Newsletter No. 15: August 2025
Whiskey matures at its own pace. As a new distillery we are still learning how our whiskey matures over time, and what variables influence that process. This month we took the opportunity to sample fifteen of our most promising two-plus-year-old barrels to assess current state and character and, more importantly, determine if any are ready for bottling.
A taster’s nose and palate are sharpest in the morning. In fact, sensory professionals across industries - beverage, fragrance and otherwise - typically schedule their assessments in the morning hours to maximize olfactory and taste bud alertness. And thus our epic fifteen-barrel tasting commenced at 9:30 AM.
Drinking whiskey in the morning takes practice. And, “drinking,” is not entirely accurate, as we are typically not imbibing spirits while the sun is still climbing. Rather, we are nosing and tasting only. The experience was enlightening - each barrel presenting a different profile, but also strong threads of commonality across the lot, like siblings in a large family.
Here is a sample of abbreviated tasting notes from this recent tasting:
clove, vanilla, fennel, black tea
rich dark honey and spice, black tea and grapefruit
orange, clove, vanilla, apple
classic orange, tea and honey; balanced sweet and spice, hints of graham cracker
Of the fifteen barrels sampled, maybe half showed signs of nearing maturity, and perhaps will be ready for release late in 2025. The others showed promise and potential but, as whiskey is want to do, they are maturing at their own pace.
A bushel is a unit of volume. A bushel is equal to four pecks or, more familiarly, 32 quarts. For real-world context, consider the volume of a laundry basket, a large cooler, or 40 pound bag or rock salt and you’ll have an approximate point of reference for the dimensions of a bushel.
Grain volumes are measured in bushels due to both tradition, and for ease of comparison given different grain density. A bushel of corn weighs more than a bushel of barley - sixty pounds for the former, and forty-eight pounds for the later. But a bushel of each is exactly the same volume: four pecks.
Our 2025 harvest is now complete, and was our largest to date, coming in at nearly 2000 bushels. The tally includes:
1000 bushels of Danko rye
600 bushels of Hazlet rye
325 bushels of Violeta barley
50 bushels of Excelsior Gold spring barley
On average, we realized 40 bushels per acre. Though far below conventional farming yields, our yield is typical for organic small grain farming, and presents an opportunity to increase yields in the future through active field management. Examples of active management include planting grain earlier in the fall, managing seed density, and introducing light fertilization and weed control.
Choice of crop is another consideration. For the second year in a row our spring barley crop was a disappointment. In this case, seven acres of Excelsior Gold spring barley failed to flourish in the field, yielding only 50 bushels total instead of an expected 300. The barley we did harvest from this field seems viable, but the opportunity cost is real. This 50 bushels of Excelsior Gold will only realize two barrels-worth of estate grown whiskey, which is far less than we’d hoped for for this growing season. With this in mind, we are now planning our fall planting and field rotation, with a strong inclination to focus 100% of our efforts on winter grains and forgo spring barley altogether.
Rojan Summerfest (Hillsdale). Saturday, August 9th. roejansummerfest.com
The Grow Show @berkshirebotanical (Stockbridge). Saturday, August 9th - Sunday, August 10th. berkshirebotanical.org
Hudson x Beacon Wine Tasting with Paul Brady Wine and the Cidiot Podcast @Neverstill (Hudson), Saturday, August 16th (3-8 PM only). neverstillwines.com
Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Drawing on the Land: A Design Symposium (Canaan). Saturday, August 16th. berkshirebotanical.org
156th Running of the Travers Stakes (Saratoga). Saturday, August 23th. saratogaracetrack.com
Columbia County Fair (Chatham). “Always over Labor Day,” Wednesday, August 27th - Monday, September 1st. columbiafair.com
Festival of Books (Spencertown). August 29th-September 1st (donations accepted through August 10th). spencertownacademy.org
We hope you enjoyed our free newsletter. Be sure to subscribe and please share with a friend if you think they would enjoy it as well. For more information about Silver Brothers, visit silverbrothers.com and follow us on Instagram @silverbrotherswhiskey.