Review: Pursuit United Barrel Proof Triple Mash Rye
The Bourbon Pursuit podcast debuted in 2015, the brainchild of Ryan Cecil and Kenny Coleman, who set out to spotlight the people, decisions, and quirks shaping American whiskey. Rather than recycling talking points about tasting notes or bottle hunts, they shined a light on the individuals who distill, blend, and build the brands everyone talks about.
In the decade since, Bourbon Pursuit has climbed to the top tier of whiskey-focused podcasts — standing shoulder to shoulder with WhiskyCast— while making its own space as the leading podcast devoted entirely to American whiskey. Spending so much time behind the curtain of the industry made the next step almost inevitable: in 2018, Cecil and Coleman introduced Pursuit Spirits.
Their first venture, the Pursuit Series, broke from the usual single barrel model. Most store picks or club selections involve choosing one barrel from a small, preselected group. No matter how ordinary the options might be, a barrel is chosen anyway. Cecil and Coleman refused to play by those rules. If nothing stood out, they walked away. As a result, Pursuit Series releases weren’t simply the best of a limited lineup — they were barrels with genuine character, pieces that could stand on their own without comparison.
The single barrel approach produced some remarkable bottles, but it also came with obvious limits. Building a full portfolio on one-off barrels is tricky, so the next phase of the company arrived in January 2021 with the introduction of Pursuit United. This line offered transparent blends of bourbon and rye — whiskeys assembled with intention, balanced to be repeatable, and distributed at a scale the single barrel program could never match.
By 2021, sourced whiskey was already widespread, though much of it came from only a handful of distilleries. That uniformity meant many blends, even well-made ones, shared a common profile and ingredients. Cecil and Coleman wanted something more differentiating. For Pursuit United Rye, they sourced 95/5 rye from Bardstown Bourbon Company, along with two rye mashbills from Sagamore Spirit in Baltimore —one a 95/5 and the other 52% rye, 43% corn, and 5% malted barley. Using both Sagamore rye styles gave Pursuit United a fingerprint few other sourced blends could match.
Not long after Pursuit United’s launch, I accepted a paid contract role as a brand ambassador —a position I truly enjoyed for two years before stepping away in late 2024. During that time, I introduced more people than I can count to the Pursuit United lineup, especially the rye, which became my personal favorite. The early batches were bottled at a steady 108 proof, a proof point that suited the blend well.
Then came the next step: Pursuit United Barrel Proof Triple Mash Rye, introduced in 2025. Pushing beyond the hallmark 108 proof, Batch 10CF arrived at 121.8 proof, and Pursuit Spirits sent a sample to Drinkhacker for review. Having tasted many earlier batches, I knew the profile changed noticeably from one release to the next — but raising the proof adds another dimension entirely.
Batch 10CF is built from 5 barrels, each contributing its own character. The youngest is just shy of 5-years-old at 4 years and 8 months, while the oldest approaches 8-years-old at 7 years and 11 months. Taken together, the blend averages out to 6 years and 3 months.
The Bardstown Bourbon Company components were aged in barrels coopered by Independent Stave Co., charred to a #4 with toasted heads. Their staves spent 18 months seasoning in open air before being assembled, and the rye distillate went in at 110 proof.
The barrels coming from Sagamore Spirit were built by Kelvin Cooperage with a #3 char and toasted heads. Those staves weathered twice as long — 36 months — before construction, and the rye distillate entered them at 120 proof.
While each batch varies in its exact proportions, the foundation stays the same: the Sagamore Spirit mashbill of 52% rye, 43% corn, and 5% malted barley. As Ryan Cecil likes to put it, “the 52/43/5 is the protein, and the other two mashbills are the seasoning.”
With Cecil and Coleman hosting one of the most influential whiskey podcasts in the world, the question is obvious: what happens when they pour all that accumulated knowledge into a barrel proof rye built from three mashbills? Let’s find out!
Pursuit United Barrel Proof Triple Mash Rye Batch 10CF Review
The aroma opens with fruit punch drink mix powder, followed by the flaky, buttery crust of a Pillsbury Toaster Strudel. Soon after, burnt marshmallows and raisins join the scene, giving the aroma more diverse character. Anyone expecting a surge of black pepper should adjust expectations — this whiskey leans heavily into fruit-driven territory.
On the palate, butterscotch sundae topping takes the spotlight alongside Frosted Wild Berry Pop-Tarts. As it moves across the mid-palate, fruit cocktail cherries appear, paired with a hint of peppermint candy and a pleasantly viscous texture. The finish introduces dill paired with iced lemon pound cake. As it advances, toasted bread crust and another flicker of peppermint candy bring everything to a close.
Throughout my two years as a brand ambassador, I watched countless customers approach with the same hesitation: “I don’t like rye. It’s too harsh. Too spicy.” I understood the sentiment, even though I’ve always enjoyed ryes with forceful spice and black pepper intensity. Still, I knew their expectations didn’t apply here. Pursuit United Rye consistently leaned in a fruit-forward direction, offering a completely different experience from the profiles that turn many drinkers away.
Pursuit United Triple Mash Barrel Proof Rye Batch 10CF continues that approach with pizzazz. It delivers a full spectrum of fruit-driven character that could easily win over even the most resistant rye skeptics — especially those unaware of how wide-ranging this category can be when handled with this much finesse.
121.8 proof.
A / $80
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