Taconic Distillery: Straight Bourbon Single Barrel

Distillery Release Single Barrel

MSRP: $100

Mash: 70% corn, 25% rye, 5% malted barley

Proof: 132

Age: 5.6yrs

Nose: maple sugar, fresh waffles, molasses, old barnwood, fortified wine grapiness, soft floral note in the background

Palate: the maple and barnwood are the dominant notes, followed by a spicy clove and ginger, some pine resin, the fruitier aspects take a backseat to the strong earthiness

Finish: nice long finish of spice and sweet oak

Rating: Hoard it (Out of Hoard, Buy, Try, Pass)

Thoughts: This might be the best single barrel bourbon I've had out of Taconic yet. It has such a great mouthfeel and roundness to it, even with it leaning heavily into the earthy side of the flavor wheel. I would venture to say this is a Stagg Jr killer. Taconic bourbon has always been reminiscent flavor profile wise of Buffalo Trace (that grapiness) but with much more complexity and earthiness. Where Buffalo Trace is undrinkable at four and five years old, Taconic can absolutely get it. This is without a doubt an excellent bourbon, and when their product hits double digits, it'll destroy allocated whiskey. This will absolutely be something I pour blind for guests to see what their take is.

What's the Deal?: The distillery single barrels are always top tier releases from Taconic. What makes this one interesting, is that it falls under their normal labeling scheme. For a long time, the distillery only single barrel bourbons fell under the Horse and Jockey label, and the distillery only ryes fell under the Fox and Hare label. The newest distillery only single barrel bourbons are falling into a new blacked out label, that has much of the same design as the founder's release for the 10th anniversary. This must be right in the in-between labeling wise. Does that make a difference? Nah, not at all. But an interesting tidbit for sure. And regardless, this single barrel is just absolutely excellent. The team they have over at Taconic right now is top notch. As of updating this post on 12/23/2025 it is unfortunately sold out, but the newest distillery pick is live on their site, go get one!