Blue Run Spirits has unveiled its Spring release, the 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon. The whiskey recently won Best in Class and a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon launched as ten separate limited-edition bottlings from ten different barrels, each hand numbered to denote the proof, barrel number and bottling date, enticing whiskey sleuths to find the entire collection. Each bottle comes in a custom, handmade black lacquered wooden box.
The unveiling of Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon comes on the heels of Blue Run’s inaugural release in October of 2020. With Jim Rutledge as the company’s Liquid Advisor, this new batch of Blue Run will delight Bourbon drinkers around the country. Rutledge is a 50+ year whiskey industry veteran and a managing partner of J.W. Rutledge Distillery.
Each of the ten barrels comes from the same mash bill, same yeast, same still and same warehouse, but how the liquid reacted to the wood and its position in the warehouse can change the characteristics of the whiskey.
Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon has the brand’s characteristic smooth and mellow flavor; a long, sweet and dry finish; little to no burn on the back endand a long tail.
Between 104 to 150 bottles will be available from each barrel, with the proofs varying from 124 to 132. The secret to which barrel the Bourbon came from can be found on the hand-numbered label, which gives a hint at that whiskey’s particular characteristics and flavor profile:
“Barrel #1: Mellow sweet corn and brown sugar apple butter that develops into mellow oak tannins Barrel #2: Deep chocolate and honey-drenched s’more Barrel #3: Gorgeous crème brûlée with a burst of dark brown sugar and streaks of ginger Barrel #4: Creamy toffee with bites of cocoa and black pepper Barrel #5: Sultry black cherry and oak with clove honey Barrel #6: Decadent dark chocolate with a marshmallow frame and clove cascade Barrel #7: Layers of char smoke and rich vanilla wood sugar Barrel #8: Roasted pecan and nutty campfire smoke Barrel #9: Spice forward with bold black pepper and baking spices and an herbaceous wrap Barrel #10: Oak tannin and dark raisin combination with a whip of smoke on the finish,” explains a press release.
“This limited-edition, high-proof release offers a uniquely customized experience based upon each whiskey fan’s palate, pairings and passions,” said Mike Montgomery, CEO of Blue Run Spirits. “While a bottle of Blue Run Bourbon will definitely stand out on your bar, it’s the flavor we are most proud of and glad to see experts like the judges at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition agree.”
Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon will be found in May initially in Kentucky, California, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, DC, as well as online. No state will receive bottles from all ten barrels. Each will get up to nine, encouraging collectors to reach out to friends to help amass the entire collection.
The product will also be available through Seelbachs.com, with bottles from a different barrel made available every few weeks (but again, with only nine available). Seelbach’s will also offer a very limited number of ten-bottle complete sets. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.