What Barrel Pick Whiskey Really Means

If you are a whiskey connoisseur, chances are your bucket list might include experiencing your very own barrel pick. But what exactly does that mean, and what does the process entail? After whiskey is distilled, it is actually a law that it must be put into an oak barrel to age. There isn't a requirement for how long it must remain in the barrel (unless it's bourbon, which differs from other whiskeys because it legally must age for a minimum of two years). Many high-quality whiskeys are aged for a long, long time — sometimes a decade or more. Once it's ready to be bottled, distilleries usually blend the whiskey from several different barrels in order to have a consistent flavor in the product that they are sending out to liquor stores or bars in bulk.

If you invest in a barrel pick whiskey, that means you are working with the distillery — and sometimes the master distiller themselves — to create a whiskey with the exact flavor profiles you like, and only whiskey from that particular barrel will be bottled and marked with a special sticker for you. This experience is very exclusive, and certainly not cheap. In general, a single barrel will have a price tag in the $15,000 to $20,000 range. Since it's such a highly-coveted experience, you will likely have to get on a waiting list, especially if you're wanting to do your barrel pick at a larger distillery. To have a better shot, you may need to join a local whiskey club or partner with a liquor store since distilleries only offer a small number of barrel picks to individuals each year.

So what is the process of a barrel pick like? If you're a whiskey lover, it's essentially your dream come true. Each distillery will have their own way of doing things, but in general, you will get to describe your ideal whiskey to the master distiller, be it spicy, woody, floral, or fruity. They will have you taste some samples to really get a feel of what you like or don't like. This may take place in a private tasting room, or they may lead you into a rickhouse, drill a hole into a ready-to-drink barrel, and allow you the honors of having the first sip from that particular barrel.

If you don't have the time or finances to commit to a barrel pick yourself, don't despair. You can still purchase bottles of one-of-kind whiskeys from a variety of brands at liquor stores that regularly participate in their own special barrel picks. These bottles will have a higher price tag, but are still a great way to sample barrel picks. You could even try more than one barrel pick from the same distillery to discover how whiskey can vary from bottle to bottle. Whether you're a fan of Tennessee whiskey or bourbon from Kentucky, enjoying a barrel pick whiskey is a one-of-a-kind way to enjoy limited editions of your favorite spirit.