A New Chapter for Old Soul

We’re thrilled to welcome Old Soul back to Seelbach’s! This brand first caught our attention years ago, and since then we’ve had the pleasure of sharing several of their single barrels and releases from their TINTYPE series. Old Soul has always been a bit of a sleeper bottle for us, but ask anyone who’s tried it, and you’ll likely hear the same thing: it rarely disappoints.

Today's release is different from anything we've previously offered from Old Soul. For the first time, we're getting a chance to share a single barrel of their own in-house distillate. Not only that, but it's an 8-year, 6-month-old wheated bourbon!

We don't often get to see this kind of transition. Bardstown Bourbon Co. was one of the first brands we worked with where we watched their releases shift from sourced whiskey to their own distillate, and more recently we've seen the same with James E. Pepper. It's always interesting to see how a brand develops once the whiskey they've been making themselves finally reaches maturity.

Founded in 2010, Cathead Distillery made history as Mississippi’s first legal distillery, started by friends (and blues fans) Austin Evans and Richard Patrick. From their home in downtown Jackson, they’ve built a reputation not only for their gins and vodkas, but also for their Old Soul bourbon.

This barrel is part of their Estate Private Barrel Selection, a program built around barrels that stand out during maturation. Unlike the Indiana-distilled rye bourbon we've offered in the past, this one starts with 100% Mississippi-grown grain. The mash bill is 75% corn, 21% wheat, and 4% malted barley, pot-distilled, aged, and bottled entirely at Cathead Distillery in downtown Jackson.

When we picked this one, we called it 'Panettone' for its buttery profile mixed with candied citrus and dried fruit. If you blinded me on this and told me it was an 8-9 year Old Fitzgerald Decanter release, I'd likely believe you. We've said it before, but we'll say it again: we really are in an incredible era for a whiskey drinker. This barrel joins the list of some of our favorite craft whiskeys in all of 2026.

The nose is bright and lively, opening with a burst of citrus before giving way to sweeter, more comforting notes of freshly baked oatmeal raisin bread and ripe cherry. There’s a lovely interplay between the fresh, vibrant citrus and the deeper, baked fruit sweetness that continues to develop as it opens. That said, there’s also plenty of rich, antique-leaning sweet oak to boot.

The palate is plump and coating with a generous concentration of flavor. Orange zest and buttery toffee lead the charge, met with dried cherry, hot honey, and a surprise pop of grape Gatorade. There’s a wonderful balance of citrus, confectionary sweetness, dark fruit, and nuttiness, with enough intensity to keep each sip interesting and like the nose, a beautifully caramel sweet oak to accompany.

The pour continues to evolve with time in the glass. As the initial heat begins to settle, the sweeter notes become increasingly pronounced, taking on a lovely candied quality. Lingering citrus sugars, dried fruit, and warm toffee gradually give way to a softer, more rounded sweetness and a slightly funky, mature sweet oak in the long linger. A pour that rewards a little patience.