Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Mississippi Masterpiece The Prime Barrel Bespoke Blend

Lost Lantern and The Prime Barrel collaborated to create Mississippi Masterpiece, a high-octane, four-grain bespoke custom blend, and the final project using the remaining barrels from the "ghost distillery" Rich Grain Distilling in Canton, Mississippi. This also marks the first-ever in-person custom blending session at Lost Lantern.

Lost Lantern co-founders Nora and Adam welcomed six Prime Barrel members to their facility near Burlington, Vermont, where they led a session to build this bespoke blend. The Lost Lantern blending philosophy is to start with a base bourbon, then add what's missing to perfect the profile, like adding salt and pepper to an entree.

After our members selected a base bourbon and layering options, we were free to experiment individually and create our own custom blends for the group to evaluate. Bravo to Prime Barrel member @BigPrince for crafting the blend that became Mississippi Masterpiece.

Mississippi Masterpiece showcases incredibly dark color and bold oak notes born from the sultry Mississippi climate. The palate adds barrel-aged cherry cordial and baking spices. Initially aged in 15-gallon barrels, this 6½-year-old hazmat blend was married in 53-gallon ex-bourbon casks before Lost Lantern released it at 144 proof.

Rich Grain Distilling was the first bourbon distillery in Mississippi since the repeal of Prohibition, and this blend embodies David Rich's vision to reflect the heritage of the state where it is distilled. Lost Lantern has curated some brilliant blends with Mississippi Masterpiece, furthering its legacy.

Blend Details:

• # of Barrels that went into the blend: 11 barrels total (specific barrel #s: 105, 106, 109, 116, 123, 124, 125, 128, 129, 131, & 134)
• Size of barrels: All 15-gallon barrels rebarreled into 53-gallon ex-bourbon barrels
• Cooper/char info: original barrels, new American oak, Barrel Mill Char #3
• Rebarrelled into: Four were put into Ex-Smooth Ambler West Virginia Bourbon casks (ISC char 4, cooper select), the other seven were in an Ex-Wollersheim Wisconsin Bourbon cask (ISC Char 3, cooper select)
• Mashbills: All but one cask was High Rye (66% corn, 17% rye, 17% malted barley). The other was wheated (66% corn, 17% wheat, 17% malted barley).
• Blended mashbill: 66% corn, 15.5% rye, 1.5% wheat, 17% malted barley
• Age statement: 6 years 9 months
• Proof: 144
• Blend composed by @BigPrince, Prime Barrel Member
• Blended and bottled by Lost Lantern in Vergennes, VT

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Leather, baking spices, dried tart Montmorency cherry, blackstrap molasses, hint of dark chocolate, toasted oak, and barrel char
• Palate: Barrel-aged cherry cordial, bold cinnamon spice, brown sugar candy, toasted vanilla, burst of citrus, aged and charred oak
• Finish: Cinnamon red hot, vanilla bean, and leather with sustained notes of baking spices and charred oak.

Want to see how this bespoke custom blend came together? Watch The Prime Barrel Show Lost Lantern episode.