We are excited to announce the beginning of our barrel-aged cocktail program. These drinks are mixed and then rested in oak barrels for 4-6 weeks. Barrel aging gives the cocktails a much more “blended” palate while rounding the sharp corners off the more potent ingredients. They are extremely rich and delicious.

Available in a few days…

Negroni – Small’s Gin, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Campari

Available in 2-3 weeks…

Rosita – Blanco Tequila, Sweet & Dry Vermouth, Campari, Angostura Bitters

Widow’s Kiss – Calvados, Yellow Chartreuse, Benedictine, Angostura Bitters

For all the whiskey aficionados out there…we’ve got something pretty cool at Lot No. 3! The Buffalo Trace Distillery of Franklin County, Kentucky has recently released what they have named their “Single Oak Project”. Below is an excerpt from their press release that discusses the details of the project…

…Beginning in 1999, then Warehouse Manager Ronnie Eddins traveled to the Missouri Ozarks to hand pick 96 trees, consisting of fine grain, medium grain and coarse grain wood, based on the tree’s growth rings. Each type of grain indicates a different growth rate and will yield a different flavor profile. From there, each tree was cut into a top and a bottom piece, yielding 192 unique sections. Next stop was the lumber yard, where staves were created from each section and were tagged and tracked. The staves were divided into two groups and given different air dried seasonings, 6 months and 12 months. The air drying allows Mother Nature to break down some of the more harsh flavored characteristics commonly found in wood. After all the staves were air dried, a single barrel was then created from each tree section, resulting in 192 total barrels.

The next step in the process was to experiment with different char levels of the barrels. Two different char levels were used, a number three and a number four char. (The standard char level for all Buffalo Trace products is a number four char, which is a 55 second burn.) Then, barrels were filled with one of two different recipes, a wheat and a rye recipe bourbon. To further the variety of experiments, barrels were filled at two different proofs, 105 proof and 125 proof. And if this wasn’t enough, two completely different warehouses were used, one with a wooden ricks and one with concrete floors. In total, seven different variables were employed in Buffalo Trace’s ultimate experiment.

And then, the waiting began. For eight years the Distillery continued with its tracking process, creating intricate databases and coming up with a potential of 1,396 tasting combinations from these 192 barrels!We were fortunate enough to get 2 half bottles of this initial release…one from barrel #100 and another from barrel #131. Sample the separately or purchase a ½ shot of each and sample side by side. The Single Oak Whiskey is in quite short supply so when we’re out…we’re out!

Each release will consist of 12 unique single barrel bourbons. Every case will contain 12 bottles, each from a different barrel. The first release is made up of barrel numbers 3, 4, 35, 36, 67, 68, 99, 100, 131, 132, 163 and 164. Each of these barrels had the same entry proof, seasoning, char level and warehouse aging location. However, the hope is to identify the differences in taste based on recipe, wood grain size and tree cut as these characteristics varied amongst this group of barrels. There will be a series of releases over the next four years until all of the 192 barrels have been released…