Old Carter Bourbon Whiskey #81 13 Year Single Barrel 120.7 Proof

Single barrel #81 at 120.7 proof, thirteen years old, bottled uncut and non-chill filtered in Frankfort, Kentucky — bottle 79 of 167.

Old Carter Whiskey Co. is the project of Mark and Sherri Carter, who built Kentucky Owl into a cult brand before selling it in 2017 and starting again under their own name. They don't operate a distillery — they source and select mature Kentucky whiskey, then release it at barrel strength with no chill filtration. Sherri hand-labels every bottle, which is why the barrel number, bottle number, ABV and proof are written out by hand on the front.

At 167 bottles, barrel #81 gave up more than most casks do after thirteen years, and at 60.35% ABV it lands in the middle of Old Carter's thirteen-year range — enough proof to carry the oak, not so much that it gets in the way.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Dark caramel, vanilla bean, toasted oak, brown sugar and mature dark fruit.
• Palate: Full-bodied and powerful — caramelized sugar, vanilla, oak spice, dried fruit and baking spices.
• Finish: Long and warming, with lingering oak, dark sweetness and spice.

Specs

• Brand: Old Carter Whiskey Co.
• Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Release: Single barrel, barrel strength, non-chill filtered
• Barrel: 81
• Age: 13 years
• Proof: 120.7 (60.35% ABV)
• Bottle: 79 of 167
• Bottled in: Frankfort, Kentucky
• Size: 750ml

Explore the full Old Carter collection or browse all bourbon at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Old Carter's single barrel line? One cask, bottled on its own with no blending and no dilution, non-chill filtered and hand-labeled. It sits apart from the numbered batch releases, which combine several barrels to hit a consistent profile.
• How limited is barrel #81? 167 bottles came out of the cask. This is number 79, hand-written on the front label next to the barrel number and proof.
• Does the barrel number actually change the whiskey? Yes. Every Old Carter single barrel is a different cask with its own proof, yield and flavour, so barrel #81 is not the same whiskey as #94 or #97 even though all three are thirteen-year Kentucky bourbon. That's the point of the format — and why collectors track them by number.