Barrell Bourbon Batch 033

Nose has candied apples and hits hard with hot Dentine cinnamon gum and a hint of brown sugar. Not overly viscous in the glass. The palate brings similar sensations with the heat and cinnamon overpowering everything else and causing a bitter finish. Ice mellows the cinnamon greatly, letting the fruit come forward as well as candy corn. Finish is much improved as well, although greatly shortened, eliminating the bitterness altogether while retaining a nice cinnamon taste. Not often I prefer slow sipping with ice, but this whiskey definitely benefited from a little taming.

Aroma- tons of dry cocoa powder, slight hint of orange/citrus and cherries. Rye spices and leather, a lightly browned marshmallow (like when you are doing smores) Taste- Wow. First that jumps out at me is how smooth this one is at 116.6 proof. And has a really nice finish. Very complex first sip experience. This one really is unique. Each sip is different. Sometimes its rich in flavor (chocolate, dark fruits and intense caramel), sometimes it’s sweet (corn, marshmallow, burnt sugar, cherries) and other times it’s bold (rye, wintergreen cask strength booziness)

For starters, I don’t have the most developed palate. I’m interested and partial to Barrell as I have tried and like there finished whiskeys. I’m getting citrus fruit with some vanilla on the palate, for me this drink sits more on the bright fruit/sweet side with enough spice to make things interesting. Long subdued finish. Drinks much lower than the proof. There is a depth and complexity here that is expected of a premium product, but nothing that will “wow” you. Solid batch. I agree with the distiller score, 89, although we differ on the notes.

It’s an interesting blend for sure. The rye kicks in the top notes from the get go, with the sweetness of the corn spirit filling in the lower mid-range. Peppery with a bittersweet cocoa effect, yet with a mellow edge that offsets the heavy rye character. The aftertaste is very much like a cold-brewed black coffee, which leaves the palate with some bitterness. This release to our reckoning is sharply different than the most recent expressons from Barrell. Somewhat austere, yet with a familiarity that sneaks up on you.

NOSE Complex dark sweets (caramel, butterscotch, toffee, etc.) dried fruit, roasted corn, vanilla, a touch biscuity, and some light nutmeg notes. A surprisingly sweet and un-oaky aroma for Barrell. PALATE Caramel, dried fruit, toffee, roasted nuts, cinnamon, dried cherries, some clove, Twizzlers, and citrus. Again, surprisingly sweet and un-oaky for Barrell, it’s a profile I wasn’t expecting from them. FINISH Med-long -> Toffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, and fruity sweetness.

Nose is orange and vanilla. sweeter, finish is candied corn, apricot, caramel and vanilla. Also some spicy citrus notes in there. Excellent and amazingly drinkable neat despite its ABV. The negative reviews on here are clearly about price, but that’s literally tons of bourbon these days. There’s no rhyme or reason to it other than hype. This distillery is hyped right now but it will probably pass. This is an excellent bourbon.