The Frenchman - Starring Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in New French Oak Barrels

Bourbon, movie references, and fun barrel finishes? It’s like Lucky Seven Spirits was made for us! Founded by Michael Lahalih and John Pals, best friends from college who basically lived “The Last Dance” as valet drivers in Chicago during the second Bulls three-peat, their story is pretty much the dream for any whiskey-hunting duo: making the jump from FaceTiming to see what allocated products are on shelves across the country, to wanting to buy just one barrel, to starting a brand that puts out incredibly delicious Kentucky Bourbon. Mike says, “It’s been an amazing ride for us. We think we got pretty lucky, no pun intended.” We say INTEND THAT PUN, because the brand name is just perfect for this movie-quoting pair (JP said they were quoting Chevy Chase’s “This is crazy, this is crazy, this is CRAZY” after they bought their first parcel of barrels), with the name Lucky Seven being taken from the name of the iconic “Lucky Stage Seven” in Hollywood, on which several Best Picture Winners, including Casablanca (“of all the whiskey joints, in all the towns, in all the world…”), were shot. But the luck also came with a lot of hard work and attention to details, especially in their amazing bottles, one of our all-time favorites, with a movie ticket front label, a harlequin pattern that serves as an homage to jockey silks, and sexy gold foil. For their early releases they even had short films made that you could watch from a QR code available once you peeled back the ticket stub on the bottle (and you can still watch them on their website).

But, as always, the most important thing is what’s INSIDE the glass, and that’s where Lucky Seven truly shines! Connections for good Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey aren’t easy to come by, but they’re also adding so much complexity to what was already delicious juice. The Frenchman release is a perfect example of that, demonstrating Master Blender Ashley Barnes’ methodical artistry, taking different batches of various bourbon mashbills, blending and finishing to taste based on the season, taking advantage of their custom Kelvin barrels (in this case, French Oak from Napa tailored perfectly to their needs with final toasting and charring) to dial in the final product. The finish (3-5 months depending on the time of year) adds the right amount of extra nuance and complexity. This is truly the perfect way to end a Blind Barrels flight, a proper nightcap, with incredible mouthfeel and texture, and a flavor profile that just continues to keep opening up the longer it sits in the glass (we found it to be completely different after 45 minutes). The most beautiful whiskeys deserve the most time, and this is one you won’t want to rush! As Mike puts it, “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We know what’s good and we want to keep putting that front and center as often as we can.” As for what they’re excited about for the future (aside from making a short film for this release - Bobby suggests a “The French Connection” theme, while Seabass votes for a Wes Anderson-style “The French Dispatch” vibe), JP takes it back to the basics, saying, “What excites me is the the core group, the people that are your customers. That's how we started as a brand. As we got bigger, more people got to try it. But it always goes back to those core people.” So shout out to you guys, especially Laura from CA who made this rec, and sit back and enjoy this perfect Sample D!