High Wire Jimmy Red Bourbon Single Barrels from Two Unique Farms

There are some distilleries we can't get enough of. High Wire single barrels usually sell out in 24 hours. This makes it tough to get the bourbon we love to customers. That's why I seized the chance to visit the distillery last month for more barrels. We pulled up a chair to 8 barrel samples and got started! These were some of the oldest barrels I've seen offered for private selections. It's wild because I was immediately drawn to the first two samples. Rich, sweet, herbaceous, and unique. But tasting can be tricky. I wanted to give each sample enough time to develop. After a couple of hours of tasting, I couldn't stop coming back to the first two samples. 
 
The distillation occurred about three weeks apart. After 6+ years of aging, they were near identical proofs. There was one key difference. The Jimmy Red Corn for barrel 536 is from the Cherokee Tract/Clemson farm. The OG of Jimmy Red corn fields. Barrel 544 came from Plumfield Farms. Plumfield is the farm used in the Jimmy Red 10-Year Anniversary bottle. I'm walking through a tobacco barn sipping bourbon while I drink barrel 544. Barrel 536 feels like walking through a cherry orchard in the fall. While drinking a glass of bourbon, of course! These barrels are special. Both in taste and in the way they highlight terroir in whiskey. You're going to love these bottles.

Jimmy Red Single Barrel Bourbon Plumfield Farm #544
 
Age: 6.67 years
 
Farm: Plumfield Farm
 
Proof: 123 proof
 
Mash Bill: 100% Jimmy Red Corn
 
Tasting Notes: Fresh tobacco, sweet grass, and rose water. This is earthy and robust. The earthy notes make this drink like a much older whiskey. The first sip is a WHOA! Tons of the tobacco from the nose. It's followed up with leather, candied ginger, and a touch of spice. This isn't a one-pour whiskey. I find myself continuously coming back to discover new tasting notes. The earthiness begins to fade to blueberry scones dusted with powdered sugar. The finish is long. The sweetness gives an initial kick before herbal tea and pipe tobacco take over. A true showcase of craft-distilled heritage corn!
 

Jimmy Red Single Barrel Cherokee Tract Bourbon #536
 
Age: 6.73 years
 
Farm: Cherokee Tract/Clemson
 
Proof: 123.4 proof
 
Mash Bill: 100% Jimmy Red Corn
 
Tasting Notes: Bright, sweet and chewy. The nose is full of cherry, cherry blossoms and toffee. Those notes then mix with a bouquet of fresh flowers and dehydrated oranges. The palate has an immediate note of angostura bitters and root beer. Silky and syrupy the palate is viscous. The aged vanilla and cola notes continue to develop. There backed with a nice touch of baking spice and stewed apples. There are some drier notes as it moves to the back palate. A little bit of cedar and licorice. This all leads to a balanced finish of dried almonds, vanilla bean ice cream and black pepper.