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Please read and drink responsibly.
Breaking Bourbon Award Winning Single Barrel Club picks are selected by Breaking Bourbon, and whenever possible with the help of Patreon supporters. The bottles are made available to Patreon supporters first by pledge tier. If any bottles remain after all supporters have had an opportunity to purchase, they are made available to the public on a first come, first served basis. Each barrel is sponsored by a retailer partner, who sells the bottles directly to end purchasers.
SBC #115 McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon Barrel #1679 “The intensely flavorful one”
Classification: Bourbon
Company: McLaughlin Distillery
Distillery: McLaughlin Distillery
Age: 5 Years
Proof: 117.56
Mashbill: 100% Corn
Yield: 10 Bottles
Release Date: February 2026
SBC #116 McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon Barrel #1680 “The dark-fruit-forward one”
Classification: Bourbon
Company: McLaughlin Distillery
Distillery: McLaughlin Distillery
Age: 5 Years
Proof: 118.32
Mashbill: 100% Corn
Yield: 10 Bottles
Release Date: February 2026
SBC #117 McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon Barrel #1681 “The quintessential ‘McLaughlin Baby Barrel’ one”
Classification: Bourbon
Company: McLaughlin Distillery
Distillery: McLaughlin Distillery
Age: 5 Years
Proof: 119.2
Mashbill: 100% Corn
Yield: 10 Bottles
Release Date: February 2026
Rollout Schedule
Tier 1 - Thursday 2/19/2026 @ 10AM ET
Tier 2 - Thursday 2/19/2026 @ 2PM ET
Tier 3 - Friday 2/20/2026 @ 10AM ET
Tier 4 - Friday 2/20/2026 @ 2PM ET
McLaughlin Distillery is a small distillery located in Sewickley, PA, which is just outside Pittsburgh.
In 2025 we tasted and reviewed some of their products for the first time. The distillery is as hands-on as a distillery can get, with a small crew of staff that’s more like a family. Kim McLaughlin is involved at every step of the way and pretty much lives at the distillery, going so far as to have originally constructed the barrels they used (they buy them now) and building custom distillery equipment. They only use small barrels, with approximate inventory being 2.5-gallon (~500 barrels), 5-gallon (~600 barrels), 10-gallon (~1,500 barrels), 15-gallon (<100 barrels), and one 30-gallon barrel.
Their Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon really surprised us with how good and how unique it is, and ultimately made our Best Bourbons of 2025 list. Made from a 100% corn mashbill and aged in 2.5-gallon barrels, the yield is incredibly small at only 8-10 bottles after 5 years of aging. We spent some time getting to know the distillery in conversations with company founder Kim McLaughlin over the phone, and then later in October visited the distillery to check out their operation and select a few of these “baby” barrels for our club.
Put simply, these are barrels unlike anything else you might have tasted in the best kind of way.
SBC #115 McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon Barrel #1679 “The intensely flavorful one”
Proof 117.56
N: Dark chocolate, black pepper, apple cider
P: Gripping intensity, brown sugar, spike of black pepper, hint of dark chocolate, dense oak
F: Sandalwood, dry cinnamon, dark chocolate, leather, balance of sweet and savory
Intensely flavored with a good balance of sweet and savory along with hints of chocolate and dense oak.
SBC #116 McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon Barrel #1680 “The dark-fruit-forward one”
Proof 118.32
N: Dark fruit, concord grape, blackberry cobbler, hint of pine
P: Concord grape, brown sugar, pie crust, graham cracker
F: Brown sugar, espresso, allspice, baking spices, chocolate malt balls
Good mix of dark fruit, sweet flavors, and spice.
SBC #117 McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon Barrel #1681 “The quintessential ‘McLaughlin Baby Barrel’ one”
Proof 119.2
N: Caramel, churro, allspice
P: Corn syrup, brown sugar, caramel, dense oak
F: Light black pepper, allspice, burnt brown sugar
Centers on brown sugar, caramel, and dense oak notes with a lingering burnt brown sugar note.
Distillers, Producers, and Retailers: If you would like to be a part of this program and get your name in front of millions of bourbon enthusiasts, contact us.
Please note these bottles will not be sold by Breaking Bourbon, but will be sold by retailers we partner with in order to fulfill the orders and ship the bottles directly to Patreon supporters. Breaking Bourbon will receive no compensation from our partner retailers under these agreements (with the exception of a bottle from each barrel for editorial purposes). If you represent a retailer and ship to consumers and you’re interested in partnering just let us know!
