During
Prohibition, some distillers were creative at eluding the revenuers and other
authorities. Unless you were one of the very select few who were licensed to
distill medicinal whiskey, getting caught would have meant an all-expense-paid
vacation in an 8x10 prison cell.
One
of the easiest ways to get caught was the observation of Baudoinia
compniacensis, or black mold, growing on the sides of buildings. It was a
telltale sign that there was a still inside. One distiller had the ingenious
idea to paint his barn black. Others followed suit. Then, to show solidarity,
the area farmers painted theirs black, too. Because the black mold was no
longer visible, and every barn in the area was black, the illicit distillers
had what was referred to as a hidden barn.
In
a nod to that creativity, Hidden
Barn Whiskey was founded in 2022 by Nate Winegar,
who serves as its brand ambassador; Matt
Dankher, who heads up finance and operations; Royce Neeley,
its master distiller; and Jackie
Zykan, its master blender. The brand was
since acquired by Neeley
Family Distillery in Sparta, Kentucky.
Jackie
comes with plenty of experience. She was the master taster at Brown-Forman,
who created the Old
Forester 117 and 150 series. Royce has been the master
distiller at Neeley Family Distillery for nine years and is an 11th-generation
distiller. Nate is the founder of the well-known 5280 Whiskey Society
and a huge (figuratively and literally) people-person.
Hidden
Barn’s newest release, its tenth in what it calls Series One, is called Slow Fade.
Slow Fade was chosen to represent its alleged finish. It began with Neeley’s
flagship mashbill of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley that was double
pot distilled using wild Appalachian yeast. It is a sweet mash whiskey
fermented in open-air cypress tanks. After aging between five and six years in
new, charred oak, it was subjected to sediment filtration and bottled at 53.25%
ABV (106.5°). It comes with a suggested price of $79.99 for 750ml and is
available at the distillery and select retailers in Kentucky, Indiana, New
York, California, Georgia, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada.
Hidden
Barn has an excellent track record with me. I’ve had several releases and have
yet to be even remotely disappointed. Will Slow Fade keep the streak alive, or
will this one fall flat? We answer that question when we #DrinkCurious. Conveniently,
Neeley Family Distillery provided me with a sample in exchange for my
no-strings-attached, honest review, and I thank them for that.
Appearance: I
poured my sample into a Glencairn glass to sip neat. Its color was pure amber,
and the liquid produced a medium rim with quick, tightly spaced tears.
Nose: I found
the aroma very nutty, along with corn, butterscotch, and cherries. As I inhaled
the air into my mouth, I encountered toffee and more nuts.
Palate: Slow
Fade possessed an oily texture. A wallop of cherries was on the front of my
palate, along with the taste of Nutella. The middle featured toffee, cola, and orange
zest. Flavors of fresh-shredded tobacco, leather, and brown sugar were on the
back.
Finish:
Leather, sweet tobacco, Nutella, and brown sugar rounded things out. About a
minute into it, a note of oak finally made its presence known; I wondered if
that would ever appear. The finish was mildly dry from the leather, yet that
viscous quality never subsided. At the very end, there was a kiss of orange
zest. I timed the duration at 1:36, placing it in the medium venue. Slow Fade
was aptly named; there was a slow drop-off.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Slow
Fade drank way below its stated proof, perhaps a dozen points. That’s not to
suggest it was flavorless because that would be completely untrue. Rather, it
was soft; it lacked any alcohol burn. Simultaneously, it did leave the roof of
my mouth with a slight tingle.
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit
but begs you to do so responsibly.
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