K.LUKE Whiskey Company owner and blender Jonathan Maisano made his first single barrel trip to Kentucky in the summer of 2014.  Since then, he has tasted over 1,600 barrels and selected more than 400 to be deemed as Maisano Hand Select Single Barrels for retail.  Jonathan is also a first level certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers.  He uses this extensive sensory training when evaluating aroma and flavor profiles in whiskey barrels as there are many similar traits in both wine and whiskey when searching for nuances.  

     When he was selecting single barrels Jonathan tasted through several at each distillery searching for those that offer exceptional flavor profiles and are balanced from the nose to mid palate all the way through the finish.  What makes his selection process unique is tasting each barrel “blind” he never wanted to knows the age, warehouse location, proof or any other details that may influence the outcome of the selection until after his favorite was chosen.   He believes the only determining factor that truly matters when selecting single barrels is the whiskey in the glass. 

      His wife and co-owner Jennifer shares the same passion for enjoying wine and whiskey.  Jennifer also tastes through each small batch blend blind so only the best blends move forward to the next round in the blend selection process.  K.LUKE truly is a family whiskey project and we strive to always offer you unique and exciting whiskey blends and exceptional single barrel offerings.

     K.LUKE Whiskey Company small batch blends are created by sourcing from several different distilleries in Kentucky and Indiana with different mash bills up to 36% rye and a variety of ages. This allows the focus to be on building multilayered and exciting blends instead of the individual components used to create each blend. Jonathan creates several blends based off his notes and ratings of their barrel inventory, then all blends are run through several rounds of blind tastings with blends being adjusted one barrel at a time by taste (Jonathan and Jennifer do all the blind tastings) until a favorite is decided for bottling. This is TheSpiritOfBlending.

     Cheers! Jonathan and Jennifer Maisano