Bespoke Retailer Single Barrels

Around 2007, liquor store owner Ryan Maloney had a Pappy Van Winkle problem: He had too much of it. “We did TV commercials showing off our single barrel picks, including a handpicked 15 year Pappy,” Maloney recounts. “It would just sit in our store, gathering dust.”

Maloney’s store, Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, Massachusetts, was among the first in the nation to work with Sazerac, producer of Pappy Van Winkle, on a single barrel program, and was subsequently offered barrels of 12, 15, 20 and 23 year old Van Winkle. “I wasn’t thrilled with the 20 or 23—too much wood spice for me,” Maloney says. “They were higher priced, too; I think the 15 was about $65 and even that was expensive for bourbon then.”

Today, those apex bottles would be gone within minutes, just like some of the more than 60 barrel picks now sold by Maloney each year. When bourbon sales began to explode after 2010, demand for these limited releases superseded that of small batch blends—whether an allocated unicorn like Pappy or a bottle from a single barrel of Four Roses. While individual bottle prices are relative, secondary demand and manufacturer’s suggested retail price markups by retailers can be astronomical for many single barrels.

For the uninitiated, bourbon has historically been about homogeneity and consistency; quality controls for all the big distillers demand that the flavor remains consistent year after year. This is achieved through blending hundreds of individual barrels together. But what if one of those barrels was made available to retailers, for them to sell exclusively? That’s exactly what Sazerac executives were thinking way back then.

With retailer barrel picks, the aim for the store owners is to select something that recalls the brand but doesn’t taste exactly the same as the core product. Credit the variations in flavor to rickhouse location, as barrels stored up high tend to age at a more rapid rate than those on lower floors.

“I just did a Russell’s Reserve pick and got samples from three different rickhouses,” says Shawn Kim, owner of 120 West 58th Street Wine and Liquor in New York City. “They were drastically different—one had a minty taste that I wasn’t into. But one was all Wild Turkey—big spice and cinnamon with a sweet and chocolaty finish. Crazy for a Russell’s Reserve.”

Other sought-after single barrel traits are higher proof and quality for the money. But sometimes it’s just a feeling. “I look for a vibe,” says Neet Singh, manager of Bansum Wine and Liquor in Patchogue, New York, which offers 10 single barrels per year. “For summertime, you want an Old Elk wheated cask strength with a lot of honey and a lot of vanilla. If you’re looking for something super-hot, I’d suggest a single barrel Blue Note, which is 124.1 proof. It’s got heavy char, and a ton of spice and caramel. It makes a killer Manhattan.”

As for making the actual selection, most retailers love visiting the distillery, though samples can also be mailed. “I’ve picked amazing barrels remotely, but I like there to be…little travel between the sample and my mouth,” says Rob Bralow, general manager of Blue Streak Wines and Spirits in Long Island City. “If that sample was shipped during the summer, did the box sit in the sun or a hot truck for a few days? That will affect the flavor.” Kim echoes that sentiment, noting the oxygen that mingles with the sample makes it a different taste experience from standing in the rickhouse and trying it straight from a whisky thief.

With such current high demand for these barrels, and with suppliers’ warehouses emptied from the 2020 pandemic due to supply chain and logistics issues, the waiting period between selecting a barrel and receiving bottles can be as long as six months. “There’s nothing more frustrating than tasting something in Kentucky and loving it, and then by the time it arrives here, it’s a different whiskey,” Bralow says. “It’s aging in the barrel for another two or three months before getting dumped and bottled, then it sits in boxes for another few months and the flavor is worse. That happened to me with a highly-allocated brand this year. I tasted it and went back to my notes because I couldn’t believe I selected this barrel.” He still sold it, and it still moved fast.

While strong demand offers challenges, it also offers big sales. Single barrels from well-known brands like Four Roses, Old Forester, and Russell’s Reserve tend to fly off the shelves. Kim recently moved 192 bottles of Four Roses in five minutes; Maloney sold an entire Four Roses barrel in a mere two minutes on his store’s app. “Tater” stickers, or fun graphics affixed to the bottle by the retailer that aren’t technically legal by the Tax and Trade Bureau, help add to the exclusivity and drive hype, and thus sales.

“When everyone was getting $1,200 pandemic stimulus checks, I put a “South Park” sticker on a bottle of OVSF 9 year, 11 month Four Roses,” recalls Singh. “It was from the episode where the characters invested and it was immediately gone, so I called this Stimulus Bourbon.” Like its namesake, the barrel sold through in two days.

“We have a local firefighter who does our art,” says Jennifer Andersen, vice president and COO of Plaza Package in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Andersen and two female co-workers helm the store’s impressive program of 25 barrels a year, taking charge from barrel selection right down to stickering. With riffs on vintage comic book covers, Andersen’s bottles are aesthetic standouts as much as they are palate pleasers. “The art’s fun, but I’d like to be known for picking great whiskey—which I think we do.”

But Andersen found it increasingly difficult to get the barrels she once got—Weller Full Proofs, Elmer T. Lee single barrels, and Blanton’s—so she pivoted to smaller, up-and-coming distilleries like Kings County, Lucky Seven, Widow Jane, and Pinhook. “Alice [Peterson, CEO of Pinhook] is wonderful,” Andersen gushes. “She’s from nearby, and came down to do an 80-person dinner with us, where everyone got a bottle along with the meal. Everyone loved the experience.”

Like many of the retailers interviewed for this piece, Andersen likes to put liquid on the lips of prospective customers, particularly for the emerging brands. “We have a cabinet of everything we have [on the shelves] open [for sampling],” she says. “They’re not cheap, and people want to be sure before diving into a new brand.”

Andersen likes to share the backstory behind the trio of women pickers, particularly when it’s a bottle like The Ladies’ Choice, a single barrel from Old Forester. “Jackie [Zykan, Old Forester’s former master taster] worked with us on the samples, and we picked a great one. Still, some people seem turned off by it, because they think women choosing bourbon isn’t normal. Most people are impressed and love it,” she says.

Andersen’s not the only one turning to newer distilleries. Many retailers express frustration at the regulatory system’s lack of efficiency in helping to secure barrels that once were easy to get. “In New York, it’s very hard to work with the state liquor authority,” says Bralow. “[They] required Four Roses to somehow fairly distribute barrels [in New York State], or not to do it at all.”

Four Roses decided to do the latter, and now it’s one barrel for the entire state, selected and divvied up by the distributor. “After supporting the brand for so long, I’ll get three bottles this year,” Singh sighs. “It’s not the brand’s fault—other store owners couldn’t get barrels [of Four Roses, so they complained to the liquor authority] and ruined it for everyone.”

With increasingly limited options, retailers are becoming even more selective. “It’s all about my name on the bottle,” Kim says. “If I can’t stand by it, I won’t pick it. I rejected six Angel’s Envy barrels, which I know would sell out in days. They just didn’t taste as good to me.”

“We refuse more barrels than we sell,” says Maloney. “About 150 or so barrels a year don’t make the cut. It’s more of an economic thing, with the state of the economy and where your price point is going to be. Are people going to jump at 5 year old $100 bottles of something with a tater sticker rather than looking at something from quality distillers who do it right?” (Maloney cites Wilderness Trail, Old Elk, and Willett among the latter.)

Ask Maloney whether the single barrel market is oversaturated, and his pregnant pause is telling. “It’s getting there,” he finally says. When asked how to buy wisely in that case, his answer is swift: “What’s important is to trust the palate of who’s picking that barrel. You’ll always align better with some palates than others. Just be cognizant of who’s picking the barrel, and make sure it’s better than what’s normally offered, in your opinion.”

Maloney also encourages searching for barrels sourced from non-distiller producers, the independent guys bottling from MGP and others—like Penelope or Copper and Cask—“From Copper and Cask, we got a 15 year old Canadian whisky that was finished in a cognac cask that previously held Sagamore rye. That final product was incredible,” Maloney says, noting many of those picks are now sold under the Loch & K(e)y Society moniker he established in 2008 with picking partner Randall Bird.

The more stellar the pick, the faster it seems to end up on a secondary board. “That’s a thorn in everyone’s side,” Andersen admits, noting she sees her Eagle Rare picks floating on secondary markets in Ohio for double her retail price. Instead of raising it, “We keep it at the suggested retail price. I’d rather create customer loyalty and get people excited by trying new things.”

“I want people to drink, not flip,” says Bralow. “I limit the number of bottles per person, and I price it just below secondary, which makes me cringe.” Kim is more blunt. “When I see my Four Roses with an Al Young sticker on secondary for $500—a bottle I sold for just over $100—I’m flattered but pissed. A drinker couldn’t get it because of some flippers.”

As for the future of retailer barrel picks, expect to see age statements diminish due to depleting older rickhouse inventory. For Buffalo Trace, that may not be a bad thing. “Elmer T. Lee told me one time their sweet spot is between 8 and 10 years, and that you have to be careful with older barrels,” recalls Maloney. “And he was right. We stuck to those ranges for that reason.”

Another potential option is something called micro-batching, in which two barrels are selected and dumped together for the smallest of blends. “We asked Buffalo Trace to do that with two Weller Full Proofs; they were surprised but agreed. The result was insanely good,” says Maloney. “We called it Batch it Crazy.” Consumers went wild when they learned how it was created. “We sold out instantly, and I’m still getting calls asking for it, one year later.” Maloney’s since repeated his micro-batching with Old Elk and Wilderness Trail.

And expect fewer options from the names you know and love, because of inventory issues caused by the growing interest in bourbon. “A single barrel program was a partnership program between distiller and retailer,” surmises Maloney. “These are supposed to move products for the distiller. Once that product starts moving, the first thing that goes is the single barrel program.” As Heaven Hill expanded into new markets, they needed more barrels to support the main products, so the Larceny barrel program stopped, likewise with Smoke Wagon’s private barrel program.

“Distillers may still offer the same number of single barrels too,” says Maloney, “but as more markets demand them, those will be spread across the country more, so you may get less offerings in your area.”

Best Sellers

Wondering what single barrels sell the best? Unique flavors, choice warehouse locations, and interesting names created from tastings all make the list. Here, retailers break down their top-selling barrels and share a little backstory behind each pick.

Shawn Kim
120 West 58th St. Wine and Liquor

Four Roses OESK

“This is their most popular recipe and I loved my pick. It was 119 proof, 9.5 years old; just delicious. We put an Al Young sticker on there, but also Mandy [Vance, the head of their private barrel program]. Everyone loved it.”

Eagle Rare Batman 1 and 2

“I did two Eagle Rare picks, both were 12 years old instead of the usual 10. I stickered them with Batman Lego logos, and they sold out instantly. I later heard from an insider at Buffalo Trace that these barrels would’ve aged into George T. Stagg.”

Rob Bralow
Blue Streak Wines

Old Forester Barrel Proof

“This was a great whiskey, from the top of the warehouse...It really went through some stress, but it’s delicious. It’s got many of the classic bananas Foster flavors. All 180 bottles sold in eight minutes.”

Buffalo Trace

“Buffalo Trace isn’t as mass [market] as you’d think, at least in New York, where we get one case a month for retail. We called this one Child Llama and it was from warehouse O, floor 4, rick 25.”

Jennifer Andersen
Plaza Package

Russell’s Reserve Barrel Proof

“We’ve got about five barrels in the state and we got one and it’s excellent. It’s about 9 years old, with a really nice cigar tobacco situation going on. It’s really well balanced. Our customers love it.”

Widow Jane Lucky 13

“I’m always looking for a perfect balance of nose, palate, and finish and this barrel knocked that out of the park—it’s outstanding. Also, it was the last of the Lucky 13 single barrels; they’re now blending five barrels and releasing on allocation, so we got lucky. This sold out very fast.”

Neet Singh
Bansum Wine and Liquor

Russell’s Reserve, Corona Virus Vaccine, Dose 1

“I love Russell’s Reserve. It’s got a flavor profile on par with the old Wild Turkey dusties. Dose 1 is a little hotter, at 110 proof, but it’s delicious. We used Dexter’s Laboratory art on the bottle. And this was our ‘medicine’ to help get us through COVID. I also picked a Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, labeled it Dose 2, and sold them in pairs.”

Knob Creek 14 year old First Born

“I called it First Born because it’s the first single barrel pick I did. It was one of the best tasting, coincidentally; a 120-proof bourbon, but it went down super smooth. Customers would try it and I’d mention the proof after and they would be shocked. It had great oak, cherry, and caramel notes.”

Ryan Maloney
Julio’s Liquors

Four Roses Fly Boy

“A fly landed on the tasting glass when we were picking, inhaled, and fell into the whiskey. We ended up picking that whiskey from seven or eight barrels, and we just had to keep that name. It sold very well.”

Copper and Cask Black is My Soul

“We like to name our picks because we never remember them otherwise. This one was sourced from MGP and had been re-barreled. The whiskey itself was extremely dark, but it tasted great. Many people were turned off due to the color, but it sold out immediately. It was about 6 years old and over 110 proof. What a great surprise it was!”