Today we celebrate the 5th birthday of Seelbach’s. Technically, it was yesterday. The superstition of launching Seelbach’s on Friday the 13th five years ago didn’t even occur to me. It’s fun to read that first email and reflect on the 11 bottles we sold that day. They’re all bottles from distillers and blenders we still carry today. Things have changed a lot in the past 5 years. To go from a 10′ x 12′ storage unit to where we are today still shocks me. Brands that didn’t exist in 2018 are now a core part of what we do. Drinkers continue to want to dive deeper into bottles. An emphasis on transparency is still needed. There are hundreds of craft producers across the country making incredible whiskey, and Seelbach’s can’t wait to tell their story. Below, I outlined the Seelbach’s mission in the first email. The mechanics continue to change, but the mission remains the same. Thank you to everyone that has been a part and supported the Seelbach’s journey over the last five years!
7/13/2018: Seelbach’s is an online retail site that provides a vetted selection of craft spirits. I still love bourbons from major distilleries. However, when eight distilleries make 99% of the bourbon on the market I think we may be overlooking some great brands. I want to share stories about distilleries using heritage grains or doing true grain to glass distilling. These stories will happen on the Seelbach’s site.
When I first got my start in whiskey I was primarily a rye drinker. I thought there was a complexity in ryes that bourbons those days often missed. Fast forward six or so years and I’ve defaulted more to a bourbon drinker. That being said, when I think of the type of rye that keeps me coming back, I think of pours like this recent Barrell.
There is always some exciting concoction in the private release program of Barrell Craft Spirits – as is true with this blend of Indiana and Canadian Ryes finished in XO Cognac Casks.
The nose has all the herbal and citrus you love about a rye base, but with an extra layer of powdered sugar topped raspberry and layers of perfumed spice from the finishing.
The palate reveals a multitude of layers of oak and tannin on the backdrop of perfectly buttered rye toast with mixed fruit jam.
The finish is long and soft and balanced with baking spice and toasted wood sugars.