One of my cooler experiences was being invited, along with 5 other members, by the Nashville Bourbon and Social Club to participate in a barrel pick for our club at Lux Row.

If you’ve never been to Lux Row, the drive up to the distillery is beautiful. The Lux Row’s edgy and upscale branding is ingrained in every aspect of their location. Offset from the very nice gift shop is a stand alone house where they do their private barrel selections.

Our day began with a tour of the facilities and their distillation process. It’s a smaller operation than a lot of the major distilleries but it felt quaint and personalized in a way that larger distilleries can’t duplicate. It was also one of the cleanest distilleries I’ve ever stepped foot in. The staff was very friendly and educational, they left a lot of space to ask questions. 

One thing unique about their distillation process is they use a high rye to create their bourbon. This adds a spicy note to the already smooth finish.

After a brief tour of the distillery and rick house, our group was led to the private selection room and seated at a long banquet table with samples offered from ten barrels. Our job that day was to select 4 barrels, 2 barrels from 2 different brands. They gave us a notebook to write down and compare our tasting notes between the selections. In a way, it felt like jury duty, as we all tried to convince each other which barrel was the best. 

After some spirited conversations, we finally landed on 2 unanimous picks. Our barrels were tagged and we began our wait for them to be processed, bottled, and shipped. After receiving them, I was pleasantly surprised to see our names on the label.

This was my first opportunity to be included in a barrel pick and it was an unforgettable experience. If you ever have an opportunity to be a part of a barrel pick do it! I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Live it up,

Chuck