Premium bourbon labels have been growing in popularity as part of a general rising interest in fine whiskey. At the forefront of that movement has been the single barrel bourbon. While the craft of bourbon-making is not quite as advanced as that of scotch-making, it is catching up quickly and the single barrel labels are leading the way. Single barrel bourbon whiskeys are uniquely American, and stand very well among the very best premium liquors in the world.
Identification
Single barrel bourbon is a special type of premium bourbon that is distinguished by the fact that it is not a blend. Even the other type of premium bourbon called small batch is a blended whiskey. Each bottle of single barrels, on the other hand, is drawn entirely from a single barrel. This is important, because blending is a technique that allows distillers to save barrels of their product that are just a little "off" by blending them out. This never happens with single .
Features
Aside from being drawn from a single barrel, a bottle of this kind of bourbon is generally similar to all other bourbon whiskeys. The standards for bourbon whiskey are set by law. These are that the alcohol must be made from a mixture that contains at least 51 percent corn; it cannot be distilled to higher than 160 proof; and it must be aged in new charred oak barrels for at least 2 years. Bourbon whiskey does not necessarily need to be made in Kentucky, although most of it is. The limestone groundwater of Kentucky lends quality to the taste of Kentucky-made bourbon, and this is not generally found elsewhere. But it is not legally required that bourbon whiskey necessarily come from the Bluegrass State.
Types
There are not as many single barrel labels on the market as there are of the small batch type, due to the greater difficulties involved in making a consistent unblended whiskey. Blanton's is widely considered to be the original single barrel bourbon label. Others include Rock Hill Farms and George T. Stagg.
History
Single barrel bourbons, like the small batches, were a response to the great success of premium single malt whiskey. Distillers saw that there was a market for a high-end product and began introducing specialty labels in the 1980s.
Expert Insight
Single barrel bourbons represent the high end of the premium bourbon market. As a general rule, unblended whiskeys always represent a leap in quality and individuality over their blended counterparts. Single barrels are typically aged longer (10 or more years as opposed to the 6 or more years that is more common with small batch bourbon), and the single barrel source represents a much stronger statement about the distilling craft. While single barrel distilling has not reached the same level of art as is to be found in scotch-making, it is the closest equivalent and bourbon, so a bottle of single barrel should be treated as part of your very top shelf of liquor.
Tags: single barrel, , barrel bourbons, Single barrel, small batch