Hidden Barn (Neeley Family Distillery)

Established in 2022, Neeley Family Distillery’s Hidden Barn is an American whiskey label founded by genuine whiskey-lovers and friends Nate Winegar, Neeley Family Distillery’s Royce Neeley, and American whiskey icon Jackie Zykan. Hidden Barn showcases the wide breadth of the contemporary whiskey landscape by sourcing and blending exceptional casks from independent American distilleries—including Neeley Family Distillery—offering small-batch releases that embrace the unique nuances of each barrel in the blend.

As Hidden Barn focuses on finding the best flavors rather than blending for consistency, every batch—even those within the same series from the same distillery—will vary. Different flavor profiles encourage consumers, from the whiskey-curious to the aficionado, to explore styles and profiles of American whiskey outside of what they have come to expect from the category. Additionally, by prioritizing transparency and sharing production details, it’s easier to understand the differences between each bottle, series to series, batch to batch.

Each series from Hidden Barn is a collaboration with a different distillery and sees multiple small-batch–blend releases. Each batch consists of a small vatting of barrels—sometimes as few as three—to ensure it retains the character of its barrel composition.

Since its inception, Hidden Barn has seen the departure of Jackie Zykan (respectfully retitled Master Blender Emeritus) who now provides Neeley Family Distillery with many of the botanicals used in their award-winning Absinthe Verte. Cincinnati-based mixologist Molly Welmann has taken on the role of Master Taster and assists Royce with Hidden Barn’s batching and single barrel program, while Nate acts as Brand Ambassador.

The name “Hidden Barn” nods to the bond of local communities who historically stained their barns black in solidarity with distillers during Prohibition, making the illicit distilleries marked by the infamous whiskey fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis, indistinguishable from other barns. This sense of community is a legacy that lives on in Hidden Barn, a brand inspired by fellowship and a shared passion for quality whiskey.

For spirits and liqueurs produced under the Neeley Family Distillery brand, visit Skurnik’s Neeley Family Distillery producer page.