If there is one thing about bourbon I haven’t gotten bored with over the years, it’s selecting a private barrel. Every so often, a truly special one stands out from the others. Such was the case when, earlier this year, we got this incredible short barrel OESF for Mike Bridges at Jack’s in Fremont, Nebraska. It’s the “Bitch Wolf Barrel” we named after Ruthie from the show ‘Ozark.’

Bottle from The Bitch Wolf Barrel (notice the recipe in the symbols?)

The whiskey inside was magnificent, so I definitely wanted to do something fitting with the barrel itself. I always loved the whiskey bar my friend Brian Haara had created out of the first Bourbon Crusaders Deatsville Elijah Craig barrel, and I reached out to him for help.

Brian connected me with Kentuckian David Ballard, who did the work on his barrel. David and I talked over the project and he gave me several options. Like Brian, I chose locking doors, lazy susans and interior lights. He even gave me a choice of stain color, which you can see add a richness when compared to my other barrel in the picture.

The barrel came back today and I couldn’t be happier with the quality of craftsmanship. There were even little details I didn’t expect like wheels on the bottom and a hanging hook inside one of the doors! It’s the perfect place to house my most special Four Roses bottles.

These are a few of my favorite things.

If you’re interested in having something similar done for yourself, David told me I could share his email address: dballard_59@yahoo.com. I don’t get any referral fee or discount. I can tell David takes incredible pride in the work he does and I want to share the love!

*Thank you to Michael Lincoln for driving and picking up the barrel for me.

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