Small batch whiskey

Bottle from Bodie, California

Small batch whiskey is a term usually referring to bourbon or rye whiskey, and denotes a whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels. Small-batch whiskeys are positioned for the upper-premium market, and are typically aged from six to nine years in oak barrels,^[1] but more limited series aged at least up to 23 years are also available. The majority of small batch whiskeys are produced in Kentucky, the state most traditionally associated with whiskey (and especially with bourbon).^{[citation needed]}

Definition

A small batch Kentucky straight bourbon.

There are generally no clear criteria as to what defines a "small batch" – for example, there no federal regulations that define the use of the term in the United States.^[2] Many producers of whiskeys labeled as such do not provide a clear indication of what they mean by the term.

Batch sizes

• The company that produces Maker's Mark says that the traditional definition is a whiskey produced using "approximately 1,000 gallons or less (20 barrels) from a mash bill of around 200 bushels of grain".^[3][4][5]
• Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, a producer of bourbon and rye whiskey, uses at most 12 barrels^[6] per batch for its small batch brands.
• George Dickel uses "approximately 10 barrels" of whiskey to make each batch of its Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey brand.^[7]

Brands that bottle from small batches

Brands that advertise whiskeys as being small batch whiskeys include 1792 Ridgemont Reserve,^[8] Basil Hayden's,^[1] Dickel Barrel Select,^[7] Glen Garioch^[9][10][11] Hudson Baby Bourbon,^[12] Maker's Mark,^[4]<ref = name=Edencroft>Bourbon – Maker's Mark, Edencroft Fine Wines.</ref> Rowan's Creek,^[13] Woodford Reserve, and Wyoming Whiskey.^[14]

Brands that offer small batch bottlings of rye whiskeys include Black Maple Hill and Classic Cask.

See also

• Bottled in bond
• Single barrel whiskey
• Single malt whisky

References