Rock Town Nicholas Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon

A lot has changed in the last 5 years ( you can file that statement under the “understatement of the year”.) It feels like yesterday that Phil Brandon from Rock Town distillery offered me my own barrel of bourbon. I thought I would be pouring this barrel off for years on our cocktail list. How was I supposed to know it wouldn’t last a week?

It was our very first barrel of bourbon & here we are 5 years later & about 100 barrels selected & sold & I’m finally getting my second barrel from Rock Town. Phil makes his bourbon with a mash bill of corn & barley instead of the usual corn & rye. This makes it more chocolately than spicy and a straight knocked out bottle of bourbon. Unfortunately, Rock Town barrels are smaller than most, which leaves us with only 80 bottles to sell. Better not wait too long!

61% corn
30% unmalted barley
9% malted barley

Aged 34 months
114 proof

The barley here gives it the sweeter chocolatey tones as opposed to rye that gives it is spicier ones. Layer upon layer of dark & bitter chocolate with Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee undertones. Has just the right amount of burn but would guess a proof closer to 105 instead of the 114 that it actually it’s.

Each bottle is bottles by hand a dipped in wax ala Blantons. Phil had Bruce blasting in the bottling room while this barrel was bottled. He sent me the video to prove it. Apparently he thinks everyone in Jersey listens to Springsteen all day. Ah, he’s partially right.