Dried apricot | Peach | Pear | Vanilla custard | Honey | Sweet corn

Honey | Caramel | Nougat | Bread dough | Dried stone fruit | Medium oak

Brown butter | Cinnamon | Toasted oak | Light granola | Slight ramp up of spice near the end

Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon was launched in 2022 and spearheaded by master distiller Royce Neeley of Neeley Family Distillery, Nate Winegar and Matt Dankner of Denver’s 5280 Whiskey Society, and Jackie Zykan, the former master taster of Old Forester. Zykan became well known in the industry as the driving force behind Old Forester’s flavor profile and face for their marketing for many years.

The brand has two aptly named series of bourbons: Series One and Series Two. The former is distilled in-house, and the latter is distilled at MB Roland Distillery and features a high rye mashbill. Series One has seen more releases, and “Slow Fade” marks the first time the company has named a particular bourbon batch.

The bourbon opens with a pleasant fruit-filled aroma of dried apricot, peach, and pear before transitioning to vanilla custard, honey, and sweet corn. The aroma hints at what's to come, as the palate offers honey, caramel, nougat, and dried stone fruit. A notable bread dough note tends to be present in Hidden Barn bourbon as it is beginning to grow on me as the rest of their flavor profile continues to develop with each release. The finish offers browned butter, cinnamon, and toasted oak, which work quite well together.

Hidden Barn’s bourbon has an artisanal flair and has been developing nicely over the past few years. Their bourbons are shedding some of the overt graininess of earlier releases yet keeping just enough to be distinct and give their bourbon an authentic feel. Their overall flavor profile is also developing nicely and works to complement its grain element. Hidden Barn’s “Slow Fade” is an enjoyable sip that has me looking forward to what they have in store next.