Author: Hannah Flattery

At Founding Spirits, there’s a certain magic that happens when our barrel-aged Founding Spirits Bourbon meets our Founding Farmers house-made Old Fashioned, and then once again meets an oak barrel. What begins as a classic cocktail evolves into something truly extraordinary—a complex symphony of flavors that can only be achieved through patience and craftsmanship. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on our barrel aging process and exploring how it transforms our signature Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned. 

From Tree to Barrel: Where Flavor Begins 

The journey of flavor starts long before our Founding Spirits Bourbon meets the barrel. The oak trees selected for our barrels have stood for decades, slowly developing the complex compounds that will eventually influence our spirits. After harvesting, the wood is carefully dried and shaped into barrels. 

Each barrel is uniquely suited to impart its own character first to our Founding Spirits Bourbon and then later, to our Old Fashioned cocktail. The new oak interior creates a gateway for our bourbon and our bourbon-based cocktail to penetrate the wood, where it extracts compounds like vanillin, tannins, and wood sugars that simply cannot be replicated through artificial means. 

Our Barrel Aging Process 

When we batch our Old Fashioned—crafted with our signature barrel-aged Founding Spirits Bourbon, house-made bitters, and the perfect touch of sweetness—it’s already a remarkable cocktail. But we believe in taking the extra step. 

We carefully fill oak barrels with our perfectly mixed Old Fashioned and then, most importantly, we wait. During this rest period, three critical processes occur: 

1. Extraction: As the liquid expands and contracts with temperature changes, it moves in and out of the wood, extracting flavor compounds. 

2. Oxidation: Small amounts of oxygen seep through the wood, softening harsh notes and developing new flavor compounds. 

3. Integration: The various ingredients—our bourbon, bitters, and sugar—marry together, creating a unified flavor profile that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

The Flavor Transformation

What happens to flavor during barrel aging? It’s nothing short of alchemy. Our already complex Founding Spirits Bourbon, the backbone of our Old Fashioned, develops even further: 

• Vanilla and caramel notes intensify from lining in the wood 

• Spice characteristics develop and become more pronounced 

• Subtle oak tannins add structure and complexity 

• Harsh edges round out into smooth transitions between flavor components 

• New aromatic compounds form that didn’t exist in the original cocktail 

This isn’t just adding oak flavor—it’s a fundamental transformation of the entire flavor profile. The result is our Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned: deeper, more complex, and impossibly smooth. 

The Founding Spirits Difference

Our farmer-owned distillery crafts our Founding Spirits Bourbon with high-quality 100% American corn, rye, and barley from the heartland. Once distilled, like all Bourbon, it is aged in new oak barrels for at least two years. Once bottled, it makes its way to our Founding Farmers restaurants, where we get to enjoy it – along with all our Founding Spirits offerings – in our handcrafted cocktails.  

Because our spirits use high-quality ingredients and were distilled specifically for our restaurants and our bar chefs, we believe our cocktail recipes taste better. This gets even more interesting when we take one of our handcrafted cocktails and return it to a barrel for more aging.  For our Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned, it gets even more harmonious and taste-enhancing time in an oak barrel. 

 Tasting Notes: What to Expect 

Our Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned offers a sensory experience unlike any batch-made cocktail: On the nose, expect aromatic vanilla and candied orange peel with subtle oak spice. The first sip delivers rich caramel and toffee notes from our bourbon, enhanced by the barrel’s contribution of baking spices and a hint of smoke. The finish is remarkably smooth with lingering warmth. 

Experience Barrel-Aged Cocktails at Founding Farmers 

Our Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned isn’t just a cocktail—it’s a testament to patience, craftsmanship, and our commitment to creating spirits with high-quality ingredients, ample time, and a passion for exceptional flavor. 

The next time you sip our Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned, take a moment to appreciate the journey it’s been on—from a small-batch spirit barrel aged and bottled to handcrafted cocktail barrel aged again to your glass—and the countless subtle interactions that have created the remarkable experience in your hand. 

At Founding Spirits, we believe that the heart of great spirits lies in the quality of the ingredients and the care used in distilling. We are a small-batch distillery in the nation’s capital, majority-owned by American family farmers. We take pride in using only the finest sourced ingredients and ensuring that every bottle reflects our commitment to craftsmanship and flavor.  

The Founding Spirits difference is clear in every sip, from our smooth and supremely mixable rums to our rich, sophisticated Rye Whiskey. Our distilling team cultivates unique and tasty spirits from primarily American-grown wheat, barley, corn, rye, sugar cane, and many botanicals. We craft and distill our spirits with care, infusing them with a sense of place and purpose.  

In a world where mass production often takes center stage, Founding Spirits stands as a reminder of the impact that small batches and quality ingredients can have on the final product. Every Founding Spirits bottle is filled, labeled, and sealed by hand in our very own distillery inside our Founding Farmers & Distillers restaurant. For us, it is a true labor of love. Or, as our Distiller, Bob VanLancker, says: “With this distillery, we are taking small-batch spirit production to the next level. We are going to blow people away with new and different flavors, and a whole new taste experience.” 

For example, our Founding Spirits Dry Gin exemplifies our efforts and the impact that high-quality, thoughtfully curated botanicals can have on the final product. Our Dry Gin captures a distinct flavor profile that stands out from mass-produced alternatives. By distilling our gin in small batches in-house with regionally sourced botanicals, we’re able to create a product that makes every pour a celebration of our local landscape and our company mission. You can stop by one of our restaurants for what we think is one of the best Gin & Tonics around. Enjoy the classic or try our ever-popular frozen G&T made with our own house tonic. 

As a craft distillery, we don’t just create spirits; we are working to dismantle the industrial supply chain. Every Founding Spirits bottle tells a story of care, precision, and dedication to making spirits that are as unique as they are delicious. Whether you’re enjoying our vodka in a Founding Farmers cocktail or savoring our bourbon neat, you can taste the difference that comes from a small-batch distillery that values quality at every step of the process, from grain to glass. 

How To Pair Our Spirits with Your Favorite Fall Foods

As the crisp air of autumn settles in, it’s time to embrace the rich, comforting flavors of the season. At Founding Spirits, we believe that the right spirit can elevate any meal, especially when paired with the hearty, seasonal dishes found on the Founding Farmers fall lunch & dinner menu.  

Whether you’re preparing a feast at home or dining with us at our restaurants, let us guide you through the best ways to pair our handcrafted spirits with some of our favorite fall dishes.  

Your Perfect Fall Bar Essentials  

You can purchase our selection of bottled spirits online or in DC-area stores. For autumn cocktail pairings, our top picks to enhance your home bar include: 

• Founding Spirits Bourbon 

• Founding Spirits Rye 

• Founding Spirits Dark Rum  

Additionally, we also offer vodka, dry gin, white rum, navy strength rum, and blanco tequila to keep your cocktail game strong all year round.  

Perfect Pairings: Spirits and Fall Dishes 

Fall is synonymous with hearty, warming dishes full of earthy, sweet, and savory flavors. Pairing these flavors with the right spirit can truly elevate your dining experience. Here’s our guide to matching some of our favorite Founding Farmers fall dishes with our spirits. 

Cauliflower, Butternut Squash & Farro Salad 

• Ingredients include: celery root, kale, cranberry, blueberry, pumpkin & sunflower seeds, farmers herbs, maple Dijon 
• Pair it with: Our Founding Spirits Rye 
• The spiciness and depth of rye complement the earthiness of the cauliflower and farro while balancing the sweetness of the butternut squash and cranberries. Try it in our You Caught My Rye cocktail, combining rye, Campari, lime, almond, and bitters for a refreshing contrast to the salad’s rich flavors. 

Roasted Maple Brussels Sprouts & White Cabbage 

• Ingredients include: red onion & maple butter 
• Pair it with: Our Founding Spirits Bourbon 
• The bourbon’s smoky notes meld with the roasted, caramelized flavors of the brussels sprouts and maple butter. You can also pair it with our Maple Bourbon Smash cocktail. The citrus and maple flavors in the drink will add a lively twist to the dish. 

Roasted Autumn Vegetables 

• Ingredients include: carrots, parsnips, turnips, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, mulled local apple cider glaze 
• Pair it with: Founding Spirits Dark Rum 
• The warm, molasses-rich flavors of our dark rum harmonize with the earthy vegetables and sweet mulled apple cider glaze. Serve it neat or in a spiced cocktail for a cozy pairing. 

Coriander Pan-Seared Fish of the Day 

• Ingredients include: parmesan risotto, roasted leeks, poached autumn vegetables, mulled local apple cider glaze, lemon butter sauce, chives 
• Pair it with: Founding Spirits Bourbon 
• The creamy and savory parmesan risotto, along with the earthy vegetables and zesty lemon butter sauce, would pair beautifully with the warming, caramel notes of our bourbon. A Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned would add a rich, smoky sweetness to complement the cider glaze and enhance the fish’s coriander crust. The aged oak tones in the cocktail balance the dish’s hearty, autumn flavors, creating a well-rounded dining experience. 

Hazelnut Butter Fish of the Day 

• Ingredients include: pumpkin ravioli, hazelnut oil, pecorino romano, chives 
• Pair it with: Founding Spirits Rye  
• The nutty, savory elements in this dish call for a spirit with depth and spice. Founding Spirits Rye offers a slightly peppery, robust flavor that aligns with the hazelnut butter and pecorino. Alternatively, a Maple Bourbon Smash would introduce hints of sweetness and citrus, which would harmonize with the pumpkin ravioli and provide a fresh contrast to the dish’s richness. 

Enhance Your Fall Dining with Founding Spirits 

Finding the right spirit pairing can transform a meal into an unforgettable culinary experience. From the spicy depth of our rye to the warming sweetness of our dark rum, Founding Spirits has the perfect bottle to complement your favorite fall dishes. Whether you’re cozying up at home or dining at one of our restaurants, these pairings are sure to delight your palate and capture the essence of autumn. 

Shop our spirits online or pick them up in our DC area stores during your next reservation to start crafting your own fall food and drink pairings. Cheers to a season full of flavor!