Why We Put Bourbon in the Barrel at 111 Proof?
Most folks don’t think twice about what proof their bourbon goes into the barrel. Truth is, it makes all the difference in the world. Big distilleries? They’ll run it up to 125, the max the law allows. It saves ‘em money, sure. Less barrel space, more water to add later.
But that ain’t how we do things at Coal Pick. We put ours in at 111 proof. Always have, always will.
The Difference You Can Taste
When you start at 125, you end up with barrels climbing into the 130s — sometimes even 137 proof when you pop ‘em open. Now, what happens when they go to bottle that? They gotta dump a whole lotta water in there just to get it back down to a drinkable proof.
When you start at 111 like we do, that bourbon stays honest. Our single barrels usually land around 113 to 119 proof. Not watered down. Not stretched thin. Just good, solid bourbon the way it ought to be.
Our Labels, Straight Up
- Blue Label – we cut it back to a clean, easy-sipping 100 proof.
- Gray Label & Toasted – that’s straight from the barrel, no cutting. What you taste is what we pulled out of the wood.
Why We Do It
Some people call it old-fashioned. I just call it better whiskey. You don’t have to hide behind water when you put it in the barrel right the first time. Less cutting means more character stays in the bottle.
And if you’re looking at barrels as an investment? That matters too. A buyer down the road wants to know they’re getting bourbon with its soul still in it, not something watered half to death.
We could chase numbers like everybody else, but around here we’d rather chase quality. 111 proof may not be the cheapest way, but it’s the right way. You’ll taste it in every sip, and if you’re putting money into a barrel, you’ll see it in the value too.