Castle & Cairn

Barton 1792 out of Bardstown, KY is part of the Sazerac family of businesses which also includes Buffalo Trace. 1792 is their current flagship brand which also comes in Full Proof, Cask Finish, and Sweet wheat iterations. Full Proof has been almost impossible to find since Jim Murray named it his 2020 World Whiskey of the year, but I have started to see it somewhat regularly and demand seems to have fallen enough that big players like Costco are able to get in on the action, moving some single barrels at lower than SRP. Costco has a very strong relationship with Barton as the latter bottles the white label Kirkland Small Batch , Bottled-in-Bond , and very elusive Single Barrel. As opposed to store picks, a single barrel program of this magnitude likely required Costco to rely on the distiller to pick the barrels against a target profile, potentially sending a tasting team to workshop that target and then letting Barton replicate to similar casks in their barrel management system. ...

Produced by Sazerac's Barton 1792 distillery, Early Times Bottled-in-Bond (commonly referred to as "ET") is an enthusiast cult favorite that has morphed substantially over the last decade. A brand originally created in 1860 by John Henry "Jack Beam" (yes the uncle of Jim Beam), Early Times was acquired by Born-Foreman during Prohibition when it was sold as "medicinal whiskey", surviving the drought to become the best selling bourbon in the U.S. by 1953. Under pressure from the Vodka Boom, Brown-Foreman shifted to using refill cooperage in the 1980s to save cost, resulting in the brand losing its regulatory status as bourbon. BF re-introduced the bottled-in-bond edition in 2017 as a 75th-anniversary tribute to its peak, hoping to capitalize on the burgeoning bourbon boom. In 2020, Sazerac purchased the brand and production moved from DSP-KY-354 (Shively/Brown-Forman) to DSP-KY-12 (Barton 1792 in Bardstown Kentucky). You may see Early Times split betwe...

Distilled by Barton 1792 on behalf of Spirits Direct, Total Wine's private label brand,  Wolcott Rickhouse Reserve is an elevated proof iteration of the standard Wolcott bourbon. Barton does a huge number of other private bottlings while at the same time many of the 1792 branded iterations have become somewhat difficult to find. The most comparable bottles are likely 1792 Full Proof and Kirkland Single Barrel, both quite elusive these days and packing a handful of extra proof points. It is worth noting that the Wolcott brand has changed producers over the years from Buffalo Trace to Barton 1792 in 2022. Both distilleries are owned by Sazerac, so it is unlikely that the mash bill has changed though the equipment itself can impact the flavor and aging conditions in the rickhouse will differ as well. The Barton editions have their lineage marked clearly on the front label if you have any question and this particular richouse reserve iteration was introduced after the distillery switc...

Known formerly by the name "1792 Ridgemont Reserve", 1792 Small Batch Bourbon is produced by Barton 1792 and is the entry point to the 1792 brand, being a slight step up from their Very Old Barton (VOB) product line.  The namesake is the year that Kentucky became a state. The 1792 lineup is filled out by Full proof, Bottled-in-Bond, Sweet wheat, High Rye, Port Finish and "Aged 12 Years". Most of the higher proof 1792 offerings were hunted to extinction during the and after COVID, but I am seeing them with some regularity now. Barton, owned by Sazerac, is known to make the Kirkland and Wolcott series of store label whiskies which taste and feel very much like 1792. While big Sazerac has been fixated on Buffalo Trace expansion, Barton feels relatively neglected though supposedly they are aligning some of their production processes with their much awarded sister brand.  🛒 Sourced: Commonly $29.99 for 750ml A gift from my brother's Girlfriend, thanks for contribut...

Distilled by Barton 1792 on behalf of Total Wine, Wolcott Bottled-in-Bond is a cousin of Costco's Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond and the bonded version of 1792. Barton does a huge number of other private bottlings while at the same time many of the 1792 branded iterations have become difficult to find. It is worth noting that the Wolcott brand has changed producers over the years. The version that won double gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2022 was produced by Buffalo Trace. There are still a few of those floating around, so it's definitely worth checking the label for collectability (thankfully these Barton bottles have it emblazoned in big letters on the front). Both distilleries are owned by Sazerac, so it is unlikely that the mash bill has changed though the equipment itself can impact the flavor. 🛒 Sourced:  $36.99 on sale, normally $39.99 - Total Wine, GA 750ml - Note that this is roughly 2x the price of Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond (1L bottle) and about $1...

This might be the Michael Phelps of Bourbon.  Eagle Rare  has won the double gold metal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition five times (and was the first bourbon ever to do so). It can be found (sometimes and if you're lucky), in 10-year, 17-year, and Double Eagle Very Rare editions. 📚 Background: Originally introduced in 1975 as a 101 proof 10-year bourbon by Seagram's, Eagle Rare was an early foray into single barrel bourbons and was designed to compete directly with Wild Turkey 101. Eventually it lost the single-barrel designation, but is alleged to still be a relatively "small batch" or "select barrels" product. Along with a number of other brands, it floated from Seagram's to Old Prentice to Sazerac where it remains today, produced by Buffalo Trace. Interestingly enough, when Sazerac bought Benchmark and Eagle Rare in 1989, they didn't have their own distillery yet, so the two brands were temporarily contract produced by Heaven Hill ...

  📚 Background:   Distilled and Bottled by Barton 1792 in Bardstown, this Bonded iteration joins Kirkland Small Batch and Single Barrel as annual attempts to capitalize on the bourbon furor of the last few years. Small batch usually arrives in the June-July timeframe with Bonded and Single Barrel following over the ensuing months. It features an attempt at a crafted aesthetic with the askew proof label and bottled-in-bond traditional green ribbon seal. Not much other information on these bottles is available. Try as I might, I couldn't find any additional color from Barton officially. 1792 heavily markets their Bourbon as a cocktail component, and the typically spicy notes do help them stand out. I've linked their cocktail and style guide here:  1972 Bourbon Cocktail & Style Guide . 🛒 Sourced:  $24.79 Costco - Atlanta, GA for a 1L bottle. 750ml price would be $18.72 (around the same unit price as Mellow Corn or Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond). My Costc...

Costco's liquor store is a thing of beauty. While not every Kirkland edition is a hit, there are enough standouts on a fun per dollar ratio to always merit a look. Almost all of the house brands are less than $30, and I'm always excited to take a long shot when the new seasonal releases come around.  📚 Background: Distilled by Barton 1792 in Bardstown Kentucky, Kirkland Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey hits the shelves a few times a year. Mine was from batch 1124. The bottle presentation is supposed to evoke the same feel as other small batch whiskeys and there is a decorative purity seal that is reminiscent of the ever reliable bottled in bond green filigree, albeit in a meaningless red. Unlike its bonded brethren, this edition comes in under 100 proof and does not have any age statement. There's not a whole lot of additional information provided by Costco or the distiller, but we can reasonably assume that it shares a similar pedigree as the entry level 1792...

Namesake of the most coveted large distillery in the US, the Flagship Buffalo Trace Bourbon is elusive in many parts of the country. The last time I had been able to find a bottle was before COVID until today! Let's see how it holds up vs. my memory. 📚 Background :  Buffalo Trace flagship is made from the famous Mash Bill #1 and is in good company with other highly sought after barrels such as Stagg, EH Taylor, and Eagle Rare. They have produced this flagship whiskey since 1999. You can find single barrel store pick editions, though expect to pay a good deal more for those. They've just completed a  $1.2 billion expansion  of their production operations and pushed a new still into operation in 2023, a one for one duplicate of the existing model. Whiskey takes time, so we likely won't see that production's impacts until 2030 or later.   🛒 Sourced:   $26.99 at Costco, GA - 750ml - starting to see these popping up every few weeks in two case batches, though...