High Wire Drammers Pick #2 - Jimmy Red Bourbon (Air Dried Barrel Staves)

HIGH WIRE DISTILLING CO.

Jimmy Red Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Single Barrel #502

59.55% abv (115.1 Proof)

Barrel #706, Sweet Mash, Non-Chill Filtered

This barrel features air-dried barrel staves, which makes a big impact on bourbon as it ages. The main difference is that tannins wash out during the air drying process, that don’t wash out in kiln-dried barrel staves. High Wire Distilling initially started with kiln dried staves for their barrels when they launched in 2013, but right around the 6 year mark, they started to taste a tannic note emerging in their barrels — a note that the founders Ann and (especially) Scott preferred to avoid. So they switched to air-dried staves. Those first air dried stave barrels are starting to turn 6 years old, and so when we went to select a single barrel for our club, we felt we wanted to capture a bit of the magic from before and after this big change. The first barrel we selected — an experimental barrel that used a red wine yeast in the fermentation —was aged in a kiln-dried barrel. It’s a beauty, with bright cinnamon sweetness. But we also fell in love with this single barrel, aged in air-dried staves — it has none of the cinnamon notes, instead swirling in creme brûlée, peanut brittle and even some tobacco notes. Equally delicious, but very different. It also came in a little higher, bottled at cask strength of 59.55% abv.

Entry proof was 109.7. 

750 ML

This release is only available to registered Members and Observers of Drammers Club - More Information at Drammers.com

Drammers Pick #96