NOLADrinks Show – 1-21-19 – Barrel Selection in the Bourbon World

On this edition of The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias we talk about barrel selection in the world of bourbon – what it is, how it works, and more. We’re joined by Liam Deegan of Barrel Proof, Sean Josephs of Pinhook Bourbon, and Tracy Napolitano of the New Orleans Bourbon Festival.

Pictured above from left – Bryan Dias of The NOLADrinks Show, Sean Josephs of Pinhook Bourbon, Liam Deegan of Barrel Proof, and Tracy Napolitano of New Orleans Bourbon Festival.

NOLADrinks Show – 1-21-19 – Barrel Selection in the Bourbon World

We kick things off lamenting about the travesty that was the end of the Saints game in the NFC championship. We also let you know what’s up on this week’s show.

Then, we head over to the “Lower, Lower Garden District (the LLG)” to Barrel Proof, a whiskey driven bar. We’re joined there by the establishment’s co-proprietor, Liam Deegan, co-owner of Pinhook Bourbon, Sean Josephs, and Tracy Napolitano showrunner for the New Orleans Bourbon Festival and an avid bourbon collector.

The theme of today’s conversation is discussing the concept of barrel selection in the bourbon world. We chat about what it is, how it works, why businesses and others do it, and more.

We get three different perspectives – as a bourbon producer, Sean offers insight into how Pinhook works. As a non-distillery, much of what they put out is selected single barrel bourbons that fit their profile and business model. Liam offers thoughts and experiences on how bars and other similar businesses get involved with selecting barrels for their establishments. Tracy shares his experiences on visiting distilleries (which you don’t necessarily have to do – but, it’s fun) to make selections and how he’s doing so for the festival.

It’s an interesting chat on the process, how some of the economics work, and what enthusiasts can experience when encountering bourbon from selected barrels. Of course, we taste a few expressions and chat about them, as well, including the benefits of tasting at cask strength.

Pictured at left, from left – Sean Josephs of Pinhook Bourbon, Bryan Dias of The NOLADrinks Show, Liam Deegan of Barrel Proof, and Tracy Napolitano of New Orleans Bourbon Festival.

We let you know about Barrel Proof, Pinhook Bourbon, and how you can attend the New Orleans Bourbon Festival, as well. Our three guests stick around for our podcast-only portion, “Another Shot with NOLADrinks,” where we continue the conversation. We close things out with more on the Saints game (sorry out-of-town listeners – it’s how we do!)

The map below shows the location of Barrel Proof. You can subscribe to, stream, and download The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias podcast using the links and player above.

Cheers, You All!

~ Bryan