Sean Tracy spent 25 of his years of restoring and converting early American barns. And spent an additional 8-years restoring an 80-year-old Alaskan wooden fishing boat. From these experiences he realized he had fallen in love with hand-hewn things. In 2018, he founded Hewn Spirits in New Hope, PA, set in the the charming section of Peddler's Village. I went there in the late summer and tasted the line. Three bottlings really stuck with me.
The Red Barn Rye Whiskey was very, very good. Tracy uses the tag line "George Washington Sipped Here." Too fun. Of course, Pennsylvania is the historical home of Rye whiskey. The whiskey gets its name from the red barns the barrels were stored in. The whiskey is made from rye, corn and malted barley. This is a lovely whiskey, with notes of ripe apple and pear, green grass, with notes of honey, toffee, Christmas spice and finishes with black pepper and a hint of vanilla. Being a nut for good rye whiskey, this was easily my favorite sample of the tasting.
Hewn's Dark Hollow Pennsylvania Bourbon Whiskey was also a pleasant surprise. Made from traditional corn, heirloom corn, and rye grain, the flavors instantly showed their complexity. The whiskey was proofed with Bucks County Artesian well water. Lots of layers to this with notes of cereal, vanilla, caramel, baked apple, and a nice dose of white pepper and cream to finish. A damn good Pennsylvania whiskey.
One of the biggest surprises of the visit was Hewn's Reclamation, American Single Malt Whiskey. This classic whiskey is made from 100% malted barley. The whiskey was "first aged in new American charred white oak barrels, followed by Hewn's used bourbon barrels and finished with hickory, chestnut, or oak that’s been reclaimed from timbers up to 300 years old." A very, very interesting experiment. The final whiskey was surprisingly delicious. Again, big notes of baked pear and apple, hint of orange blossom, with notes of nut, toast, vanilla, and shortbread biscuit. Soft and approachable, more like a Highlands- or Speyside-styled whiskey, without all the smoke, this was an incredibly lovely dram.
