Barrel #2 Has Landed. And This One Has a Wild Side.

Some barrels take you somewhere unexpected. Others take you somewhere you never imagined going in the first place. Welcome to Barrel #2 of the Crooked Water Barrel Series, where curiosity takes the wheel, tradition gets a little restless, and the adventure is just getting started.

The Details

Crooked Water Barrel Series #2

Straight Rye Whiskey Finished with Amburana, Cherrywood & French Oak Staves

Age: 7.8 years

Mash Bill: 51% Rye, 45% Corn, 4% Malted Barley

Proof: 115 | 57.5% ABV

Bottle Size: 750 mL

Availability: Exclusively bottled for South Lyndale Liquors in Minneapolis - released the week of Oct 27. A limited barrel release. Once this one is off the shelves, there is no guarantee we'll ever recreate it.

Meet Barrel #2: A Rye With a Sense of Adventure

This is not your grandfather's rye whiskey. Although we suspect he'd approve.

We started with a beautifully aged 7.8-year straight rye whiskey, built on a mash bill of 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley. Rye brings the spice. Corn brings the richness. Nearly eight years of maturation provide the foundation. But at Crooked Water, a great foundation is often where the fun begins. For this release, we introduced three distinctive woods, each bringing its own personality to the journey.

Amburana. Cherrywood. French Oak.

Three very different influences. One wonderfully unconventional whiskey.

Amburana: The Exotic One

Native to South America, Amburana is famous for its intensely aromatic character. Think cinnamon, warm baking spices, vanilla, and an almost pastry-like richness. It can be a powerful influence, which is precisely why we love experimenting with it.

Cherrywood: The Charmer

Cherrywood introduces a softer, more delicate dimension. Think subtle fruit impressions, gentle sweetness, and a rounded wood character that plays beautifully against rye's natural spice.

French Oak: The Sophisticated One

French oak brings structure and elegance. Depending on its toast, it can contribute refined tannins, warm spice, toasted wood, and a beautifully layered finish.

Together, these three woods create an intriguing conversation between spice, sweetness, and structure.

And that is exactly what we were hoping for.

What to Expect in the Glass

The Nose

An inviting rush of cinnamon, vanilla bean, and warm baking spices, with suggestions of toasted oak and dark fruit. Amburana's unmistakable aromatic character leads the way, while the other woods promise additional depth.

The Palate

Rich, expressive, and wonderfully layered. Expect rye spice to meet notes of caramel, cinnamon pastry, toasted vanilla, and subtle cherry. French oak provides a firmer backbone, keeping the sweeter wood influences in balance.

The Finish

Warm, aromatic, and lingering, with cinnamon, toasted wood, gentle tannins, and a final flourish of spice.

Why This Barrel Matters

We have never been particularly interested in doing things simply because that is how they have always been done. At Crooked Water, we believe some of the most interesting discoveries happen when you ask a simple question.

What if?

What if we took a mature rye and introduced woods with dramatically different aromatic personalities?

What if we let them work together rather than allowing one influence to dominate?

What if we gave ourselves permission to create something a little wild?

That is the beauty of remaining independent. We get to experiment. To be curious. To take the occasional unexpected turn. Not every experiment works. But the ones that do remind us exactly why we started this journey.

Barrel #2 is a celebration of that freedom.

And Then There Was Magnus

We couldn't introduce this release without mentioning our rather distinguished copilot.

Meet Magnus, the fearless Saint Bernard aviator gracing Barrel #2. A little adventurous. A little unconventional. Entirely comfortable taking the road, or sky, less traveled. We think Magnus captures the spirit of this release perfectly. After all, great adventures rarely begin with someone saying, "Let's do exactly what we did last time."

Final Thought

If Barrel #1 was an invitation to slow down and savor something extraordinary, Barrel #2 is an invitation to stay curious. To explore unfamiliar flavors. To challenge expectations. To discover that sometimes the most rewarding experiences are the ones you never saw coming.

We are grateful to South Lyndale Liquors for continuing this journey with us, and to everyone who has supported Crooked Water as we've grown into a brand that has the freedom to dream a little bigger, experiment a little further, and create something truly distinctive.

Fourteen years in, and we're still asking, what if? And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Here's to bold adventures, curious palates, and never losing your sense of wonder.

Let Our Spirits Raise Yours.

Crooked Water Spirits