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NEWBORN We all know that new barrels are becoming harder and harder to come by, and if you’re able to get them in the quantity and quality your business needs you’re in good shape. When new barrels are elusive, however, used barrels become a larger part of a distillery’s stock. With the availability of barrels that have aged everything from spirits to food, the opportunity
LEARNING TO CRAWL
for creativity is thriving. After all, a unique flavor is exactly what
One of the most common and beloved uses for a new barrel
each distillery hopes to find for its products, and the influence
is aging whiskey, which is exactly where our particular barrel
of the wood in a used barrel can help achieve that special
first enters the picture. At this point, let’s just call our little
something. Artisan Spirit wanted to explore the life of a single
barrel HCKC (for reasons explained a little later). Heaven Hill
barrel through several different owners, and a range of liquids,
Distilleries in Bardstown, KY put HCKC to work aging its Old
to find out how each benefited from what came before and
Heaven Hill brand bourbon for seven years, and as with most
discover what is yet to come.
bourbon barrels, the story doesn’t end there.
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