Hirsch Gold Tier Private Selection
Beast Masters Club Exclusive Private Barrel
Double Oak
Barreled August, 2014
Bottled March, 2023
8.7 Years Old - 90% (72% Corn, 13% Rye, 15% Malted Barley)
3.7 Years Old - 10% (74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley)
Cask Strength 127.6 Proof

Holy dawg dam golly gee, our first Hirsch barrel! Obviously Hirsch is arguably the most legendary brand in the history of bourbon. If you’ve ever tasted the original gold foil, or if you’re in the tiny echelon of whiskey addicts who’ve managed to taste blue or red wax Hirsch, then you know. If not it’s probably too late, as those bottles are now selling for tens of thousands of dollars.

But back to the matter at hand. Now obviously this juice isn’t that juice, but nonetheless the hype around the return of Hirsch has been serious. They released some 6 and 7 year barrels, we were intrigued, but when this 8.7 year barrel came across our path, we didn’t blink an eye. The “double oak” releases are part of the “Hirsch Gold” series, their oldest releases to date. They take two heritage KY bourbons, blend them, and then finish them in another bourbon barrel. They’re super close to the vest in terms of the sourcing, but we do know that the mash bills on the two bourbons are 72% Corn, 13% Rye, 15% Malted Barley x 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley. Now that 72/13/15 recipe reads a lot like the Willett standard bourbon, and the 74/18/8 reads a lot like the Barton recipe used for 1792 and Cream of Kentucky. That’s about all we can say on the sourcing. Obviously the idea that Willett is sourcing sauce to Hirsch has people going nuts. We cannot confirm or deny.

We can confirm that this is a killer bourbon. It hits a great balance of sweets, spice, wood, cocoa, and leather. The proof is beastly but it drinks smooth AF.