In September 2019, Lux Row released ~6,000 bottles of Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon to commemorate the 2-year anniversary of the distillery’s grand opening. Odd timing aside (September release to celebrate an April anniversary), this mainly distillery-only release (with some bottles making it to select Kentucky retailers) offers an interesting concept by blending 2 barrels at a time, hence “double barrel”. In this case it does not mean additional aging in a second charred oak barrel (e.g., Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Old Forester 1910 Bourbon).
Even though you could call 2 barrels “small batch”, in spirit this falls between single barrel and small batch, providing the focus of a single barrel while marrying two so you get the best of both. This also means that there’s going to be variation between different bottlings. The particular blend for this review comes from barrels 5071911 and 5071915, both barreled on 8/16/06. Images of other bottles indicate that Lux Row used barrels aged as early as July 2006 and as late as May 2007 (~10 month difference), so while some blends are closer to 12 years, others may actually be nearly 13 years. Let’s learn more about this celebratory release in this Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel bourbon review.