We’ve given you whiskey finished in used cooperage. We’ve given you whiskey that isn’t finished at all. So for our 4th release, we wanted the barrel experts at Kelvin Cooperage to show off their skills with new cooperate and create something unique and innovative. They delivered.

After crafting a series of medium toast casks, then a series of #2 char casks, and finally a third series of #4 char casks, William Hornaday and his team at Kelvin broke all the barrels apart and rebuilt them, alternating between toasted staves and #2 char staves on some barrels, and toasted and #4 char staves on others, they have created the first ever “Split Stave™” barrels.

To fill them, we blended a 5.5 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon and a 12 Year Old  Kentucky Straight Bourbon and let them rest in our Split Stave barrels for five months. We produced 2,700 bottles from this inaugural release of Split Stave™ by Kelvin. It is uncut and unfiltered at 115.6 proof.

SPLIT STAVE BY KELVIN (Batch 4) Stats

• Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 5.5 Year Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
• 12 Year Mash Bill: 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley
• Non-Chill Filtered
• 115.6 Proof
• 2,700 Bottles

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CHIEF BLENDING OFFICER

Nose:  Dark cocoa powder with hints of creamy crème brûlée

Taste: Oak is front and center on the tip of the tongue while sweet custard and cinnamon notes strike the mid-palate

Finish: Long and rich, the oak notes intermingle with dark chocolate and earthy tobacco for an intense finish