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.

Retailer Partner: Pascale’s Liquors

Classification: Straight Bourbon

Company: B.R. Distilling Company

Distillery: Sourced from O.Z. Tyler Distillery (Later renamed Green River Distilling Co.)

Age: 4 Years

Proof: 122.7

Mashbill: 70% Corn, 21% Rye, 9% Malted Barley

Yield: 204 Bottles

Release Date: October 2022

For this pick we partnered with a retailer who we have known for many years, as they are local to Breaking Bourbon HQ here in Syracuse, New York. Pascale’s Liquors, a very recognizable name locally, has been working diligently to extend their reach beyond the local market. The store owner and many of the staff are diehard bourbon fans like us, and they have a ton of experience making their own store picks. They also offer a wide range of bourbons and American whiskeys, which is continually expanding. We’re excited as this is our first barrel pick with Pascale’s Liquors as a partner, and we look forward to many more to follow.

This is also our first Blue Note barrel selection. We enjoy their standard 93 proof Juke Joint Whiskey, which we found to have an unusually viscous mouthfeel. To that end, we were even more excited to select a barrel to be released at barrel proof, which the company labels “Uncut” to distinguish between the lower proof product.

The particular barrel we selected had that same thick, viscous mouthfeel we noticed with their lower proof version, and surprisingly became even more viscous with just a few drops of water. Combined with a fairly traditional and immediately likable flavor profile, it was an easy choice and is going to be a crowd pleaser.

In addition to its viscous mouthfeel and likable flavor profile, there are a few unique aspects about this barrel worth highlighting.

First, it was distilled at O.Z. Tyler Distillery, which was later renamed Green River Distilling Co. This historic distillery located in Owensboro, Kentucky dates back to 1885, when J.W. McCulloch began making whiskey that included the slogan, “Green River - The Whiskey Without a Headache.” In 1918 a fire nearly destroyed every building, effectively putting it out of commission. It was rebuilt in 1936 by Kentucky Sour Mash Distilling Company, who went bankrupt as a result. Then from 1939 to 2007 it changed hands quite a bit, with the most recognizable owner, Charles Medley, owning the property from 1990 - 2007. Terressentia Corporation purchased it, renovated it, and in 2014 brought in Ron Call as master distiller under the O.Z. Tyler Distillery name, a master distiller with 40 years of experience at Jim Beam and Florida Caribbean Distillers. He would later pass the master distiller role to his son, Jacob Call, in 2016. Finally with the support of J.W. McCulloch’s great grandson, the company returned to its original name, Green River Distilling Co.

As if that mouthful of history wasn’t enough to generate some unique background for this barrel, it gets more interesting from there. Sadly in 2019, a thunderstorm caused one of the rickhouses at the distillery to collapse. As it turns out, this barrel was among the barrels that survived the collapsed warehouse. The barrels involved in the collapse were left exposed for approximately four months as they had to be safely assessed and cleaned up from the wreckage. Barrels were exposed directly to the elements as a result over the course of that time, which ran from June through October, as summer spilled into fall.

For the custom sticker, we really liked the idea of shedding some light on how the term “Juke Joint” originated, and ironically the fact that a juke joint may also be called a “barrelhouse.” "Juke Joint" is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African Americans in the southeastern United States. You can read more about the history of this term on Wikipedia.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Fruit | Caramel | Vanilla | Toffee | Creme brulee comes out after sitting in the glass | Cinnamon | Traditional

‍Palate: Caramel | Vanilla | Toffee | Has a nice base with even consistency & thick mouthfeel | Drinks lower than its proof

‍Finish: Caramel | Vanilla | Graham cracker | Keeps an even temperament with no blast of heat | Medium length

‍Addition of water makes the bourbon even more creamy - an unusually notable result that's very pleasant.

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!