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: Seelbach’s

Release Date: February 2024

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SBC #85 Lost Lantern Kings County Distillery “Private Cask 1”

Classification: Straight Bourbon

Company: Lost Lantern

Distillery: Kings County Distillery

Age: 5 Years

Proof: 130.6

Mashbill: 80% New York Corn, 20% UK Malt

Yield: 40 Bottles

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SBC #86 Lost Lantern Kings County Distillery “Private Cask 2”

Classification: Straight Bourbon

Company: Lost Lantern

Distillery: Kings County Distillery

Age: 6 Years

Proof: 133.6

Mashbill: 80% New York Corn, 20% UK Malt

Yield: 40 Bottles

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BONUS SALE: Tom’s Foolery 9 Year

Classification: Straight Bourbon

Company: Lost Lantern

Distillery: Tom’s Foolery

Age: 8 Years (Actually 9 years at time of bottling)

Proof: 113.8

Mashbill: 52% Yellow Dent Corn, 20% Winter Rye, 68% 6-Row Malted Barley

Yield: 24 Bottles (Initial release sold out immediately, 24 bottles were held back for Breaking Bourbon’s Single Barrel Club)

Breaking Bourbon’s Review

This group of barrels is a unique trio that celebrates two of the country’s smaller distilleries that have each been distilling for well over a decade, with Kings County Distillery starting in 2010 and Tom’s Foolery starting in 2008. The Kings County Distillery barrels were selected specifically by us for our Single Barrel Club and represent some of the older single barrels the company has released. Tom’s Foolery is a bonus, as 24 bottles were held over from Lost Lantern’s Summer of Bourbon Collection release for our Single Barrel Club. You can read more about that barrel in our review.

To that end, we’ll focus more specifically on our privately selected barrels from Kings County Distillery as a result. Kings County Distillery is New York City’s oldest and largest whiskey distillery. They are located in a 120-year-old Paymaster Building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Co-owner and distiller Colin Spoelman cut his teeth distilling moonshine in his Brooklyn apartment before deciding to make it his fulltime job. Kings County Distillery notably uses Scottish copper pot stills and open fermentation to produce their whiskey. Their corn is from a local New York State farm, their barley for their bourbon is from England, and Scotland for their Peated Bourbon and Single Malt whiskey. Their whiskey is aged in 15-gallon barrels.

We’ve been fans of Kings County Distillery’s unapologetic high proof and bold flavor profile since the first time we experienced it years ago. You’ll notice the color of both of the bourbons we selected is incredibly dark, which is consistent across the brand. Both were 15 gallon barrels, which accounts for the small yield and drives their intense oak-forward flavor profiles. They both originate from the same flavor profile, which makes for a baseline of similarities. But their age difference is evident, which while sufficient, makes for a bolder 5 year old and a more refined 6 year old by comparison. While you wouldn’t guess it, the bolder barrel is lower proof.

The two barrels showcase Kings County Distillery’s quintessential barrel proof flavor profile, and at the same time provide an intriguing amount of contrast. We’re excited to share these with our Single Barrel Club, and hope you enjoy these unique barrels as much as we do!

Tasting Notes:

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SBC #85 Lost Lantern Kings County Distillery “Private Cask 1"

‍An unusually dark whiskey, deep mahogany in color. Bold, punchy scents waft from the glass. Fire singed oak, tobacco, cocoa, and dark chocolate with a touch of nougat. The sip really lights up on the palate, with a potent mix of caramel, leather, and all kinds of wood delivered with an intoxicating astringency. It’s unapologetic and unique. Sweet and spice come together with intensity as the flavors fade, making for a long, memorable sip whose intensity isn’t for the faint of heart. Step aside George T. Stagg.

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SBC #86 Lost Lantern Kings County Distillery “Private Cask 2"

‍An intensely dark whiskey, deep mahogany. The aroma has warm underpinnings, with a sweet-savory mix of raisin, maple syrup, and peppery toasted oak. The warm undertone continues into the palate, that starts with rich aged oak that gives way to a pleasant mix of caramel, toasted marshmallow, and graham cracker. Turning more savory in the finish, it brings a crescendo of heat at the start. The heat quickly turns into a baking spices mix, and sweet flavors fade in and out against the spice. It’s a bold whiskey, but at the same time finds a certain level of refinement.

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About Seelbach’s

For this pick, we partnered with spirits retailer Seelbach’s, which was founded by Blake Riber, also the creator of Bourbonr and the Bourbonr Facebook group. An online-only retailer with a twist, we interviewed Riber to discuss how he’s running his shop differently than everyone else. “Unlocking Craft Spirits” he calls it - seeking out up-and-coming craft distilleries and learning about their process and tasting through their products to find hidden gems.

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!