Barrel House Select Small Batch

Close to downtown Lexington, Kentucky is The Distillery District. At one time, this area was a bustling industrial complex. Today, it is home to quaint shopping, dining, and music venues, as well the James Pepper Distillery and Barrel House Distilling Company, producer of Barrel House Select Small Batch Bourbon.

Craft Distilling that's Growing

Barrel House Distilling was founded in 2006 by Jeff Wiseman and Pete Wright. Products include several spirits, including moonshine, vodka, rum, and whiskeys. Today, operations continue in the barreling house of what was once the James Pepper Distillery. Distribution is limited at this time to Kentucky only - so if you’re interested, you’ll only find it in The Commonwealth. The partners have plans to expand production significantly at a new $1.8 million site near Cynthiana, Kentucky, where ground was broken in 2024.

The Tasting    

The bourbon is displayed in a short, squat bottle, with a blue embossed label. The mash bill is 60% corn, 30% rye, and 10% malted barley. It is labeled as straight bourbon whiskey, without an additional age statement, so it’s safe to assume this has aged for at least four years. The finished product is bottled at a versatile 90-proof.

From the website, we learn that Barrel House Select is distilled from corn, rye and malted barley using a heavy rye mash bill and is barreled at 120 proof in #4 char barrels. We hand select three barrels per batch to blend according to their unique flavor profiles and then cut the entire batch to 90 proof using Appalachian Mountain Spring Water. 

Eye: Thick, wide, amber legs are displayed in my Glencairn glass. Light honey in color.

Nose: A butterscotch candy disk bomb! Lifesaver Buttered Rum candy, buttered corn bread, apricot, and peach.  

Palate: Fruity, with peach and apricot, along with vanilla and spice. A light and slick mouthfeel. 

Finish:  Medium with oak, spice, and a buttered fritter. 

Overall: This was pleasant and surprisingly good. While I’d love to see a couple more years on this, it was fine, as bottled. I found this for $45 at my favorite Liquor Barn in Lexington, Kentucky. While I’ve been disappointed with some craft bourbons, aged at least four years, this one was worth the purchase and beat  my expectations!