Fred Minnick reported on Wednesday that Jackie Zykan is shifting gears and leaving Hidden Barn. She shared that she will be focusing on growing aromatic herbs and flowers and continuing her perfume business, Oduoak.
Zykan, Nate Winegar and Royce Neeley started Hidden Barn Bourbon in 2022. Zykan was Master Blender and Winegar served as the company’s Brand Ambassador. Winegar will continue to work as a Brand Ambassador while Neeley oversees operations at Hidden Barn.
Moving On to Greener Pastures
It appears Zykan remains somewhat involved with the team at Hidden Barn — except she’ll be switching bourbon for absinthe. Zykan will be providing some of the herbs used in Neely’s Wormwood Absinthe Verte.
“We have been thrilled to work with Jackie over the years and we look forward to continuing to work with her in a different capacity as she supplies some of our herbs for our Neely’s Wormwood Absinthe Verte,” Neeley said according to a news release. “We learned a lot from Jackie and have the utmost respect for her palate and blending abilities, and plan to continue to make Hidden Barn just as we have before. Our entire family thinks the world of Jackie, and the door is always open to future Hidden Barn collaborations. We’re excited about being able to work with her in this new capacity.”
Zykan expressed that she was “grateful” for the brand supporting her venture into botanicals. She appeared to be excited that she could contribute to Neely’s absinthe brand.
“I am honored to lean into my background of biology and chemistry to shed light on the importance of intentional and sustainable botanical sourcing,” Master Blender Emeritus Zykan expressed. “Diversifying my engagement with the natural world by growing aromatic flowers and herbs for both fragrance and spirits is an inherent next step in my journey. Being able to supply the herbs for Neely’s Absinthe to deepen its roots as a Kentucky-made product is something I’m really excited about.”
About Jackie Zykan
Jackie Zykan rose to prominence in the bourbon world working as a Master Taster with the Brown-Forman brand, Old Forester. Bourbon Women refers to Zykan as a supertaster, and even though she possesses an extraordinary palate, she still prioritizes cultivating her skills.
“From a physiological perspective, the more taste receptors you have, the more sensitive you are to flavor,” Zykan expressed in the interview. “The term ‘supertaster’ is what gets assigned to humans with a higher than average number of receptors, however being a supertaster doesn’t necessarily mean you have the word bank of terms to articulate what you’re tasting. It takes exposure to various isolated compounds to lock in descriptors in your mind, as well as practice finding them within complex environments, such as a glass of whiskey. If you’ve ever seen a needle, you won’t find it in a haystack, no matter how good your eyesight is.”
After Zykan worked at Old Forester, she moved on to her venture with Neely at Hidden Barn and her perfume company, Oduoak. For Oduoak, Zykan shares that blending is one of her greatest passions, and the perfume brand centered on the aromatic nuances of bourbon allows her to do just that.
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