Secrets of the Warehouse: The Sweet Spots for Single Barrel Whiskey

Sure, single barrel whiskey may sound simple in theory—it’s drawn from just one barrel. But there’s more to it than that. What’s important isn't just the barrel, but where that barrel spends its years maturing. Not every spot in the warehouse is the same, and whisky makers frequently have their preferences. Whisky Advocate spoke to six master distillers from Kentucky and Tennessee to learn about their favorite locations for hunting up single barrels, and their answers show just how important it is. The differences in warehouse types—some are many stories high, others are just one tall story, some are made of brick, and others are crafted from steel— also become a factor in how temperature changes, sun exposure, and other elements impact the flavor profile of a single barrel whiskey.

BUFFALO TRACE
Frankfort, Kentucky

Warehouse type: Racked warehouses that are constructed of various materials (brick, steel, etc.) and temperature-controlled with steam (in the original warehouses) and radiant floor heating (in those built since 2018).

While master distiller Harlen Wheatley is hard-pressed to pick a single favorite warehouse, he points to Warehouse L as being among his preferred spots. “It produces some of the most consistent flavors from floor to floor,” he says. He’s also enjoyed watching the distillery’s bourbon progress in the newer warehouses.

FOUR ROSES
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

Warehouse type: Single-story rickhouses with no climate control.

Four Roses is one of the only Kentucky distilleries with single-story racked warehouses—meaning there’s less temperature differentiation across the various barrel locations. It varies by about 8 degrees from the top rack to the bottom. So for master distiller Brent Elliot, there’s not one particular favorite location; he prefers that there isn’t an added dimension of variability in barrel aging environments.

HEAVEN HILL
Bardstown, Kentucky

Warehouse type: Seven-story and single-story rickhouses constructed of various materials (brick, steel, etc.), with no temperature control.

“I spend a lot of time tasting out of the Bernheim warehouses next to the distillery, and those deliver an awesome taste profile, especially for older whiskeys,” says master distiller Conor O’Driscoll. He adds that there are early indications that the newer Cox’s Creek warehouses (completed in 2016) are delivering fantastic whiskeys, too.

JACK DANIEL
Lynchburg, Tennessee

Warehouse type: Multi-story rickhouses that are metal-clad and not climate-controlled.

According to master distiller Chris Fletcher, all of Jack Daniel’s single barrel whiskey comes from the top floor of any given barrel house (there are 92 warehouses in total). The oldest warehouses are some of his favorites, particularly those in the Coy Hill area that sits above the distillery. “There’s some magic in these older houses–a lot of people here also love some of our houses farther to the west that sit in more of an open field location, which get full sun exposure nearly all day, and the whiskey tends to be very dark and oak-forward,” says Fletcher.

JAMES B. BEAM
Clermont, Kentucky

Warehouse type: Multi-story rickhouses encased in metal and not climate controlled.

At Knob Creek, single barrels are stored in either 7-story or 9-story rickhouses, and master distiller Fred Noe chooses releases from the center floors of the warehouse. Thousands of sampling data points are used to select top-tier candidates for the single barrel program, and every sample taken is screened for analytical and sensory standards.

WOODFORD RESERVE
Versailles, Kentucky

Warehouse type: A wide variety of warehouses, some made from brick, some from limestone, and others from insulated concrete; they are all heat-cycled, with temperatures ranging between 60 and 85 degrees.

Woodford is an oddity among other Kentucky single barrels—its single barrel releases are actually crafted from two barrels so that customers can create their own flavor profile. Master distiller emeritus Chris Morris likes to include barrels from both lower and upper floors in his selections to show how the temperature extremes experienced during maturation create totally different flavor profiles from the same mashbill. “Lower floor barrels are more grain and spice-forward in their flavor presentation, while upper floor barrels are more wood and sweet-aromatic forward,” he explains.