spice and oak, and shortens the finish...but not the sour. So you can age whiskey in a used ex-barrel, or you can just blend it with the spirit. Clear Water chose the latter in this case, an "interesting" choice. Expensive too. I'm going to keep sipping and thinking about this unusual bottle. 12/31/22 It's growing on me. And it's really good mixed in a cocktail like the Prince of Wales, by that's an expensive mixer.