Pursuit United XS Double Oak Rye: 720 Bottles at 126.2 Proof

Pursuit Spirits, the independent whiskey blender started by the creators of the Bourbon Pursuit podcast, has launched Pursuit United XS Double Oak (XSDO). “XS” stands for “Extra Special.” The new series gives barrel proof Pursuit United Bourbon and Rye an extended second maturation in custom barrels from craft cooperages.

The first release, Pursuit United XS Double Oak Rye, spent nearly two years in custom American oak barrels from Seguin Moreau’s Napa cooperage. The barrels have char #3 and toasted heads, the same profile Pursuit used when it first developed Pursuit United Bourbon, and cost about six times as much as a typical new barrel. They were filled with Pursuit United Barrel Proof Rye, a blend of straight ryes from Bardstown Bourbon Company and Sagamore Spirit. There are 720 bottles at 126.2 proof.

“We pulled samples on these barrels for a year and a half,” said Ryan Cecil, Co-Founder and Master Blender at Pursuit Spirits. “At six months, it was already good, but good is where most finishes stop. Every time we tasted it, the whiskey kept evolving. After 20 months, it reached what I consider whiskey of the year potential.”

“We’ve been developing our double oak program since 2022,” said Kenny Coleman, Co-Founder and COO of Pursuit Spirits. “It’s a continual journey to find new ways to develop flavors for our core Pursuit United whiskeys. The intentionality with XSDO is making sure the barrels are not a commodity. Every release under XS Double Oak will feature barrels that are specifically curated for this project.”

Tasting notes:

Savory pepperoni and dried herbs alongside buttery toffee and maple syrup. The palate is full-bodied and thick, with sweet oak and burnt sugar, finishing with pipe tobacco, cola and roasted mocha.

Price and availability:

MSRP is $149.99. 92% of the bottles go to existing P. Club members. The rest are for new members who join in person at Pursuit’s Whiskey Row location in Louisville. There are no online sales, no shipping and no gift shop allocation. It is also poured at Trial + Error, the cocktail lounge below the Whiskey Row location. More XSDO releases are already aging.