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A Special Treat for our 80th Anniversary...

What is in a relationship?

Through the years we have always played the long game.  Trends come and go and who and what is hot now changes through the years. But, if you nurture relationships and keep your friends close, it all has a way of coming around.

For me, one of those relationships is the one that we share with Barrell Bourbon’s owner, Joe Beatrice. We first met on Christmas Eve about a decade ago when Northeast Beverage’s Greg Zanella asked if it was ok to stop by and introduce us to someone he thought we would like. 

If you have ever been at Harry’s on Christmas Eve, you know that there is no time to breathe, never-mind meet or talk to someone trying to sell you something. It’s a bit like a guy stopping by your house unannounced to sell you replacement windows while your house is on fire and completely engulfed in flames. It just doesn’t make sense.

Well in this case Greg was able to convince me that it would be “just five minutes. We will be in and out, just a quick hello and we can talk more after the new year”.

Well that quick five minutes turned in to a 45 minute conversation with a man whom I was so impressed with that I stood there having a geeky conversation with him about a new label he was introducing called Barrell Bourbon while the fire raged.

Since that first meeting, the rest as they say is history. Joe and Harry’s have built a relationship based on friendship, shared passion and a mutual desire to see the other be successful. We’ve tasted together dozens of times, shared tasting notes that were eerily similar, helped each other start one another’s single barrel programs and kept in touch over time. Sometimes a quick text, other times a visit while in town, or a phone call to say hi and find out what is next.

Joe has always been generous with his support of Harry’s and when I reached out to him with the idea that we wanted him to supply our official 80th anniversary barrel, he didn’t hesitate. His answer… “I’ll take care of it”.

For months we waited, hoped, and anticipated with fingers crossed that he would come through. This past July a package showed up at the store that contained 2 samples, JBSB1 & JBSB2 (Joe Beatrice Single Barrel 1 & 2). Bottles in it that were the culmination of a vision that he and I had talked about and that Joe, Tripp, and Nicole had created together and Joe actually put his name to! 

I held them, hands shaking, as I tried desperately to remind myself to let them settle down for a day or two before tasting them. Renzo and I couldn’t do it, within the hour we were tasting them. Like two kids with a new toy, we were lost in one of the most magical moments in our history of tasting together. Both samples were exceptional (see tasting notes below) and we realized pretty quickly that it was going to be very difficult to choose between them.

At Harry’s we take a great deal of pride in giving back. We work very hard to be generous with our community and our customers but in this moment we began to feel a bit selfish. We didn’t want just one.  This time we wanted both barrels. With one being a bit more masculine (JBSB1) and the other showing a little more of a feminine side (JBSB2), we just couldn’t see breaking this pair up. So, we took both. Keep an eye out for JBSB2 at the holidays.

For now, we are very proud to introduce Barrell Bourbon’s JBSB1 and this one is staying close to home. As hard as it is to part with, we will be releasing this one on a first come first serve basis with a one bottle per person rule. 

The release will happen Sunday morning 10/10 at 10am at our store and we do expect it be a very fast sell out (although we hope it will hang around for a bit). The price is $99.99/btl.  Come by, wish us a happy 80th anniversary and discover what having good relationships with great people is all about.

-Cheers

Tasting Notes

With the pulling of the cork you will probably sense almost immediately that this one is different, special… a cut above. We have had a lot of great barrels come through our program and I am not saying this one is in a class of its own, but it sure doesn’t take long to call roll.

The nose has great high tones...lemon/lime meringue, cinnamon and sharpened pencil sit on top of a rich nose that features toasted pecans, root beer, cherries, and candied orange peel (scratching the surface, layers and structure define this one) and low tones of roasted coffee bean, extinguished campfire and roasted porchetta.

On your palate you will find a very pleasing attack that is muscular but soft and generous with a peppery spine and a well placed bitter component that eases along the sides of your palate and finds a home across its back. The cinnamon and cherries of the mid palate add creamy milk chocolate and those roasted nuts. It is masculine but elegant, muscular and warming, powerfully soft. Sound like an oxymoron? Taste it.

The finish is the cru d’etat, long and layered and constantly evolving and changing. Somehow this special bottle will strike you as very relatable and easy to understand even as its complexity keeps you searching and discoving new things as it takes you along on a journey. It’s finish is long and inviting, it does rush you to the next sip but beware, this bottle will empty in a sitting if you aren’t very careful. We found ourselves topping off our pour more than once.

This is also a bottle has the potential to have your friends inviting themselves to “just a bit more”. My recommendation… be selfish with this one.  There are lots of bottles to share.  This one goes down under the bar, in back of the other bottles and out of site.