Bourbon Barrel Blurbs, Volume 01, Issue 16

Just in time for the Major League Baseball playoffs, we are here with another edition of Bourbon Barrel Blurbs. In this BBB we have news on Uncle Nearest grabbing three Masters and a Gold; Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish Bourbon; Grand Teton Distillery 8-Year Private Stock Straight Bourbon; Seven Brothers Distilling; Jack Daniel's Distillery Series releases and JD American Single Malt announcement; Sagamore Spirit's latest Reserve Series release; FEW Spirits' Rye Bottled-in-Bond; and Templeton Distillery Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey 2022. Enjoy!

Uncle Nearest Awarded Three Masters and a Gold Medal in Annual Autumn Blind Tasting Competition

Uncle Nearest Is Only American Whiskey to Win Masters Awards From the Global Spirits Masters Competition

Nearest Green Distillery's Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is the only American whiskey to win a Master medal at The Spirits Business and The Drinks Business Annual Autumn Blind Tasting. The producer picked up the top award for Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, found to have a “lovely depth and richness mid-palate, very long finish with nice woody notes”. Uncle Nearest Uncut & Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey also took home a Master medal. The whiskey was described as having “very rich cocoa notes” with “pear, caramel and flower notes”. Master medalist Uncle Nearest Master Blender Edition Batch 012 was celebrated for its “big sweet and smoke” aromas, leading to “fruitiness and wood character” on the palate. Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey was awarded Gold and described as having a "sweet palate with a long and luscious finish". In 2022 alone, the brand has so far won 159 medals including 18 Best in Class awards, with an average critic score of 92 points. The permanent portfolio of Uncle Nearest will expand by three additional premium whiskeys before the end of 2022. "From the moment I accepted this mission and embraced that whiskey has always been in my blood, I knew we were about to do something never before seen," says Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler.

For more information, including full results, click here.

Basil Hayden Releasing Red Wine Cask-Finished Bourbon

 Image courtesy of Basil Hayden

James B. Beam Distilling Co.'s eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe, the creator of the excellent Little Book blends, has taken regular Basil Hayden and blended it with bourbon that was partially aged in California red wine barrels. Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish (SRP $59.99). Noe said "We continue to reach new audiences with the unexpected addition of a red wine cask finish."

For more information, including a review, click here.

Grand Teton Distillery Releases 8-Year Private Stock Straight Bourbon

Grand Teton Distillery’s Private Stock series

Aged since 2014, this is the longest-aged whiskey to be released from an Idaho distillery to date. This release is the second in Grand Teton Distillery's Private Stock series, following last fall's release of Straight Corn Whiskey. Only 16 barrels of this limited-release spirit are for sale. A caramel colored, rich-tasting whiskey, Grand Teton's 8-Year Straight Bourbon is best served neat.

Product specs include:

• 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley
• 750ml bottles
• 100 proof, 50% ABV
• Suggested retail price, $79.95

This bourbon, now available at the distillery, can be purchased online and is available at select retailers throughout the West while supplies last.

For more information, click here.

Ohio’s Seven Brothers Distilling Opens New Tasting Room, Larger Distillery

Image courtesy of Seven Brothers Distilling Co.

Seven Brothers Distilling Co. has moved from Leroy Township in Lake County to Harpersfield Township in Ashtabula County. The distillery now has a 1,800-square-foot tasting room and more than quadrupled its production space. Visitors can sample spirits, quaff craft cocktails and buy bottles to go at the new facility. Not far from the stills are racks of 10- and 30-gallon white oak barrels aging Seven Brothers' first bourbon – a wheated bourbon -- which will be released at a tasting event before the holidays.  Sure espresso and cinnamon vodkas are common, but it's rare to find a Palo Santo gin or a gin aged in pinot noir wine barrels.

For the full story, click here.

Jack Daniel’s Unveils Two New Cask-Finished Rye Whiskeys - Single Malt on the Way

 Image courtesy of Jack Daniel's

Jack Daniel's has gone well beyond its classic Old No. 7 Tennessee whiskey over the past few years, releasing excellent new expressions that are innovative in flavor, maturation, and style. The whiskeys are part of the experimental Distillery Series, which used to be called the Tennessee Tasters' Selection. Each was specially selected by an important wife and husband team at the distillery - assistant distiller Lexie Phillips and taster Josh Phillips. Lexie's pick is the Toasted Barrel Finish Rye, a straight Tennessee rye whiskey originally barreled in the summer of 2014 and then re-barreled into toasted (not charred) new barrels in October of 2019. Josh's pick is the Toasted Maple Barrel Rye, a straight Tennessee rye whiskey barreled in March of 2017 and then re-barreled into toasted (not charred) maple barrels in September of 2021.

 Image courtesy of Jack Daniel's

The Jack Daniel Distillery is also releasing the new Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt is made with 100% malted barley and matured in new charred American oak barrels for five years and finished in oloroso Sherry casks for two years and eight months. This whiskey will only be available in travel retail, and it won't arrive until June of 2023.

For the full story, click here.

Sagamore Spirit Announced the Latest Release in Its Limited Edition Reserve Series

Image courtesy of Sagamore Spirit

Sagamore Spirit announced the latest release in its Reserve Series: Sherry Finish Rye Whiskey. The distillery's four-year-old straight rye whiskey was aged for an additional 18 months in 132-gallon PX Sherry barrels. It has velvety notes of toasted almond, dried fig, candied orange peel, and soft spice. Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series Sherry Finish Rye Whiskey is available nationwide in 750-ml bottles at a suggested retail price of $79.

For the full story, click here.

FEW Spirits Announces FEW Rye Whiskey Bottled in Bond

Image courtesy of FEW Spirits

FEW Rye Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond is a four-year-old, limited-release bottling and will be available beginning in October. FEW Spirits is a distillery built on a spirit of defiance in the cradle of the Temperance Movement. "And, of course, we'll continue to release bottled-in-bond products as well as new, innovative, and sometimes quirky releases that FEW has become known for producing," said FEW Spirits founder Paul Hletko.

FEW Rye Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond by the numbers:

• 1,200 initial cases
• 750 ml bottles
• Bottled at 100 proof/50% ABV under the guidelines of the US Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897
• Mashbill: 70% Rye, 20% Corn, 10% Malted Barley
• Aged in new, charred American oak barrels for a minimum of 4 years
• Initial availability: AZ, CA, CO, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, MD, MN, NY, TX, WI
• SRP: $50

For the full story, click here.

Templeton Distillery Releases Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey 2022

Image courtesy of Templeton Distillery

Templeton Distillery, an award-winning, state-of-the-art distillery producing high-quality rye whiskey, launches the 2022 edition of their Barrel Strength expression. Each edition celebrates the exceptional aging casks that are currently maturing at the Templeton, Iowa distillery. "We're delighted to share this new Barrel Strength 2022 expression with the world of our fans who seek a quality rye," says Blair Woodall, Senior Vice President of Templeton Distillery.

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma: Intense aromatics, succulent exotic fruit and honey with decadent aromas of toasted oak
• Palate: Rich and fully rounded with sweet notes of sugar-dusted raisins, subtle dark chocolate, complimented spectacularly by black pepper spiciness
• Finish: Long and lingering with a warming balance of wood spice and dried summer fruits that slowly fades to delicate notes of spiced ginger and oak

To read more, click here.