{"title":"Hidden Barn","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"hidden-barn-organic-wheated-straight-bourbon-750ml","title":"Hidden Barn \"Batch 2\" Organic Wheated Straight Bourbon 750ml","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Product:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hidden Barn's Organic Wheated Bourbon is a rare thing in American whiskey — a small-batch bourbon where \"organic\" isn't a marketing afterthought but the entire foundation. The grains are certified organic by both the USDA and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and the bourbon was distilled at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan — a relationship that grew out of Master Blender Jackie Zykan's consulting work with the Welter family and their culture of quality and experimentation. The mashbill is 70% corn, 25% wheat, and 5% rye — a classic wheated recipe that keeps things soft and approachable — with Zykan batching and proofing the barrels before the whiskey was aged and bottled at the now-certified-organic Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, Kentucky. Batch 2 arrives at 108 proof, a touch bolder than its predecessor, and carries the same dual-certification and small-batch ethos that made the inaugural release a double gold standout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Hidden Barn:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hidden Barn was co-founded by former Old Forester Master Taster Jackie Zykan alongside Royce Neeley of Neeley Family Distillery and Nate Winegar and Matt Dankner of Denver's 5280 Whiskey Society — a group that came together over a shared conviction that small-batch blending, done with real intention, could produce something the big brands simply can't. Zykan spent seven years at Brown-Forman's Old Forester, eventually holding the title of master taster, before stepping away to pursue something smaller, more creative, and fully her own. In 2024, Neeley acquired Hidden Barn outright, with Zykan continuing as Master Blender — and all the liquid produced during her tenure, including both Organic batches, reflects her hallmark approach: meticulous barrel selection, variable entry proofs, and a blending philosophy built around harmony rather than uniformity. The brand has earned Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2023 and 2024, and took Best Small Batch, 1st Place at the 2023 New Orleans Bourbon Festival.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottle Info:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Proof: 108\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Nose: Clove, fresh tobacco, spearmint\u003cbr\u003e- Palate: Caramel, medium-bodied, white pepper\u003cbr\u003e- Finish: Clean, lengthy tobacco\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is USDA Certified Organic Bourbon?:\u003c\/strong\u003e To carry a USDA Organic certification, every grain in the mashbill must be grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers — and the distillery itself must meet certified organic facility standards throughout production and bottling. In bourbon, this is a meaningful distinction: corn, wheat, and rye are among the most heavily treated commodity crops in American agriculture, so sourcing certified organic grain requires a deliberate supply chain and a producer willing to pay a significant premium for it. The result isn't always a dramatically different flavor, but it represents a level of provenance and transparency that serious whiskey drinkers increasingly value.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hidden Barn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45165937393859,"sku":"861490000495","price":79.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/files\/hf_20260428_185019_8d0bd44f-befc-4675-866d-d1395c463841.png?v=1783353042"},{"product_id":"hidden-barn-kentucky-straight-bourbon-whiskey-750ml","title":"Hidden Barn Perfect Harmony Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 750ml","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eAbout the Product:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e Every year, Hidden Barn releases exactly one Madeira-finished bourbon — and every year, it sells out. \"Perfect Harmony\" is the 2024 edition, the third installment in the series and the one that took home Best Finished Bourbon at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival. It starts with six-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon built on Neeley Family Distillery's house mashbill, transferred into first-use Madeira casks for seven months of secondary aging. What makes this release distinct is what happens next: after the finish, the eight-barrel blend was open-air vatted for several days, allowing oxygen to work through the batch and coax out a final layer of integration and balance. Master Distiller Royce Neeley and Master Blender Jackie Zykan named it \"Perfect Harmony\" for exactly that reason — the bourbon and the residual Madeira don't compete, they complete.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Hidden Barn:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hidden Barn was co-founded by former Old Forester Master Taster Jackie Zykan alongside Royce Neeley of Neeley Family Distillery and Nate Winegar of Denver's 5280 Whiskey Society — a group that came together over a shared belief that small-batch blending, done with real intention, could produce something the big brands simply can't. Zykan spent seven years at Brown-Forman's Old Forester, eventually holding the title of master taster, before stepping away to pursue something smaller, more creative, and fully her own. In 2024, Neeley acquired Hidden Barn outright, with Zykan continuing as Master Blender through the brand's most celebrated releases — including all three Madeira finish batches. The 2022 and 2023 Madeira editions both earned Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the 2024 \"Perfect Harmony\" added Best Finished Bourbon at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival to the collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottle Info:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Proof: 99.9\u003cbr\u003e- Age: 6 Years (plus 7-month Madeira finish)\u003cbr\u003e- Madeira Cask Finish: 7 Months (first-use casks)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Nose: Toffee, overripe red fruits, apple pie, oxidized rose\u003cbr\u003e- Palate: Dense and creamy, full-bodied vanilla, hint of raisin\u003cbr\u003e- Finish: Slightly dry mint, nutmeg, cardamom\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is Madeira?:\u003c\/strong\u003e Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, made from a handful of grape varietals and intentionally oxidized during production — a process that gives it an unusually long shelf life and a distinctive flavor profile of dried fruit, caramel, and nutty depth. Unlike most wines, Madeira is heated and exposed to oxygen as part of its aging, which concentrates its sugars and tannins in a way that few other wines can match. When a bourbon spends months in a cask that previously held Madeira, those residual sugars and oxidative notes absorb into the whiskey, layering in dark fruit, raisin, and a gentle vinous sweetness that plays beautifully against the vanilla and oak already present in the spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hidden Barn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45165937557699,"sku":"860008780522","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/files\/hf_20260428_185146_50deba9a-df87-4cfc-98f5-c97f222cdb5f.png?v=1783353102"},{"product_id":"hidden-barn-kentucky-straight-bourbon-whiskey-small-batch-750ml","title":"Hidden Barn Slow Fade Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Small Batch 750ml","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Product:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"Slow Fade\" is the tenth release in Hidden Barn's Series One lineup — and the first in the series to receive a proper name. The title comes straight from the whiskey itself: Master Blender Jackie Zykan noted the way the sweetness lingers and gradually retreats on the finish, leaving behind warmth and a clean, lasting glow rather than an abrupt cutoff. It's an eleven-barrel blend of five-to-six-year-old bourbon distilled by Royce Neeley at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, Kentucky, double pot distilled and fermented with wild-crafted Appalachian yeast in open cypress fermentation tanks — a production method the Neeley family has practiced for generations that gives their distillate a character column stills simply can't replicate. Bottled straight from the barrel at cask strength with only sediment filtration, this is Hidden Barn's core vision at its most unfiltered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Hidden Barn:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hidden Barn was co-founded in 2022 by former Old Forester Master Taster Jackie Zykan alongside Royce Neeley of Neeley Family Distillery and Nate Winegar of Denver's 5280 Whiskey Society. The brand's name pays homage to Kentucky farmers who painted their barns black during Prohibition to conceal the whiskey fungus growing on their walls — a quiet, communal act of solidarity with distillers. Zykan spent seven years as master taster at Brown-Forman's Old Forester before stepping away to build something smaller and fully her own, where every blend starts with just a handful of barrels and every outlying note has to earn its place. In 2024, Neeley acquired Hidden Barn outright, with Zykan continuing as Master Blender through the brand's most decorated stretch — earning Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2023 and 2024, Best Small Batch 1st Place at the 2023 New Orleans Bourbon Festival, and Best of Class from The Tasting Alliance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottle Info:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Proof: 106.5 (non-chill filtered, sediment filtration only)\u003cbr\u003e- Age: 5–6 Years\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e- Nose: Brown butter, black cherry, orange zest\u003cbr\u003e- Palate: Dark cacao, hazelnut, perfectly viscous mouthfeel\u003cbr\u003e- Finish: Sweet, slow-fading warmth, clean longevity\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is Double Pot Still Distillation?:\u003c\/strong\u003e Most American bourbon is produced on column stills — tall, continuous-run columns that can process large volumes of grain mash efficiently and produce a relatively clean, consistent distillate. Pot still distillation takes the opposite approach: the mash is heated in a single vessel and the vapor is collected in one batch at a time, capturing more of the grain's natural oils, esters, and congeners along the way. The result is a heavier, more texturally complex spirit — richer in mouthfeel, more expressive of the grain, and often carrying earthy or rustic depth that column-distilled bourbon doesn't. It's a more labor-intensive method, more common in Irish and Scotch whisky traditions, and relatively rare in Kentucky — which is part of what gives Neeley Family Distillery's distillate its distinctive character.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hidden Barn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45165937787075,"sku":"860008780508","price":79.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0675\/5038\/0227\/files\/hf_20260428_184531_2e9d14a9-7512-462a-90e0-30f0f66cffb8.png?v=1783353099"}],"url":"https:\/\/whiskeylibrary.com\/collections\/hidden-barn.oembed","provider":"Whiskey Library LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}