Bardstown Delivers Yet Again: A 15-Year Stunner at a Remarkable Price
Calumet Farm 15 Year Old “Single Rack Black” Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($119.99)
A Rare Opportunity for Bourbon Collectors
In the world of collectible bourbon, finds like this are becoming vanishingly rare. Typically, a 15-year-old, age-stated whiskey from one of Kentucky’s most famous distilleries would command an exorbitant price thanks to collectors willing to pay it, but it would also come in such small quantities as to make it almost irrelevant in the broader market. Not so with the Calumet 15 Year Old “Single Rack Black.” Distilled in 2006 at the iconic Barton distillery in Bardstown, this 19-barrel batch enjoyed a place of honor in the rickhouse. That is to say, these barrels sat in the dead center of the building, where the aging process often yields the most compelling results. This incredible dram is the oldest aged release from the Calumet Farm brand so far, and it offers up everything bourbon fans love in old Kentucky whiskey at a price that makes it accessible to pretty much anyone. It’s also in stock at quantities that permit purchases of multiples, so savvy aficionados looking to stock their bars with a legit, age-stated masterpiece should not pass up this singular opportunity.
Calumet Farm 15 Year Old “Single Rack Black” Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($119.99)
The new Calumet Farm 15 Year is an unusual release from this upstart, Kentucky-based brand. Both the highest proof and highest age for the brand to date, this is great old Kentucky bourbon bottled without chill filtration. The “Single Rack” is a reference to source of the batch being from a single rack in the rickhouse, meaning all barrels were aged in the same center part of the warehouse, which lends to longer aging as compared to the top floors. Calumet Farm is the most famous horse farm in Kentucky (having bred and trained two Triple Crown winners and eight Derby winners), and their pedigree has allowed them access that few others have. Distilled and aged in Bardstown entirely in 2006, only 19 barrels were used in the production of this batch. At the time, only one distillery was operating in the area, so we can assume this is good Barton juice. The mash bill is 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley.