A retail account in California recently reviewed two of our Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey selections calling them “two of the best values out there for a truly cask-strength, hand-selected, single-cask bourbon.” Enjoy their notes on two recent single barrel picks below:
Coppercraft 9-year-old Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey #2833
Coppercraft Distillery is committed to producing the finest possible craft spirits on the market today. To that end, they distill, source, and blend only the very best. With an eye to the old French Cognac blenders, their goal is to create whiskey where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Their highly awarded portfolio is exemplified in the release of these single barrels, selected for their unique character and quality. K&L was lucky enough to score two barrels from these special stocks. Of course, we’re also happy that Coppercraft is able to keep our prices very reasonable—while many other old MGP’s sell for twice this price, we believe these are two of the best values out there for a truly cask-strength, hand-selected, single-cask bourbon.
There was a period years ago when every bottler had great old MGP ready to go. Maybe it wasn’t very cheap, but it was good juice and a single cask of 10- to 12-year-old bourbon didn’t seem all that big a deal. Now we rarely see stocks above six years old, and anything cask strength above that has become extremely expensive. Enter Coppercraft stage left. These guys have the stocks from their relationships built at Joseph Magnus, and their regular whisky is damn good and solidly affordable. When they offered single casks at such a reasonable price point, I was certain we’d be scraping the bottom of the barrel for good casks, but instead they presented a number of lovely barrels, from which we selected these two excellent casks. Cask #2833 is maybe the more classically MGP of the two, offering rich vanilla, sweet, cooked apple, slight cinnamon, hints of fresh herbs, and caramel. On the palate, it’s rich and chewy, offering more cocoa than the nose and less apple. Now we’ve got a big spicy mid-palate, which plays on the finish with a sweet dried plum or apricot character. This is great bourbon that’s starting to get pretty old and remains extremely well-priced compared to others on the market. If you’ve liked any MGP bourbon in the past and wonder what a few more years of aging would do to the already excellent distillate, now’s your chance to find out. Really fun stuff, and I think it’s a no-brainer buy for all MGP lovers and most bourbon nerds, as well.
Coppercraft 9-year-old Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey #2838
These exceptional barrels from the Coppercraft team were distilled at MGP in Lawrenceburg on November 7th, 2013. From their low-rye mash bill, which is still very high rye (75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malt), these barrels exemplify the potential this still underrated distillery possesses. Considering the quality, age, and price, they’re some of the most exciting new offerings on the market.
Cask #2383 was a bit more pungent and less classic than its sibling. The nose starts with lots of dark cocoa and roasted spice. Behind that, hints of red fruit and candied apple. With air we start to get more dill and sweet barrel, less vanilla than her sister. On the palate, it’s surprisingly lifted and fresh with a dark herbal character to balance. Slight hints of lemon oil and candied walnuts couple with a zesty spice. Another stellar barrel from Coppercraft, which will suit perhaps the more adventurous as compared to its more approachable and easy-drinking sister cask. Either way, these are two of the best values in the store and few single-barrel, cask-strength bourbons come close in terms of bang for your buck.
Interested in selecting a single barrel for your retail location? Contact your sales representative to choose.