Pritchard's Double Barrelled Bourbon

[Jono]

Does anyone have tasting experience with this bourbon? I was investigating their rum products and found this bourbon.

http://www.spiritsreview.com/reviews-bourbon-prichards.html

"Notes: From what I have gathered this whiskey was originally made by Heaven Hill then rebarreled by Mr Pritchard in his small casks for 3 years."

"First Impression: Deep, heavy oak influence with rye grain influence amidst the corn, caramel, vanilla, ginger, char/oak dried fruit.

Taste: Sweet start with a lot of oak/aging almost immediately. Medium body slightly astringent, short-to-medium finish."

>> Seems to be more expensive than similar bourbons...around $50.

[TNbourbon]

I tasted it again just last month. There's nothing really wrong with it but the price: c. $45 here. It's overtly oaky (twice-barreled, the second time in small casks), but otherwise pretty basic, decent rye-recipe (one assumes Heaven Hill about these things) bourbon. Think today's NAS Jefferson's Reserve.

For me, it would be a solid mixer with ginger ale, or a base for a good marinade. You wanna spend $45 for that?:skep:

Now, it may become a 'collectible' destined for eBay. I've heard rather authoritatively that it will not be produced again (rum, after all, is Mr. Prichard's thing). We'll see.

[Jono]

I think I will pass on this one...

[cas]

I bought a bottle about a year or so ago - and it took me about a year to go through it. It was interesting, but not something I poured a second glass of.

Craig

[spun_cookie]

Since it is double barreled, that means it is no longer bourbon right? Adding any flavor, coloring etc makes it a bourbon based product, but bourbon as I understand...?

And I have had it, spend the money on some weller, orvw, a movie and a car wash or give it to charity. You will be more satisfied.

[CorvallisCracker]

Since it is double barreled, that means it is no longer bourbon right?

Because the second barrel was new charred white oak, it's still bourbon, and says so on the label.

[Gillman]

I think it was put into new charred barrels part-way through its aging, which is fine since the regs require that bourbon be aged in new charred oak containers. If it was put in barrels that had held bourbon before, that would be different I think, except if a given number barrels was mingled and then briefly put back in the same barrels, i.e., before bottling - if just kept a short time before bottling I think that is okay. I know this has been discussed here before.

Gary

[TNbourbon]

And, any age statement (there isn't one on Prichard's) would be only the originally aging. For example, if it's originally aged 6 years, then but into the second new, charred oak barrel for 3 years, if would be limited to calling itself a 6yo -- the final 3 years don't count regarding the age statement.

[shyster512]

Pritchard's was bottle of the month in January. You can get a lot of info there.

[jbutler]

All,

This message was sent to me by Mr. Pritchard on 8/9. Due to our ISP changeover, I had quite a bit of email backed up, and just got to it today.

Benjamin Prichard's Double Barreled Bourbon Straight from the Horse's mouth

It is generally agreed that the cost of the barrel may be the single most expensive element used in the production of bourbon. That’s why bourbon is aged at significantly higher proof than is declared to be the brand’s bottle proof. The industry has determined that it is cost effective, almost without exception, to put the whiskey into the barrel at 125 proof and reduce the bourbon to bottle proof with water. The water is essentially free. Always remember, “Cost effective” is another way of saying, “it’s cheaper”. There is nothing cheap about Benjamin Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon. In fact, our exclusive process is very expensive. Double Barreled Bourbon is aged in two, new charred American oak barrels. The process includes cutting the Bourbon from its original barrel proof to a very drinkable proof and aging it for a minimum of two more years.

Explaining the Process

You’ve just poured yourself a bowl of chicken soup and it was too hot. You drop in an ice cube to cool it down. Being successful at cooling it down, you find it now tastes like chicken soup dilute! The solution to the problem; put it back in the stock pot and reinforce the dilute soup with those bones and flavors in the pot. Water has no flavor and water dilutes flavor. Just like the chicken soup, water does the same thing to bourbon. Re-barreling the bourbon is somewhat like putting the chicken soup back in the stock pot.

Double Barreled Bourbon began with the purchase of a select batch of seven year old, premium Bourbon by Prichard’s Distillery for production using our own unique process of cutting the bourbon from its original 125 proof to 90 proof. Dumped from the original barrels, cut and re-barreled in the new, charred American oak barrels, the aging process begins anew. To understand why we chose to pursue this very expensive process, you must understand what makes Bourbon, Bourbon and other whiskies different.

Trees are in the Business of Making Sugar and Alcohol is made from Sugar!

We know trees are in the business of making sugar because we all understand maple trees make maple syrup. Hardwood trees like white oak, store much of the sugar produced in the wood of the tree. When the barrel is burned, the sugars stored in the wood are caramelized much as the way sugar is burned on the stove to make a caramel dessert. When alcohol, being made from sugar and having an affinity for sugar, is poured into the barrel, the first elements of the barrel to be absorbed into the alcohol are the natural, caramelized sugars stored in the burnt wood, hence the natural caramel color of bourbon whiskey. Eventually and rather quickly, virtually all the sugars are leached into the alcohol and bourbon takes on the slight sweetness for which it is noted and the rest of the oak tannins and woody flavors complete the absorption process over time. Time however, is not Bourbon’s best friend. With time, because the barrels are new, the barrel notes can become too woody a!

nd bitter, perhaps best described as the flavor of tree bark! There is such a thing as over aged Bourbon; a condition generally occurring somewhere after twelve or more years.

Bourbon is Sweet / Scotch is not Sweet

Herein lies the difference in those who like Bourbon and those who like Scotch. Bourbon is sweeter than Scotch. Scotch is aged in used barrels, barrels long stripped of most of the natural sugars by the whiskies or wines stored originally in the barrels. People who like Bourbon like it because of it sweetness; folks who prefer Scotch do so because it is not so sweet. The exclusive process used to make Benjamin Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon provides a second infusion of the natural sweetness stored in the second barrel, and reinforces the flavors for which Bourbon is so noted. The bitter tannins and other favor agents associated with time are minimized since the second barrel is aged for less than three years.

Limited Edition

Benjamin Prichard’s Double Barrel Bourbon is truly a Limited Edition! As previously mentioned, Prichard’s Distillery purchased a select batch of premium Bourbon. The original purchase was for 4000 gallons, the first year, and the plan was to purchase a second batch of 400 gallons the second year and to increase our purchase to 6000 gallons the next, etc. The plan seemed viable. There was a glut of unsold bourbon with consumers’ taste focusing largely on super premium vodka; it seemed there would be ample bourbon for us to enter the whiskey market with a really profitable venture. Few predicted the turn of the market to bourbon and producers where caught short. Regardless, there was no surplus bourbon to buy the following year, especially of the quality we demanded for our Double Barreled Bourbon.

Now, the industry has met the challenge; there is beginning to be surplus bourbon available, but it will not taste the same as the bourbon we originally purchased. If Prichard’s Distillery were to purchase bourbon today, the re-barreling and additional aging will require at least two years before it is ready for sale. Yes, there will be another addition of Benjamin Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon someday and we promise it will be wonderful. Another thing we promise, it will not taste the same!

As of June 1, 2008 there are only 12 barrels of the original purchase of Benjamin Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon remaining. We will commence the bottling the remainder of the barrels within the next few weeks. Depending on how thirsty the Angels have been, there may be as few as two hundred cases left for sale in the world! There are no more!!

Phil Prichard, President

[cowdery]

That explains it. Very valuable. Thanks, Jim and Phil.

[barturtle]

That is a very cool letter and I enjoy it when the industry folks take the time to write something like this for the enthusiasts.

I must admit, I find it confusing that with such a detailed description, there is no mention of the effects of proof changes during the aging process that would likely require additions of water to adjust for as well. It is likely that in a short two years there may be very little change to account for, so it may not be worth mentioning, but then I don't know one way or the other.

[CorvallisCracker]

there is no mention of the effects of proof changes during the aging process that would likely require additions of water to adjust for as well. It is likely that in a short two years there may be very little change to account for, so it may not be worth mentioning, but then I don't know one way or the other.

I wondered about this as well.

[NorCalBoozer]

I don't understand how re-barreling bourbon is an "exclusive process" and I also disagree with the statements about scotch not being sweet. I have tasted a lot of scotches that were "sweet", IMO and I think a used barrel would impart a lot more sweet flavors over two years than an unused barrel.

Rebarreling bourbon into a new oak barrel initially imparts strong flavors of wood. I found this was true in my rebarreling experience.

that said they seem to do quite well with some of their other products and I look forward to trying some in the future.

Greg

[jburlowski]

"...using our own unique process of cutting the bourbon from its original 125 proof to 90 proof."

I think this is also called "adding water".

[cowdery]

There's a lot of fluff there, but what is valid is that higher entry proof means less barrel flavor. I was confused by this myself as first, since I assumed the solvent qualities of alcohol would mean just the opposite, but as Mike Veach pointed out, water is the universal solvent. It's the water that dissolves the barrel goodies, not the alcohol.

Also, aging isn't just about wood compounds going into the spirit. It's also about oxidation.

As for rebarreling being an exclusive process, no other commercial producer is doing what Phil's doing, so that makes it exclusive.

[jeff]

As for rebarreling being an exclusive process, no other commercial producer is doing what Phil's doing, so that makes it exclusive.

Is this similar to how Jacob's Well was produced?

[spun_cookie]

It is generally agreed that the cost of the barrel may be the single most expensive element used in the production of bourbon. That’s why bourbon is aged at significantly higher proof than is declared to be the brand’s bottle proof.

OK, This I understand. What I do not understand is why you would spend the $$ to double barrel.

Would it not have saved more money to reduce the entry proof and get a better product all around?

[barturtle]

OK, This I understand. What I do not understand is why you would spend the $$ to double barrel.

Would it not have saved more money to reduce the entry proof and get a better product all around?

Likely, but to do that you would have to have batches of whiskey custom distilled, or at least custom barreled for you. Doing this would increase time to market as opposed to simply buying whiskey that has already been aged then rebarreling and waiting a scant two years. A nine year return on investment is something that will keep a lot more people out of the industry than a two year one will.

Also by doing it this way, the whiskey gets fresh wood twice instead of once.

[spun_cookie]

Likely, but to do that you would have to have batches of whiskey custom distilled, or at least custom barreled for you. Doing this would increase time to market as opposed to simply buying whiskey that has already been aged then rebarreling and waiting a scant two years. A nine year return on investment is something that will keep a lot more people out of the industry than a two year one will.

Also by doing it this way, the whiskey gets fresh wood twice instead of once.

yes, which equals a woodier taste....

I guess I missed the point that they bought other bourbon and then diluted, rebarreled then sold it.

[cowdery]

Is this similar to how Jacob's Well was produced?

I thought so at first, but Pritchard is doing it differently. All Beam did was consolidate barrels. "Top them off," as it were. They did it as a way to save warehouse space but came up with the term "double-barrelled" to make it sound like a consumer benefit. By reducing the proof and using a completely new barrel, Pritchard is stuffing more barrel goodies into the whiskey.