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

Classification: Straight Bourbon

Company: CJS Beverage Corp.

Distillery: MGP Ingredients, Inc.

Age: 9 Years

Proof: 113.4

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 20.5% Rye, 4.5% Malted Barley

Yield: 167 Bottles

Release Date: October 2024

Like our Pinhook Rye Vertical Series club picks, we’re lucky enough to be one of only a handful of groups who will be able to follow this series from start to finish by picking a new barrel in the series over 8 years. Now in its 5th year and clocking in at 9 years old, these Pinhook vertical barrels are getting older and more flavorful.

We’ve tasted a lot of MGP barrels, and based on our experience the barrels Pinhook set aside for their single barrel select are in the upper tier. Our pick for this round, barrel number 2683, yielded 167 bottles and clocks in at 113.4 proof. It’s a decadent pour that’s defined by rich caramel that weaves its way throughout the sip. The nose features additional sweets; butterscotch, brown sugar, and vanilla cream, along with a subtle stone fruit note. Bakery flavors define the palate, with pie crust and toasted graham cracker accented charred oak and a consistent caramel underpinning. The body is creamy, heavy even. As it draws to a close, baking spices and white pepper combine against burnt brown sugar and caramel. Cigar box and leather develop on the backend, which add a layer to the bourbon’s long, flavorful finish.

In typical fashion, we went all out with our Single Barrel Club sticker for this special set of releases. With each Pinhook release featuring a different horse, we ran with that idea and created an 8-part sticker series that, when combined, creates a beautiful panoramic picture of galloping horses. We’re really excited about this latest single barrel release and we hope you will be too.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Butterscotch | Caramel | Brown sugar | Vanilla cream | Stone fruit

Palate: Pie Crust | Toasted graham cracker | Caramel | Charred oak | Rich, creamy mouthfeel

Finish: Baking spices | White pepper | Burnt brown sugar | Caramel | Leather | Cigar box | Flavorful with lingering spice

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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!