Hidden Barn, a bourbon brand launched in 2022, is releasing a seven-year-old double-barreled bourbon on 7/7 (July 7th). The brand has been acquired by Royce Neeley from the Neeley Family Distillery, and continues to be created in partnership with Master Blender Jackie Zykan. This acquisition elevates the brand from its inception as an NDP (non-distiller producer) into having a brick-and-mortar home. The first release for Hidden Barn under the Neeley family of brands is a seven-year-old expression, aged five years in 24-month open-air seasoned barrels, and then barreled in new charred French oak barrels for an additional two years.
“We’re excited to continue partnering with Jackie on Hidden Barn, and to release what is ironically, her seventh blend of Hidden Barn Bourbon. Jackie has access to all my inventory for her blending,” said Royce Neeley, Master Distiller and owner of Neeley Family Distillery. “Basically, I’ve given her the keys to the warehouse, and we can expect to see more one-of-a-kind releases in the future now that she’s got thousands of barrels to play with.”
The Hidden Barn Seven-Year-Old Bourbon has already snagged a gold medal with a score of 91 at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The release is a blend of five barrels distilled at Neeley Family Distillery with a mash bill of 70 percent corn, 20 percent rye and 10 percent malted barley. Like all Neeley Family Distillery distillates, this bourbon was double pot distilled after fermenting with wild-crafted Appalachian yeast, a practice of the Neeley Family dating back generations. The unique process also includes utilizing sweet mash as well as open cypress fermentation tanks to achieve products with rustic depth and dimension.
Through Jackie’s meticulous blending process, which starts with sampling from the multiple barrels available to her at the Neeley Distillery in Northern Kentucky, blends are constructed to represent harmony amid what seems unlimited diversity in profiles. For this particular blend, Jackie utilized just five barrels to achieve the final profile. “It’s actually more difficult to create a blend with fewer barrels than one might think,” Zykan noted. “People think starting with a smaller base is easier, since there are less flavor components in play, but it’s actually harder. With big batches, it’s easier to achieve consistency and camouflage outlying components. But with a smaller batch, such as this with only five barrels, everything has to be intentionally incorporated because any disconnect will show up immediately.” This speaks to Jackie’s approach to blending, (and life), which is a focus on balance, structure and celebrating unique nuances.
With that in mind, Jackie notes the Hidden Barn Seven-Year-Old Bourbon has a gorgeous bouquet of overripe blackberry and red currant, coupled with crème brulee and a hint of spearmint. Rich and full bodied on the palate, with a semi-dry rounded finish, coupled with toasted allspice, banana bread, and black pepper. This whiskey was not chill filtered before bottling, and is bottled at cask strength, 109.4 proof. Suggested retail pricing for the Hidden Barn Seven-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is $79.99. It will be released on July 7th at Neeley Family Distillery and will also be available online and at retail in Kentucky, Indiana, New York, California, Georgia, Colorado and New Mexico.
