Barrell 18-yr Hazmat Islay Finished American Whiskey, 13.5-yr Wyoming, & Foundation Single Barrels

We weren’t kidding when we said we’re not slowing down as we wind down 2025. Today’s release was one of our favorite moments from the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, where the Seelbach’s team and Barrell Craft Spirits collaborated on a few rare and unique offerings to close out the year. Being able to celebrate the brands we’ve grown alongside is one of the best parts of what we do, and Barrell is a perfect example of that.
 
First up is our Foundation Single Barrel. Each release begins with a careful selection of barrels originally used in blending the award-winning Foundation series, bringing together complementary components to create a distinct microbatch. These blends are then re-barreled and returned to some of the most desirable locations within the historic rickhouse for extended aging, allowing them to continue evolving in Kentucky’s dynamic climate.
 
True to Barrell’s ethos of innovation and craftsmanship, Foundation Single Barrels are produced in small, low-yield batches, ensuring each bottle delivers bold, concentrated flavor. This barrel takes everything we already loved about Foundation and gives just a little bit more. A fantastic go-to recommendation.
 

Candied orange peel, apricot, cherry, and melon Hi-Chew, juicy and leaning into custardy sugar tones.

The palate continues with ramped-up, sugar-coated fruit notes, then tapers into honey, Tootsie Roll, nougat, and a lovely, creamy mouthfeel with deep fruit and balanced oak.

The finish is like a fantastic Old Fashioned: sweet cane syrup, orange bitters, and soft, sweet oak.

Next up is a special one for us. This release marks the first time Barrell Craft Spirits has ever released a single barrel from Wyoming, and the first time they’ve released a wheated single barrel. We’re proud to have selected this double-digit age-stated bourbon for Seelbach’s. Bottled at its cask strength of 129.9 proof, this is a true single barrel in every sense: no blending, no proofing, no finishes.

After 13 years of aging, this Wyoming bourbon has developed a deep profile that immediately stood out as we worked through the samples. Barrell’s Private Barrel Program is built on precision and patience, and this pick reflects exactly that. Countless variables, from where the barrel sat to how it evolved over time, shaped this whiskey into something genuinely singular. We selected it because it told a clear story and delivered something we hadn’t tasted before from Barrell. A WLW killer? That’s for you to judge.
 

Aromatic and candied, giving subtly spiced leather and cherry skins with a crystallized sugariness more reminiscent of Smarties or Pixie Sticks.
 
The palate carries that American whiskey sense of big, viscous cherry and heavy barrel presence. The mouthfeel is oily and deep, as sweet oak notes and a touch of white pepper continue to build.
 
There’s plenty of mature oak, but it’s balanced by layers of caramelized sugar, vanilla, and warm baking spice. The proof brings intensity, amplifying the richness and structure while keeping the whiskey focused and expressive from start to finish.

Lastly is a spirit unlike any other we’ve had here at Seelbach’s.
 
This remarkable 18-year American whiskey represents the outer edge of Barrell Craft Spirits’ Private Barrel Program, where time, intensity, and precision converge. After spending more than a decade developing deep structure and maturity in American oak, the whiskey underwent an extended six-year secondary maturation in an Islay Scotch barrel, layering one of the world’s most unmistakable whisky traditions onto a distinctly American foundation.
 
Bottled as a true single barrel at its natural cask strength of 146.8 proof, this release is not blended, proofed down, or adjusted in any way. It stands alone, unfiltered and uncompromised, expressive of the exact barrel from which it came. As with all Barrell Craft Spirits Private Barrels, this expression is a custom creation shaped by countless variables and guided by meticulous barrel selection. The result is a whiskey that delivers both power and nuance, where American whiskey richness collides with Old World smoke in a way that is bold, cerebral, and unmistakably rare.
 
 The nose is a teetering balance between deep caramels, deeply charred sugar notes, and a long, persistent sweet smoke. Diving further, you find peach cobbler, candied apple, torched plums, and brown sugar–glazed ham, all tied together by sweet oak.
 
The palate mimics much of the nose, with a proof that seems to blanket rather than overtake the sip. Big waves of sweet smoke lay over singed citrus and heavily torched crème brûlée notes, and each sip seems to highlight a slightly different direction first.
 
The finish continues to mirror those earlier notes, but draws more focus on heavy caramels and bold smoked vanilla richness, as touches of salted fig and smoked peaches-and-cream linger through a long finish.