Hidden Barn
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Single Barrel
Series #001
105 proof
“Hometown Barrel”
Selected by Jackie Zykan for the ABV Barrel Shop
MSRP: $74.99 (for Series #001 bourbon)
Review
Please enjoy our Hidden Barn Bourbon Review! (The Hometown Barrel)
What’s a Hidden Barn?
By now, I think most people have heard of Hidden Barn Whiskey. The name pays homage to a time when helpful and thirsty folks would paint their barns black so as their not-quite-so-legal neighbors would not be easily discovered. Why would painting their barns black help out their neighbors? Well, as anyone who has visited a distillery may have noticed, there is a black coating to many of the rickhouses, as well as any other surface in the vicinity. This is due to the fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis, which thrives on airborne alcohol. Therefore, much to the chagrin of people living near distilleries, everything in and around them gets coated with this black fungus to varying degrees. It also follows that if you are looking for a still or aging whiskey barrels, all you have to do is look for black coated buildings.
A Great Pedigree
The Hidden Barn Whiskey brand itself is a collaboration between Nate Winegar & Matt Dankner, co-founders of the 5280 Whiskey Society, Master Distiller Royce Neeley of Neeley Family Distillery and Master Blender Jackie Zykan, formerly the Master Taster at Old Forester. So with that pedigree, one would expect some great whiskey.
Each Series Is Different
The whiskeys blended for each Hidden Barn release will come from different distilleries, each designated by a Series number. Their initial release was Series #001. The bourbon for that series came from Neeley Family Distillery. Series #002 is making its debut now, with bourbon from M.B. Roland Distillery. The Home Town Barrel that I am reviewing here is from Series #001.
Tasting Notes – Hidden Barn Bourbon – Hometown Barrel
Let’s taste it:
Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn
Nose: Apricot, pear, raisin, sweet brown sugar, with a subtle Graham Cracker backgroundTaste: Apricot, sweet brown sugar, raisin & dry oakFinish: Raisins and some sweetness continue picking up more dry oakiness, with spice growing into a long finish with a moderate burn
The fruit flavors dominate the nose, and carry through to the finish. However, in the finish, there is growing dry oak and spice. The flavors are full and rich as one would expect from a pot distilled whiskey. However, for those not used to pot still whiskey, you may be met by some flavors that are new to you. Hidden Barn Bourbon may not taste like the large heritage brand’s bourbons that you may be used to, and it is not meant to.
Summary
I usually don’t review single barrels, but since Hidden Barn’s Series #001 regular releases are small batches of 6-7 barrels, I figured the flavor profile shouldn’t be too far off the mark for other releases from from this series. None-the-less, your bottle will probably be a little different. However, the Series #002 releases will definitely have a different profile since the bourbon comes from from M.B. Roland Distillery rather than Neeley Family Distillery. Either way, if you enjoy a flavorful pot-distilled bourbon, then you’ll want to give Hidden Barn Bourbon a try! Cheers!
We hope you have enjoyed our Hidden Barn Bourbon Review! (The Hometown Barrel) If you would like to read about some other whiskeys from Neeley Family Distillery, check out our Neeley Family Distillery Bourbon – 8 Year Seasoned Barrel Review and our Neeley Sweet Thumped Rye Review!
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