Nashville Barrel Company single barrel release

Many of you have heard me say that the Bourbon world is a small community and I think that the backstory behind our upcoming single barrel really drives that point home.

Beginning 4 or 5 years ago, we started pulling out all the stops to get one of the most elusive single barrels in the game... a vaunted Willett purple top which we were after to help us celebrate our 80th anniversary. In one of many attempts to make the connection I asked Sean Josephs, owner of Pinhook and one of our favorite brands, if he had any connection that could help us to get the message to Drew Kulsveen (owner of Willett distillery) and perhaps get us what we were after.  It turns out that Sean did have a connection to Drew and what a fortunate connection it was. 

Sean’s friend Mike was also a good friend of Drew’s and in fact was having lunch with him when his phone rang. Ultimately that phone call ended up starting a series of steps that, in the end, helped us to obtain a very special 18 year single barrel from Willett…one of Harry’s all time picks and the signature barrel for our 80th anniversary! 

But that is not the end of the story...

It turns out that Sean's friend “Mike” was Mike Hinds, who himself was had a reputation as top single barrel buyer in the industry and even more interesting, Mike was in the process of launching his own company called "Nashville Barrel Company".

When we released that Willett 18yr barrel, we offered Mike a bottle as a thank you for his help. I knew I liked him from our very first conversation. He is all about charity and giving back. In fact, knowing that we were using this barrel to say thank you to people who had supported our past charitiable efforts, made a generous donation to Operation Hope as a "thank you" for the offer. So, as we were saying thank you to him for the help, he raised the bar again.

From there our subsequent conversations along with keeping a watchful eye on the brand, we determined that both he and his partner were known for their palates and his wider circle of friends is a great cross section of passionate whiskey guys. He works very hard, and he has a great mind for success.

It didn't take long before we knew that we wanted in!

Mike got us samples and has worked hard to get us a great single barrel. He has even agreed to get on a plane and head up to sign bottles for us as we introduce him to the northeast. So, here is where you come in…

On Thursday, June 16th from 5 pm – 7 pm, we will release our special Father’s Day single barrel from Nashville Barrel Company, the first Nashville single barrel in the State of Connecticut.  Mike will be at Harry’s to meet all of you, sign bottles and introduce his brand.

Following in the footsteps of Willett and Pinhook, we believe that Nashville Barrel Company is the “next big thing” in the whiskey world and our advice is to get your hands on a bottle while you still can.  This brand is absolutely electric and their following is blowing up.

Customers will be able to purchase on a first come first serve basis and if there are any bottles left after this unique event, we will offer them online to the people on this list and finally to the “Nashville Barrel Heads” on Facebook.

See below for tasting notes and pricing.

Cheers,

Patrick, Renzo, and the Harry’s crew

Nashville Single Barrel #1 Tasting Notes:

In the glass the first thing that strikes me is the deep amber color that pushes out almost to chestnut. The nose is mature beyond its 5+ years and has a balanced richness of molasses, candied ginger and dried apricot. It is deep and rich and dark. I can almost smell its viscosity. Really inviting and hints to what we have to look forward to. My nose is telling me that we want a rainy day to appreciate this fully and I take my first sip. I am rewarded. Black coffee and peppery spice jump forward and then give way to baked apple crumb. It is nicely balanced and nuanced with a very long finish that ends with a pop of cherry and a puff of smoke. At its age, I am really impressed with the complexity and maturity. $80.99btl