The Process

To make our popular Fiddler Heartwood Bourbon, Master Distiller Justin Manglitz harvests white oak trees in his stomping grounds of North Georgia. From there, the oak is slabbed, cured/seasoned, charred and added to the barrels.

Slabbing & CURING

Once the north Georgia oak is harvested, we split the heartwood (desirable portion of the wood, with whiskey lactones that impart sweet and nutty flavors) from the sapwood (undesirable, bitter portion of the wood) into slabs using a bandsaw.

These slabs cure in the elements for over a year to leech out tannins.

SPLITTING & CHARRING

After the slabs have cured, they’re split into staves that will slot into the barrels, then charred with direct flame.

The hand-splitting and charring process result in pieces with varying widths and levels of char (usually varying between char 3, 4, and 5). This is perfect for creating variability in flavor profile amongst the barrels.

BARRELING

Barrels can receive anywhere from 18-30 staves for the stave-finishing. Time with the staves varies and largely depends on personal preference. Once the desired flavor profile is reached, barrels are bottled at Cask Strength with no chill filtration to preserve maximum flavor.

The Finished Product

The end result is a Gold Medal-winning Cask Strength Bourbon between 112 and 117 proof that drinks exceptionally smooth, with a deep copper color. Each barrel yields around 200 bottles, and while each barrel’s flavor profile differs, tasting notes often include caramel, clove, maple, orange peel, and toffee.