Broken Barrel Whiskey Company, a bottler of sourced whiskeys specializing in stave insert finishes, recently added a fifth expression to its core lineup of bourbon and rye. Introducing Americana, a 100 proof (50% ABV) straight American whiskey featuring a mash bill of 80% corn, 14% rye and 6% malted barley. Americana explores blended American Whiskeys with an entirely new “Oak Bill” – a concept unique to Broken Barrel which denotes the combination of barrel staves from different types of barrels used in each expression – of 40% Charred American Oak, 40% Toasted American Oak and 20% American Apple Brandy Cask.
“Previously, we offered a selection of Rare Americana offerings as part of our single barrel program for private groups and retailers,” said Seth Benhaim, Founder and CEO, Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. “The new Americana 100 proof whiskey was inspired by those bottlings, but is a much more accessible offering for Broken Barrel fans to enjoy regularly.”
While most whiskey is aged in barrels and then bottled, Benhaim believed that there was a missed opportunity in traditional barrel finishing – namely the reliance on one type of barrel used to finish one type of whiskey. He created Broken Barrel to expand the barrel finishing concept, involving not only broken barrel staves (vs. intact barrels), but also the combination of multiple barrel types all finishing aged bourbon in tandem. Once Broken Barrel whiskey ages for a minimum of two years, barrels are carefully selected, dumped and batched in a large tank. The broken barrel staves from multiple different kinds of casks are then added to further age and finish the whiskey.
Americana will rollout nationally beginning this month for the suggested retail price of $35.