Jimmy Red Bottled-in-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey (High Wire Distilling Co.)

Shout out to Jeff for this recommendation! It’s not an exaggeration to say that High Wire Distilling Co. is one of the most-hyped craft distilleries - after all, Julian Van Winkle called it “the next great collectible whiskey”. And it’s easy to see why, as few whiskey-makers pay more attention to the details as much as founders Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall! They know that succeeding in a crowded whiskey scene is a “high wire” act not for the faint of heart, so they went all-in to be different, with a focus on special grains, fantastic branding tied to their South Carolina Low-Country region, and a commitment to revitalize the connection between farmers and distillers that was lost during Prohibition. Scott and Ann have done everything from baking to home brewing, having founded 6 businesses, so they know a bit about how to succeed!

Their “Relentless Pursuit of Flavor” starts in the field, and there’s nowhere where that’s more apparent than with this Jimmy Red Bourbon. They literally brought this heirloom corn varietal back from the dead, working with the folks at Anson Mills and Clemson University to turn the last 2 cobs into what’s become a culinary phenomenon, grown on over 500 acres just for High Wire. Turns out corn is pretty important to the flavor in bourbon, and they knew this Jimmy Red was different from the start, with such high oil content that the milled grain was clumping together into “snowballs” (which we love, as oil equals flavor in whiskey)! As Scott says, “You start with good ingredients and there's a high hope that you're going to end up with something good. You want to coax out the goodness, but don’t mess with it.” At the end of the day, it’s all about their mission to enhance flavor, celebrate farmers, preserve rural lands, and make drinking an agricultural act. We know our Blind Barrels community can get behind that!