SPARTA, KY (July 24, 2024) –Hidden Barn Bourbon’s Series 1, Batch 23B has won a double gold at The Tasting Alliance’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition in the Small Batch Bourbon – up to 5 Years category and is a finalist for its Best in Class awards, which will be announced in October 2024. The judges described 23B as “a perfectly balanced bourbon” and awarded it a score of 98 points. This is the second year in a row a Hidden Barn Bourbon has won a double gold at the esteemed San Francisco award competition.
Batch 23B, released in the fall of 2023, was distilled at Neeley Family Distillery and blended by Jackie Zykan. The two have paired up for six other Hidden Barn Bourbon releases, including a Seven-Year-Old bourbon, released on July 7th of this year. Batch 23B is a blend of 20 barrels aged five to six years old using Neeley’s flagship mashbill of 70 percent corn, 20 percent rye and 10 percent malted barley.
Like all Neeley Family Distillery distillates, this bourbon was double pot distilled after fermenting with wild-crafted Appalachian yeast, a practice of the Neeley Family dating back generations. Batch 23B was bottled at cask strength at 110.1 proof with only sediment filtration.
“We’re so humbled that Hidden Barn has won double gold medals back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, in what is one of the most distinguished and also largest spirits competitions,” said Master Blender Jackie Zykan. “To have the judges describe it as ‘perfectly balanced’ is an enormous compliment as a blender, especially in such a crowded category as small batch bourbon.”
Zykan’s tasting notes for this bourbon call it rich and intense, with a buttery caramel corn base, dark fruit and florals, and significant baked apple. A touch of pepper throughout ramps up into a robust finish complemented by dried peppermint and anise.
Suggested retail pricing for the Hidden Barn Series 1, 23B is $74.99. It is available at Neeley Family Distillery gift shop, online and at retail in Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, Missouri, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
About Hidden Barn Bourbon
Hidden Barn’s name harkens back to the local communities who painted their barns black in solidarity with distillers during Prohibition. This sense of community is continued today through the passion for quality whiskey and camaraderie shared by its three partners, Jackie Zykan, Royce Neeley and Nate Winegar. Together, the three friends bring their own strengths – a superior palate, distilling prowess, and a powerhouse connector to form Hidden Barn Bourbon. Previous Hidden Barn Series have earned Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2023 and 2024 and Best Small Batch, 1st Place at the 2023 New Orleans Bourbon Festival. Hidden Barn Bourbon is owned by Neeley Family Distillery. The brand is available online and in select states. For more information visit hiddenbarnwhiskey.com
About The San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2000 and is the largest competition of its kind with nearly 5,000 entries. Each entry is judged double blind by a panel of spirits experts. A double gold medal is awarded when each judge on the panel gives a gold medal to the entry. The SFWSC medal is a testament to the hard work of the spirits industry’s distillers and producers and is a universally recognized indicator of exceptional quality and craftsmanship.
