Grain & Barrel Spirits has introduced Chicken Cock Master Distiller’s Pick, a 15-year-old limited-edition barrel proof release. 

Master Distiller Gregg Snyder handpicked 10 of the brand’s best and oldest barrels, sampling them periodically during the finishing process to evaluate the spectacular transformation.

He determined that the flavor combinations reached their peak in the barrel at 114-proof (57% ABV).  

“This powerhouse 15-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, which we bottled at barrel proof, displays an amazing array of complex flavors,” said Snyder. 

“It was well worth the wait.” 

Chicken Cock Master Distiller’s Pick features a mash bill of 78.5% corn, 13% rye and 8.5% malted barley, this expression was non-chill filtered and bottled in an original pre-prohibition Chicken Cock replica glass bottle, which includes a metal overcap. 

Tasting Notes: 

• Appearance: beautiful, rich, deep dark auburn with long, slow legs in the glass 
• Aroma: wonderful aromas of toasted oak, dark chocolate covered cherries, spice and slight citrus, with a hint of leather 
• Taste: exquisite and complex sweet caramel, vanilla bean, butterscotch, dried dark fruit (figs/raisins), and pleasant bittersweet chocolate flavors on the palate 
• Finish: long and delightful with hints of honey, pepper and cinnamon, complimented by soft oak lactones with just the right amount of dryness to enhance the sweet elements, all contained within a firm barrel proof “Kentucky hug” all the way down

Established in 1856 in Paris, Kentucky, Chicken Cock rose to fame as the house whiskey at The Cotton Club, one of Prohibition’s most legendary speakeasies. 

After Prohibition, the brand enjoyed a resurgent couple of decades before a distillery fire just after World War II put it out of business. In 2012, Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits, rediscovered the brand and set out to resurrect it to its Prohibition-era glory.