Last year during a visit to Dark Arts Whiskey House of Lexington KY, we embarked on one of the most fun and freewheeling barrel selections we have ever done (aka tasted so many barrels, haven’t the foggiest as to how many we tried that day.) And it wasn’t for a lack of great options, there were many lovely bourbons in the mix, it was the unique opportunity that a producer like Dark Arts can offer. They have the flexibility and depth (and willingness) to keep pulling more – which gave us the opportunity to push the bar even higher, from great to truly exceptional. In the end we walked away with 3 remarkable barrels of bourbon, including a unique wine finish (extremely excited to finally be featuring a Sauternes cask, a personal favorite of multiple team members), a Japanese oak / Mizunara finished, and a super premium barrel (high age, high proof, bottled straight from the original cask.)

Barrel BST10, aka the “Honey Pot”, was distilled in Indiana from MGP's high-rye mash bill using 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. It was aged in new American oak for 8.5 years before being finished in an ex-Sauternes barrel. The whiskey was bottled without chill filtration at a barrel proof of 117.6. The dessert wine finish is apparent on the nose which offers scents of honey, peach, white grape juice, caramel, and citrus. The palate is also sweet, with the rye spice providing a lovely balance. Flavors include sweet citrus, honey-nut cheerio, white raisin, nougat, and caramel with some clove and black pepper spice joining on the mid-palate. The finish leaves you tasting sweet oak, raisin, caramel, and a touch of baking spice.