Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 15 Year (2020 Release)

Rating: 19/23 N: I smell the proof, but not raw alcohol. I get substantial, toasty wood, but it doesn't seem over-oaked or one-dimensional. Barrel spices leap out. Lots of sweet peanuts, alongside a bit of sweet corn. The faintest orange note. Sort of a dry, tart cherry note leading into a little bit of slightly bitter, ever so faintly grassy herbs. The age is clearly there, the balance is terrific, and the scents are all very rounded with substantial nuance, but I wouldn't say that this is super complex on the nose. P: Sweet with bold wood. Plenty of barrel spices. Not as viscous of a mouthfeel as I'd expected. The proof does stand out. As I swish it, some herbs and peanut come out. A lot less peanut than I'd expected, but still plenty. There's a bit of a bitter layer that surprises me. The wood is a bit dry and just a bit over-oaked, taking a peanut shell character and pushing it a bit too far. A dry sort of pure barrel spice character comes out at times, turning into heavy minerals like the residue from hard water - or a heavier version of Dickel vitamin funk. There are some apple flavors here, but I'm really not getting the orange and cherry from the nose. OK, maybe a touch of floral cherry at points, but just the faintest amount. F: Dry, bitter wood. A little lingering sweetness. Definitely the barrel spices. This part of the experience is unfortunately forgettable. - Conclusion - My initial thought is that this is about on the same level as Resilient 15 Barrel #124 (18/23). It's quite enjoyable, but it's certainly not blowing me away. I do like the sweetness here better, but overall I really do get a similar Dickel profile from this. This is likewise pretty competitive with Booker's Shiny Barrel (19/23). I do like the smoothness and mellow maturity of this, but it's also not as full. I'd also put this around the same level as Old Forester 1920 (18/23), though the styles are certainly very different. I appreciate that the Old Forester is genuinely sweet and kind of decadent, whereas this has some nice sweetness, but it's partially obscured by a bitter layer and then there's the minerality keeping this from being big, bold, and decadent. The nuance here is quite nice though, with the spices in particular showing off a refined elegance at times. I'm mostly including this one as a sanity check, but this does indeed beat Uncle Nearest 1864 (15/23, though I'm thinking that it might really be more like a 16-17). As a second sanity check, there is no question that this is better than I.W. Harper 15 (14/23). On the other end, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) continues to crush the competition. Maybe this could reach a 20, but a 21 would be a very tough sell. After all of this, I'm thinking that this must be either an 18 or a 19. I love all of the mature nuance here, but then there's that over-oaked layer and the vitamin minerality just isn't really doing it for me. And at this proof, I really do want a fuller, more viscous palate. This is great, but it seems a lot like an especially good 15 year Dickel barrel pick. The problem with that is the price. This is better than my bottle of Resilient, but not by a lot and I've always been under the impression that barrel #124 of Resilient was of middling quality (or perhaps slightly lower). Considering how open Resilient is about their releases, I have to imagine that it's possible to find a just-as-good bottle of Resilient for half the price of this (or a not-quite-as-good bottle for a third of the price, in my case). I've very much enjoyed trying this, but I just don't get what all of the fuss is about it. I don't think I can give this a 20, but a 19 is definitely possible. It's either an 18 or a 19. My inclination is to go with a 19, but not a high 19. Thank you, @pkingmartin, for sharing this!

Nose - roasted peanut, orange vitamin, red berry, butterscotch, anise, cocoa, vanilla, tobacco, brown sugar, cinnamon, rich oak, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - orange vitamin, cherry, baked apple, leather, tobacco, cinnamon butter, dry oak, anise, peanut, dark chocolate, black pepper, toffee, vanilla, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with orange vitamin, roasted peanut, and dry oak flavors. Next up is this 2020 version of the Barrell 15 Year release. I enjoyed the 2019 version, but I didn’t particularly like the dry, bitter quality or the Dickel influence. Well, this has a lot of Dickel in it as well, so let’s see how it stacks up. The nose is rich and fruity. Those roasted nuts and Dickel vitamins makes themselves immediately known. But unlike the 2019 release, this is richer and not nearly as dry. There’s a nice red berry notes alongside butterscotch and sweet tobacco aromas. The palate carries many of the same flavors, including the Dickel vitamins, a buttery cinnamon note, leather, and some dark chocolate. The mouthful is full and the finish is above average. So right off the bat, this is better than the 2019 release. However, the bitterness is still present and Dickel unmistakably pervades the entire experience. Nonetheless, this is great whiskey. If I appreciated Dickel more, this could be outstanding whiskey. Many thanks to @pkingmartin for providing the generous sample!

The nose is rich and syrupy starting with grade a dark maple syrup poured on top of buttermilk pancakes then candied pecans along with fruits of sautéed tender cinnamon apples, sour cherries and candied orange peel on top of vanilla ice cream leading to bitter high percentage dark chocolate, leather and old polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a syrupy rich mouthfeel starting with chocolate covered pecan clusters followed by cinnamon apple fritters, maraschino cherries and chalky orange sports drink that then transitions to a mild spice that fades to ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and old polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with caramel covered sautéed tender cinnamon apples, toasted coconut, honeycomb, mandarin oranges, dark chocolate, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, leather and old polished mahogany that lingers for minutes. Barrell has really put together a fantastic bourbon here that brings in all those traditional bourbon flavors but ramps them up to create this rich decadent bourbon experience that lingers long after each sip. These are priced at $200+ which I think is justified for the age and easily outclasses a lot of some of these new premium bourbon products coming out today, but for me I’d still take a Garrison Brothers Cowboy over this one.

Barrell has quickly climbed up my favorite brand list. It seems everything they put on the shelf lately is fantastic. This one takes the higher price point of their bottles up a bit to the $200 mark and it still is one of the most flipped bottles according to recent articles. In any case I am one for sippin not flippin so let's dive in. Nose is all vanilla and caramel. No ethanol or funky notes on this one. First sip is full of flavor. Caramel, brown sugar, maybe a hint of peanut brittle. This leads to some peppery heat on the edges that builds to a mild burn before trailing off to a light creme brulee finish. Let me start by saying $200 is a bit much for any bottle so I expect some magic. This one is really an excellent dram. It is one of the best 15 year bottles I have had across the board and might be darn close to a 5 if not so pricey. In any case one to grab if you can find it and pull the trigger.

Third time having a dram off the bottle. It’s not a bold whiskey. The other two high-flying bourbons I’ve been sipping on lately, ecbp b519 and even the Remus repeal reserve IV are much bigger and evolve more over the taste. This barrell has a tight nose that I really have to stick my nose in the glencairn to get. Besides what you’d expect, I get some faint blueberry. Maybe sandalwood too. It has some mint in the taste (that I perceive where I’d expect alcohol, which barely shows up) and then some cherry as it lingers. As it opens up I’m getting more vanilla. I’m actually liking it better drinking it while trying to put words to it. It is sophisticated. Finish is long but not strong. There are better ways to spend $200 no doubt, but this is classy bourbon. I feel like I need a $200 Prada shirt to wear when sipping it.

This is fantastic. The nose is loaded and expressive. Oak, brown sugar, strawberry, peach, banana, coconut, nutmeg, caramel turtles, roasted peanuts and hazelnuts, and a little bit of leather helps show the age. The ideal mix of oak and fruit with tons of complexity Entry is rich and inviting, showing layers of flavor. The spice shows up first in nutmeg, allspice, and some clove, then the generous richness of the oak and brown sugar from the nose sweep over the tongue. Honeyed apricot and peach add to the fruity component of the bourbon and the proof is quite nice as it lets flavors shine without being too hot. Finish is long and complex with tons of gooey caramel, vanilla cream soda, hazelnut brittle, and tannic oak. What a way to end such a fantastic ride.