Barrell Bourbon Batch 014

I’ve been hanging on to this bottle for a long time. I’ve heard mixed things about this distillery, and though most people have told me that some batches are far better than others, there seems to be a general respect for their business model. There’s something to be said for building a brand by blending good juice to make a good product, paying your bills first, and then distilling your own juice later. I hope batch 14 delivers! I get cinnamon, apple, and nutmeg on the nose. Smells promising. Body comes in as a sugar bomb. I get milk chocolate, sweet tarts, smarties, powdered sugar. Finish is mild in feel given the ABV, but still spicy in flavor. Cinnamon, bit of black pepper. I don’t know if batch 14 is generally considered to be one of the hits or one of the misses, but I dig it. It’s like someone took some Willett juice and replaced the nuttiness with some tartness present in a lot of Buffalo Trace products. In fact, I think my next drink will be 1 oz Rock Hill Farms blended with 1 oz Noah’s Mill. Don’t look at me that way. It’s for science. It’ll be interesting to see what these guys come up with when they do their own juice. It’ll probably be something entirely new compared to this, but they’ve made a new fanboy today. They know how to blend. Postscript: I felt so strongly about my RHF/Noah’s Mill hypothesis that I went and did that before I finished the review. I’m not miles off, but I’m off. My blend is way too nutty compared to this batch. I think I’m correct with RHF. I will probably try this again, with something that’s a true chocolate bomb without introducing nuttiness. I’m thinking next will either be that mocha infused Makers Mark PS or a Blanton’s Gold.

Found this older batch at an out-of-the-way liquor store this afternoon when my COVID-19 induced boredom hit a new high that only a premium Bourbon could remedy. I saw Batch 014 on the shelf at a HyVee grocery store in Illinois quite some time ago, but passed on it in favor of a bottle of the highly awarded Batch 011 tucked away behind 2 bottles of the 014 (score!). The 011 is still unopened for a coming-soon special occasion (as is my 021 - bragging), but of all the batches I’ve tasted or opened so far, 017 has been my favorite. The 014 comes in at a close 2nd with a nice balance of sweetness and mineral thanks to the Dickel juice in the blend. Some find the vitamin-like mineral note off-putting, but I find that it is mostly restrained, and plays very well against the sweet fruit and baking spice notes that are dominant in 014. The proof is perfect at 109.4 and makes for a near perfect after dinner dram. Of course, I couldn’t wait for dinner to open this as I need immediate stay-at-home gratification, so thank you Barrell Craft Spirits and Batch 014....feeling much better now 👌.

I have had this bottle for a while and decided to pour a dram (or two) tonight. This is a terrific bourbon! A quintessential bourbon nose. It is smooth on the tongue with orange notes and a subtle milk chocolate treat at the end. The finish is very pleasant oak without much spice and yet it has staying power. This whiskey is very balanced and yet has character worth revisiting. I may have underrated this delightful spirit.

Received a blind sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Caramel, vanilla, some peanut dust. Palate: Baking spice and dry oak. Finish: Long and warm with a sweet clove note. Splash: No new flavors are revealed, but the clove is more pronounced. Overall: 8/10 - The oak and the long finish give away some idea of the proof and age. It's good, but not the best I've tried.

Nose stings a bit. Apples, caramel, fresh linens. Very nutty on the palate, this is peanut brittle with a dark chocolate covered mint. Maybe a ginger snap in there as well. At the end, slight astringency with a sandalwood bite. Nice warmth going down, lingers. 3/25/18

I had a small pour of this courtesy of a tasting at a local store that was holding a lottery for a Pappy 20. Good news: this is damn good. Was priced around $80. Strong notes of cherry cola, butterscotch and vanilla. Bad news: I didn’t win the Pappy