Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. recently reintroduced its core lineup of now exclusively Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye whiskeys, which are distilled by third-generation Master Distiller Jacob Call at the Owensboro Distilling Co.
While most whiskey is aged in barrels and then bottled, Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. Founder and CEO Seth Benhaim believed that there was a missed opportunity in traditional barrel finishing. He created Broken Barrel to expand the barrel finishing concept, involving not only broken barrel staves, but also the combination of multiple barrel types all finishing aged bourbon in tandem.
“We always say that the truth is in the barrel,” said Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. Founder and CEO Seth Benhaim. “Contact with the oak gives whiskey its character and charisma and defines the final whiskey. It’s responsible for 80% of the flavor tasted in every sip, which is why we further age and finish our whiskeys using various combinations of barrel types.”
Once Broken Barrel ages for a minimum of two years, barrels are selected, dumped and batched in a large tank. The broken barrel staves from multiple kinds of casks are then added to further age and finish the whiskey. While most whiskey enthusiasts are familiar with a mash bill, or combination of grains used, Benhaim coined the term “oak bill”, to denote the combination of barrel staves from different types of barrels used in each expression, as listed on every bottle. Individually, these types of oak barrels are not typically used on 95% of all bourbon or rye whiskey produced, and rarely if ever are three types of oak used at the same time to finish any whiskey.
The Broken Barrel core portfolio includes:
- Small Batch ($35), an oak-forward 95-proof bourbon with a spicy finish. It includes a mash bill that is 70% Corn, 21% Rye and 9% Barley. It features an oak bill that is 40% Ex-Bourbon, 40% New French Oak and 20% Sherry Cask;
- California Oak ($35), an 88-proof bourbon finished in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from California’s Central Coast as the prominent oak finish. It includes a mash bill that is 70% Corn, 21% Rye and 9% Barley. It features an oak bill that is 80% California Cabernet Casks and 20% New French Oak.
- Heresy Rye ($35), a sherry-influenced, double-oaked 105-proof straight rye whiskey. It includes a mash bill that is 95% Rye and 5% Barley. It features an oak bill that is 40% Ex-Bourbon, 40% New French Oak and 20% Sherry Cask.
- Cask Strength ($45), a big115-proof bourbon. It includes a mash bill that is 70% Corn, 21% Rye and 9% Barley. It features an oak bill that is 40% Ex-Bourbon, 40% New French Oak and 20% Sherry Cask.
Broken Barrel regularly issues special releases which allows the team to further flex its creative muscles and incorporate barrel staves from various combinations of unique casks sourced from all over the world. They’re currently ramping up their Los Angeles whiskey warehouse by regularly collecting and breaking barrels, experimenting with aging and blending, and tasting and bottling new limited-release and single barrel projects.
Broken Barrel’s Small Batch, California Oak and Heresy Rye retails for $35, while its Cask Strength retails $45 in select retail locations within 33 US states.
