14: Nic Christiansen of Barrell Craft Spirits Pieces Together the Blended Whiskey Puzzle

As blender and manager of blending operations for the blend-focused brand Barrell Craft Spirits, (https://www.barrellbourbon.com) Nic Christiansen’s job is to understand flavors, how they develop, and how they interact with each other to create harmonious wholes.
In this episode, Christiansen and host Molly Troupe discuss:
finding new avenues for flavor in blended whiskey
building micro-blends that are then married through additional barrel conditioning
the benefits and challenges of sourcing whiskey
calculating derived mash bills from the component whiskeys
taking a flavor-focused approach to blending
aging in a variety of casks and the concurrent evaluation process
designing whiskey blends around a creative brief that’s experience-based
developing blends that push past typical whiskey guardrails
protecting one’s palate
working in threes
And more.
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