BARDSTOWN, Ky. (November2020) – Grain & Barrel Spirits has introduced Chicken Cock Master Distiller’s Pick, a 15-year-old limited-edition Barrel Proof release, just in time for the holiday season. For this special expression, Master Distiller Gregg Snyder handpicked 10 of the brand’s best and oldest barrels, sampling them periodically during the finishing process to evaluate the spectacular transformation. He determined that the flavor combinations reached their peak in the barrel at 114-proof (57% ABV).

Featuring a mash bill of 78.5% corn, 13% rye and 8.5% malted barley, this expression was non-chill filtered and bottled in an original pre-prohibition Chicken Cock replica glass bottle, which includes a metal over cap. Only 1,350 bottles of this Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey are available, which bourbon aficionados can find online or at fine establishments throughout Kentucky. The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $300.00.

“This powerhouse 15-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, which we bottled at barrel proof, displays an amazing array of complex flavors,” said Snyder. “It was well worth the wait.”

Tasting Notes:

·       Appearance: beautiful, rich, deep dark auburn with long, slow legs in the glass

·       Aroma: wonderful aromas of toasted oak, dark chocolate covered cherries, spice and slight citrus, with a hint of leather

·       Taste: exquisite and complex sweet caramel, vanilla bean, butterscotch, dried dark fruit(figs/raisins), and pleasant bittersweet chocolate flavors on the palate

·       Finish: long and delightful with hints of honey, pepper and cinnamon, complimented by soft oak lactones with just the right amount of dryness to enhance the sweet elements, all contained within a firm barrel proof “Kentucky hug” all the way down.

Established in 1856 in Paris, Kentucky, Chicken Cock rose to fame as the house whiskey at The Cotton Club, one of Prohibition’s most legendary speakeasies. Known as “The Famous Old Brand” and “The Whiskey in a Tin Can, ”Chicken Cock was smuggled into the Club in sealed tin cans, then ceremoniously opened table-side. After Prohibition, the brand enjoyed a resurgent couple of decades before a distillery fire just after World War II put it out of business. In 2012, Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits, rediscovered the brand and set out to resurrect it to its Prohibition-era glory. Master Distiller Gregg Snyder was enlisted to provide the knowledge and experience needed to help achieve that goal.

Snyder’s résumé includes distilling, cooperage, and executive positions with Brown-Forman, Austin Nichols, as well as board positions with the Associated Cooperage Industries of America, Kentucky Distillers’ Association, and others.


‍About Grain & Barrel Spirits

Founded in 2012 by Matti Anttila, Grain& Barrel Spirits is an award-winning craft spirits company at home in the Southeast with production and sales partners around the world. The company has been named to the Inc.5000 list for the past two years, coming in within the top 25% of America’s fastest-growing, independently owned businesses. In addition to pre-Prohibition favorite Chicken Cock Whiskey, wholly owned brands include Dixie Southern Vodka, the largest premium craft vodka produced in the Southeast, and The Endless Summer Spirits Company. Please visit https://www.chickencockwhiskey.com and follow on Instagram and Facebook @chickencockwhiskey

Chicken Cock Whiskey is also proud to be associated with the Bardstown Bourbon Company’s collaborative distiller’s program.