Holladay Single Barrel Releases

If you haven't been to Weston, MO to check out the Holladay distillery, you will  not be disappointed at all. It has similar vibes to Maker's Mark as it feels like a little distillery campus. Since this brand came on the scene in Spring 2022, it has not only been one of our best selling Missouri bourbons but bourbons overall. The distillery started off with a 6 year bourbon and came back this year with a 6 year wheated bourbon. Both are bottled in bond and well made products.

Now if you don't know the story, I highly recommend checking it out. McCormick has been making products for a long time and until recently, they weren't producing bourbon. Their history is rich in whiskey though as the site used to be their old whsikey distillery back in the day which is what makes them able to produce a quality product so quickly. As with any great distillery, their facility is built on a great water source. Overall, it's definitely worth a trip to Kansas City for a night accompanied by a quick 45 minute drive north to visit them. Now on to our picks...

Ben Holladay One Barrel Bourbon - $69.99
168 Bottles (only 84 bottles were sent to us)
6 years 10 months - 119.8 proof
Selected By and Bottled for: I-70 Series

We have teamed up with a fellow retailer in Kansas City who has two retail locations called Bubbles. Hence the name 1-70. We have done a Stellum pick with them as well as a Piggyback Rye single barrel. Tony Watson, who works for the distributor and you may have seen doing a seminar class or two, joined us on these picks as well. Now the single barrel tasting room at Holladay is amazing as it gets you in the right headframe to taste some whiskey. By no means was it just us as you can see from the picture, we were joined by the master distiller and many other team members. The samples were picked by the master distiller that morning and he pulled out all the stops. It probably helped that we had a Kansas City retailer with us for a little hometown favoritism to ensure we were able to get some of the best options with four barrels. In the end, I think it worked as we made all of the employees taste with us. Everyone was in agreement on both of these picks!

At 119.8 proof, it hides the high alcohol content very well. The nose is light and pleasant. The taste is where this whiskey shines: oily, rich caramel that coats your mouth and gracefully hangs around on your pallet. Tastes like there is a buttery piece there as well as it's so flavorful with a little tobacco. The finish is crisp with very little burn even though it is nearly 120 proof. This barrel is just another belief as to why we think Holladay Bourbon will continue to grow drastically over the next several years. 

Holladay One Barrel Bourbon Wheat - $69.99
192 Bottles - 6 years 2 months - 120.2 proof
Selected By and Bottled for: Randall's - Leo's Batch

Now on to my favorite pick, the wheated bourbon. As explained, this whiskey in the bottled in bond version was released earlier this year and was one of my favorites from the beginning. The flavor is right up there with dare we say it, Pappy. The nose is very sweet and makes you want to continue to sniff it in the hopes the taste is every bit as good as the smell. The taste is exactly that though: light & elegant with a slight kick from the proof. It doesn't coat your mouth as much as the bourbon and it's more linear on your tongue. The finish is very good with a little chocolate on the end. The finish is soft; you would never know with this one either that it is 120 proof. 

Lastly, just to mention the name of this pick: Leo's Batch. It's a dedication to my son who was able to join us on this trip with my wife. As this has been one of my favorite whiskeys released that you can find on the shelves in quite some time, I thought it only fitting. I saved a couple bottles for him to have when he turns 21. Being a dad is pretty fun I have to admit!

We put these bottles on the shelves a week ago and already sold more than 30 bottles each. This just shows the following this distillery has for producing good juice. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving! 

- Todd Randall, Vice President of Randall's