Jackie Zykan ex Old Forester master taster has in her new role as master blender at Hidden Barn, announced the release of its newest offering in its Series One expression, titled Slow Fade. Slow Fade is another very small batch release that was made using wild Appalachian yeast.
Back in 2022 Jackie Zykan in partnership with Neeley Family Distillery launched the bourbon brand Hidden Barn. This new bourbon, like all distillates from the Neeley Family Distillery, was double pot distilled following fermentation with wild-crafted Appalachian yeast, a method the Neeley Family has employed for many years. To create products with rustic depth and dimension, the special procedure also uses open cypress fermentation tanks and sweet mash.
Royce Neeley distilled casks aged five to six years, and Jackie Zykan combined them to create Slow Fade. Neeley's signature blend of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley makes up the mashbill.
Instead of going through the cold filtration process, Slow Fade was just filtered to remove sediment before being bottled at 106.5 proof. According to Zykan, it’s a well balanced bourbon with notes of brown butter, black cherry, and orange zest on the nose, followed by cacao and hazelnut on the palate. The name comes from Zykan’s note that there is a sweetness that fades slowly on the finish with a bit of warmth from the higher proof.
Slow Fade is a limited edition product (SRP $80) and can be found at the Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, Kentucky, as well as a few stores in Kentucky, Indiana, New York, California, Georgia, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico.
