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 Finished in Toasted Barrels

Company: New Holland Spirits

Distillery: New Holland Brewery Company

Age: 5 Years

Proof: 125.4

Mashbill: 70% Corn, 25% Malted Barley, 5% Rye

Yield: 204 Bottles

Release Date: December 2022

New Holland Brewing Company is located in Holland, Michigan. New Holland Spirits, known for their Dragon’s Milk Beer (along with many others) has slowly been building their whiskey portfolio over the last several years. This hand selected barrel marks their first ever single barrel selection of Dragon’s Milk Origin Bourbon!

The single barrel resembles their standard Origin Small Batch Bourbon, but is amplified by three key differences. First, it’s a specific single barrel, selected from a range of flavor profiles. Second, it was finished in a toasted barrel. And finally, it is bottled at barrel proof compared to Small Batch’s 95 proof.

We’ve been following the New Holland Spirits Dragon’s Milk line since their release of Bottled in Bond Bourbon in 2020. Origin Small Batch Bourbon followed in 2022, and with it a consistently unique flavor profile that isn’t like any other bourbons we’ve had. Distilled using a copper pot still, and with a high malted barley mashbill, bright fruit with complements of chocolate and spice.

Taken as a whole, the overall flavors from their bourbons created a memorable and lasting impact, so we were very interested in tasting single barrels as cask strength. The timing was right, and we were fortunate to lock in their first ever single barrel selection, which has been in the works for a while.

We started by narrowing down from a range of different whiskey types - single malt, rye, beer barrel bourbon, and Bottled in Bond, ultimately choosing their straight bourbon finished in a toasted barrel and bottled at barrel proof. From there, we selected from a range of options all coming in at around 5 years old and around 126 proof at the time of sampling. The flavor profiles ranged quite a bit, from more traditional bourbon notes to heavy floral and fruit notes. We decided on the barrel that struck the most balance, offering a more traditional bourbon base, but still highlighting those unique bright fruit notes and floral notes we have come to enjoy from New Holland’s distillate.

When it comes to discovering unique single barrels, this pick epitomizes that concept. The first ever from an un-and-coming distillery, an unusual mashbill, and distilled in an exceedingly less common copper pot still out of Michigan, this barrel really excites us. We hope you enjoy this rare find as much as we do!

For the sticker, we kept it simple and highlighted some of the things dragons are known for in movies and pop culture. If you choose to apply it to the bottle, you can do so without covering any of the official labels.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Creme brulee | Floral undertone | Apple | Baking spices | Caramel | Toasted oak

‍Palate: Rush of summer fruit | Peaches | Apricot | Pear | Toasted oak | Baking spices | Light mango | Delicious & unique

‍Finish: Tapering summer fruit | Baking spices | Light peppery oak | Brown sugar | Long


About Seelbach’s‍

For this pick, we partnered with 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!