Ya Know Free Rangers,
There are a lot of guys buying and selling barrels of whiskey all over the country, and we’re fairly skeptical of the practice. I haven’t been shy with my outright contempt for many of them, with their shady sourcing, and unreasonable dollars per barrel year on the shelf (cough, cough, Barrell Bourbon, cough, cough), not to mention way too many releases with no order or focus at all (cough, cough, Bardstown Bourbon Co).
When the bourbon boom first hit, we realized just how many whiskey “producers” were doing exactly this and we figured, “If anybody is going to be buying barrels and slapping their branding on it, it’s gonna be us!” It was through this pursuit that we began seeking out the very best single barrels we could buy to be sold exclusively here at Free Range. And the timing was perfect, as we were lucky enough to purchase two barrels from Four Roses before they ended the practice- including a great day at the rickhouse with the legendary Al Young, from whom I learned more about whiskey tasting in a couple of hours than in all previous experience.
Mike Hinds and James Davenport (and Stella the dog!) at Nashville Barrel Co (besides being damned nice guys) are doing things in a much more deliberate manner, and I genuinely don’t understand how they gain access to some of the tastiest and rarest barrels in existence in such a crowded market, while keeping their pricing as reasonable as it gets in the game. Their combined experience, taste, and access amount to quite a bit more than average barrel merchants, and we are already looking forward to future projects with these fine fellas. The breadth of available whiskey (and tequila!) under their roof was so profound that difficult decisions had to be made just in which to taste. With the rate at which high proof spirits absorb through the tongue, one can ingest a full day’s allowance in shockingly few sips, even when not actually swallowing any.
What we tasted that windy day in Nashville was revelatory, and it was something of a struggle to commit only to two barrels: a beautiful balanced 5yr Tennessee Bourbon for the bargain hunters, and a deep and pensive 34yr Canadian Whiskey, clocking in at just over 150° (well into Hazmat territory), for those interested in the oldest and rarest. None of that is a typo. The 5yr has landed! The 34 year arrives Monday! And the sale page below offers these at the lowest price that will ever be, including a 3-pack with the best kept secret bottle in the NY whiskey scene right now. The Nashville guys may have signed an NDA, but we didn’t, and if you click through you will discover the true name of that revered hilltop distillery in Bardstown, just out of view of Heaven Hill’s hulking rickhouses. We absolutely couldn’t be prouder of our new picks (and the secret 133° W_____t bottles), and we look forward to sharing them with you. Click the link below for mashbill(s) and full sale details!
(!) Click here for Nashville Barrel Co x Free Range Sale (!)
Now, this week’s FREE in-store tasting is with one of our favorite small producers in New York, C. Cassis, straight out of Rhinebeck. These fine folks produce an absolutely delicious French Creme de Cassis style blackcurrant liqueur, as well as a barrel aged version, and a profoundly crushable Cassis Spritz in a can, as well as a super tiny proaction Cassette which uses some form of alchemy beyond my understanding to create the extremely limited Cassis Chamomile bubbly that plays like a drier, fresher, more herbal take on Lambrusco. It has to be tasted to be believed. So, please join us this Thursday, June 19th (5-7pm) for FREE tastes of these:
- Cassis CC Spritz Sparkling Blackcurrant Aperitif can
C. Cassis Cassette Chamomile 750ml bottle
C. Cassis Black Currant Liqueur 375ml
C. Cassis Barrel Aged Black Currant Liqueur 375ml
As always, all C. Cassis products are 10% off in-store on tasting day only!
And last but not least, of course the Summer Sale of Sales rolls on!
So many crazy deals on wine and whiskey, along with the occasional agave distillate, from $17 to $499 per bottle.
Check it out here:
(!) Click here for Sale of Sales (!)
Happy hunting,
Jack
Proprietor
Free Range Wine & Spirits
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