Bourbon Bonanza: Yellowstone Hand Picked Single Barrel Review

For my next Bourbon post, I wanted to tackle a much more common topic in US whiskey than Single Malts: Store Picks or Hand Picks. I picked this Yellowstone Hand Picked Single Barrel for today’s review. Unwittingly, I stumbled into a thornier subject. The topic of sourced whiskey, or whisky bottled under one brand but produced, and often aged, by a different distillery. And that comes with some thought on consumer transparency, always a hot topic in whisky.

You say Hand Pick, I say Store Pick

A store-pick or hand-pick bourbon is a single-barrel bourbon selected by a retailer, liquor store, bar, or private group from a distillery’s inventory. Instead of buying a standard batch release, the store or group selects a unique barrel. This is then bottled exclusively for them. This is a much more common concept in the US than in Europe. It seems to be changing somewhat. From time to time, I have seen some Scottish distilleries like Ardnamurchan release store-picked single-cask bottling.

Potentially, this selection allows consumers to access special barrels with unique flavour profiles and higher quality than standard releases. When a store pick is done right, there are some real gems to be found. But so much is based on the reputation of the brand and the picker. 

My store picks scepticism

I do, however, have several issues with the concept of store picks. First of all, unless you know and trust the store or person making the pick, it is hard to trust that the drinking experience will translate into quality that will resonate with you. At best, you might end up with something picked by someone with a very different taste than yours. Nothing wrong there apart from the potential disappointment. Worst case, the pick was done by someone who has more money than skill to recognise a good barrel. And that is a more disappointing case altogether. 

What makes me even more doubtful is the flood of store picks I have seen from certain brands. The Yellowstone Hand Picked Single Barrel line I am about to review, in particular, is something I seem to find in most liquor stores when I visit the US. I find it hard to believe there is an infinite stock of great barrels waiting to be picked up by all those stores. Store picks can artificially create an air of exclusivity and drive inflated prices for a liquid that does not warrant the price. And you know I am definitely not a fan of that, if you spent some time on Road to Dram.

And then there is the issue of provenance and transparency.

Yellowstone liquid… or probably not

When I bought this bottle, curious to check a store pick from a liquor store I regularly visit when I travel to the US. But more than anything, I wanted to try Yellowstone and its distillate. I was a bit surprised when I read that it was selected by Golden TIcket, not the store’s name. To this day, I know absolutely nothing about who or what Golden Ticket is. I blame myself for not asking in-store for more details. What did catch my attention, and not in a positive way, was the generic “Distilled and Aged in Kentucky” mention, in small print, at the back of the label.

This is a clear signal that the liquid in the bottle is sourced and not distilled by Yellowstone. In theory, this could be a blend of Yellowstone spirit and sourced spirit, or rather, it could be if it was a standard bottling. It is much likelier that the barrel and its contents were sourced, considering this is a single barrel.

Sourcing s is one of the aspects of the US whiskey market which, at times, infuriates me. It is not the sourcing itself. After all, that is no different in principle than what Independent Bottlers do in Europe. You buy whisky someone else produced and you sell it under your brand.

I dislike it when it becomes a lack of transparency for the consumer, who often might even be oblivious (like I was) to this taking place. I want to know if your liquid is sourced clearly and, even better, where it is from. If you do not share this information, my trust in your brand, its quality and its value, will quickly go down the drain.

Yellowstone Hand Picked Collection (Selected by Golden Ticket) Single Barrel

Tasting Notes

Colour: A nice rich amber

Nose: As soon as I pour this into my Glencairn, there is quite a bit of ethanol and barrel char, which disappears pretty quickly. Once the alcoholic hit dissipates, I get loads of baked banana, peanut brittle, and dusty peanut shells. Those aromas dominate for some time, and then slowly, other notes develop: yellow fruit, vanilla, a bit of spice—more nutmeg and allspice than the usual cinnamon—stewed corn, and a slight peppermint note.  

Adding water to smoothen the alcoholic edge does this no favours: the banana and peanut aromas remain, but everything else fades in the background.

Taste and finish: For a high ABV Bourbon, the texture is a bit thin. The taste is predominantly sweet, with caramel and toffee, Danish pastries, peanut butter and a noticeable barrel char. The finish is medium, but hot, more from the spice, like eating loads of cinnamon drops, than from the alcohol.

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After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here is a review of a Yellowstone Hand Picked Single Casks I  enjoyed:

Whiskey Vault

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