Among the hottest brands in the bourbon market is Old Forester. They’re well known for not only their standard offerings, like their signature, but also their higher end bottles like Old Forester 1910 ,Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength, and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. Over the course of the boom, Jackie Zykan made a name for herself as their master taster. Her palate is phenomenal amongst the scene, so it was somewhat surprising when she left her role at Old Forester to become a partner and master distiller at Neeley Farm Distillery. The result of their first effort is Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1, a whiskey that currently is leading a hype train with secondary values near double MSRP. So is it worth it?
Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1
Sight: Tawny – Auburn
Smell: Grain and malt top notes with a slightly fruity caramel thing going on to start. The spices join in, giving a baked cinnamon / nutmeg pastry vibe. Almond and honeyed baklava join, with a distinctly vanilla sort of element. That underlying maltiness carries though, giving a sugary breakfast cereal character.
Sip: Moderate to full bodied. Surprisingly smooth and even throughout. Flavors are quite dry, with the first impression being heavy oak, tobacco, leather, and hardwood. These subsided for the second sip, giving more grain notes, picking up malty breakfast cereal, carob, sugar-free caramel, and a hint of vanillin. The flavors feel raw, and slightly young. In the background, a fruity floral character keeps coming back – in line with an unripe peach and pear.
Savor: The ending is dry, with lots of bright, unripe stonefruit and a smattering of oak and spice. A slight bitterness pervades and the malt comes back. The linger is real, long, and leans heavily into the stone fruit / pear / grape direction.
If you told me this was an American single malt, I probably would react differently. However, as a straight bourbon, Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1 is on the unusual side of the malt and fruit spectrums. The flavors are simultaneously dark and light, but they don’t quite ever reach cohesion. The result is something that feels like it wants to be impressive, but can’t quite edit itself into fully formed thought. As a result, it shows potentially great flavors, but leaves you wanting more.
In Cocktails
In a Manhattan, Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1 is spicy, malty, chocolaty, and full of peach and pear notes. All of those things taken together with sweetness and a big oak hit, make for a very strange, and not quite right Manhattan. The vermouth almost seems to fight with the floral notes, and the bitters just feel aggressive.
In Review – Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1
At $75 a bottle, this one is definitely unusual. If Jackie Zykan’s goal was to lean into a more maybe malted whiskey direction, then she’s possibly heading toward success. As bourbon goes, I’m not sure I’d be reaching for this first. While some of the notes I’d expect are there (particularly in the nose), the palate is a little bit all over the place, and the finish is more fruity and floral than I’d expect. As an inaugural release, it isn’t boring, but I’m not sure I’d hunt it. Interested in seeing how Hidden Barn’s future evolves after their inaugural salvo.