I had the privilege of picking a barrel out at the Four Roses Distillery a few weeks back. This is the second year that I was invited by my friends at The Wine Palace in Livonia, MI. It was a blast and a high water mark of my 2025 whiskey adventures. Four Roses is known to have the best private barrel selection program, and I whole-heartedly agree with that statement. I’ve been on a few.  This is the best!

Mandy Vance is the manager of the Private Barrel Selection process at Four Roses. She is known for her role in guiding groups through the barrel selection experience. I met her for the first time last year and she vibed well with our four person team. We are all knowledgeable, lively and made it fun. Last year I just listened and followed directions.  This year I asked more questions. I thought how cool she gets to do this as her living. 

Her job involves coordinating and leading the barrel picking process. She will handle 1,501 private barrel picks this year, with roughly two-thirds of them taking place in person and one-third happening remotely with samples being shipped. The picks can start as early as 7:30 a.m., but are more commonly closer to 10:00 a.m.  Ours began at 10:00 a.m. For such a great opportunity, you quickly forget how challenging it is to drink bourbon that early in the day. Somebody had to do it. I was up for the challenge.

After our arrival, we were directed to “thief” samples from each of the ten available barrels. If the term thief is new to you, it’s the term to describe a process of using a specialized tool to extract a sample of whiskey directly from a barrel. The tool itself is called a ‘whiskey thief’ It’s essentially a long hallow copper tube that acts like a straw.  

The four of us began the process. a unique experience. Groups are presented with ten bourbon samples to taste. Four Roses has two mash bills and five proprietary yeast strains, which results in ten different recipes. So, there we were, each with ten glencairns in front of each of us.  They were each numbered and positioned on our individual lazy Susan’s. We were not told the age, recipe, or proof of the samples. We had to rely on our palates to choose a barrel. The process involved lively debate as we tasted through each sample, one at a time. Eventually, we narrowed down the choice to a final four, tasted those all again, before arriving at our unanimous decision.  We had two hours allotted.  We used every minute.

Once the barrel was chosen, we signed the barrel head and took photos with our selection. From here, the barrel will continue to age a few more weeks until it is scheduled for bottling. I believe it will ship to Michigan sometime in October. And I wouldn’t be surprised if The Wine Palace held it back for a Thanksgiving Week release. It’s a great bottle and customers are going to be very happy with it.  I’m holding back specifics on proof and recipe so the store can do their own reveal.

Have you ever had something good happen to you in the morning that carried through and put you in a great mood all day?  That was this day. I can’t wait to huddle up with the guys, and Mandy, next year and do it again. It’s a special experience, and one I will savor for a long time to come.