Review: American Single Cask 2bar Spirits Bourbon

By Jacob Kiper | August 20, 2024 |

Independent bottlers of whiskey are quite common in Europe, but have only recently started to create a presence within American whiskey. Within the American whiskey community, independent bottlers seek to transparently feature exceptional casks from some of the best small distillers. If an independent bottler chooses to work with a distiller, it can usually be taken as a sign that a small distiller has “arrived.” Bottlings from producers such as Two Souls Spirits and Lost Lantern can serve as an introduction to quality small distillers that have not yet been discovered on the national stage. Debuting in July 2024, American Single Cask is the newest American independent bottler to join the party. American Single Cask entered the scene with bottlings from distillers previously featured by other independent bottlers, but also ran with distillers not yet touched, such as 2bar Spirits in Seattle.

Seattle’s 2bar Spirits is named in honor of Nathan Kaiser’s family ranch in Texas. Kaiser tabbed Maddie Kelly as head distiller. For this release, American Single Cask selected a bourbon that spent just over 4 years maturing in a toasted barrel with a #4 char manufactured by Barrel Mill. 2bar opted to finish the bourbon for 8 months in a a Syrah-heavy blended red wine barrel from Sparkman Winery in Woodinville, Washington. The Seattle distillery runs a 6-grain mash bill consisting of: 60% corn, 6% wheat, and 34% from 4 different malted barleys. The malt component consists of chocolate, Crystal 150, Crystal 120, and 2-row. Differentiating themselves from most distillers, 2bar runs a long fermentation period of 1 to 2 weeks. The American Single Cask offering went into the barrel at 118 proof and was bottled at a cask strength of 117.8 proof.

The small Seattle distillery isn’t much bigger than a garage, but how big is the whiskey? Let’s find out!

The nose immediately indicates a luscious red wine finish. Aromas of dark chocolate and blackberry rise from the glass. The olfactory experience rounds out with the scent of plump raisins. Nothing about this nose is sweet; it is fantastically dry.

In continuity with the nose, the red wine influence is equally prominent on the palate. Unsweetened cocoa powder coats the tongue, followed by an intense vanilla extract. The midpalate transitions to burnt brown sugar and juicy blackberry. The cocoa powder note feels as if actual dry powder is clinging to the interior of the mouth. The mouthfeel is incredibly dense, but not oily.

American Single Cask’s finish opens with the familiar blackberry and cocoa powder notes, but then takes a detour, transitioning to pencil shavings and lingering ginger snaps for a long and slow simmer.

I thoroughly enjoy everything about this whiskey. American Single Cask and 2bar Spirits give consumers one of the most spectacular chocolate experiences I’ve ever experienced in a whiskey. Tasted blind, it would be highly unlikely to accurately guess the whiskey’s relatively young age. Without doubt, this is one of the more enjoyable wine cask finishes I’ve had in a few years. 2bar Spirits doesn’t yet have a national following, but American Single Cask may help put them on the radar of more whiskey lovers.

117.8 proof.

A / $90 / americansinglecask.com