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American

Barrell Whiskey 002

$60.00

OVERALL
RATING

Whiskey Review: Barrell Whiskey 002

Tasting Notes:

About:
Appearance:
Light amber
Nose:
The initial impression is quite mild – an overwhelming wave of cream soda followed by ripe white-flesh cherries, syrup-soaked sponge cake, raw pecans, and a hint of root beer. With water, I get more buttery notes – brown butter, Werther’s originals, and a kind of sun-warmed weathered oak note.
Palate:
Wowza – that’s hot! Without water, this is too strong to get much of a read on – just a tantalizing flavor of sweet butterscotch before a vaporous wave of alcohol obscures the rest, gradually fading into a very tingly, sherry-inflected finish. The addition of a few drops of water help enormously, amplifying that sweetness while revealing notes of marcona almond, oxidized sherry, and light cornbread. Conclusion: I’ve loved everything I’ve tasted from Barrell so far, and I love Scotch (even the young stuff), so I was excited to taste this release. While I certainly enjoyed it, it fell a little short of my admittedly high expectations. It was just a little…mild. I’m not sure where the disconnect happened, but that’s never stopped me from speculating. Perhaps the classic corn-based bourbon distillate just needs that extra flavor from the charred barrel. Maybe distillate made on a column still (standard practice for bourbon) doesn’t have those same heavy flavor molecules that pot-still distillate does to enrich the flavor of whiskey aged in used barrels. Whatever the case, Barrell Whiskey 002 is a solid product, but when my friends ask me for whiskey recommendations over brunch, I’d point them to Barrell Bourbon 005 over this one. FINAL SCORE: 86/100
Finish:
Comments:
Barrell Whiskey 002
Barrell Whiskey 002 (image copyright The Whiskey Wash)

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a free sample to review by the party behind it. The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.

We’ve reviewed several releases from Barrell Craft Spirits, a non-distiller producer, over the past few months, including a few of their excellent bourbons.

On the whole, we’ve all enjoyed their commitment to big, bold flavors and super-high-proof barrel-strength bottlings. In a world where NDP has a vaguely dirty ring to it, Barrell Craft Spirits is a producer doing it right. (Plus, if you haven’t visited their website to read their amazingly florid tasting notes courtesy of “The Cocktail Whisperer,” do so right now.)

Now, the independent bottler is branching out into new territory: American Whiskey. This release, Barrel Whiskey 002, is their second release of spirit that, for one reason or another, can’t be called bourbon.

According to their website, the contents of Barrell Whiskey 002 were originally distilled in Indiana, likely at MGP. The mash bill was made up of corn, rye, and malted barley. They don’t tell us the percentages, but that sounds suspiciously like a bourbon mash bill to me. Then, the distillate was aged for nearly a decade in Kentucky.

But then things take a decidedly non-bourbon turn. Instead of new charred oak, this distillate was aged in previously used bourbon barrels. It’s immediately evident in the color, which is quite a bit lighter than you’d expect for a spirit stored in new char. Finally, Barrell Whiskey 002 was finished in a sherry cask, then bottled at barrel strength, an eye-watering 61.9% ABV!

It’s an interesting concept. In essence, Barrell Craft Spirits took classic bourbon mash bill distillate and applied Scotch-style aging practices (used barrels, relatively extended aging, specialty finishes). Their indie-bottler approach further aligns them with Scottish style, so I’m not surprised they took this experiment for a spin.

Tasting Notes: Barrell Whiskey Batch 002

Vital Stats: 9.5 years old, 123.8 proof. My bottle was number 527. Retails around $60 for a 750ml bottle

Appearance: Light amber

Nose: The initial impression is quite mild – an overwhelming wave of cream soda followed by ripe white-flesh cherries, syrup-soaked sponge cake, raw pecans, and a hint of root beer. With water, I get more buttery notes – brown butter, Werther’s originals, and a kind of sun-warmed weathered oak note.

Palate: Wowza – that’s hot! Without water, this is too strong to get much of a read on – just a tantalizing flavor of sweet butterscotch before a vaporous wave of alcohol obscures the rest, gradually fading into a very tingly, sherry-inflected finish.

The addition of a few drops of water help enormously, amplifying that sweetness while revealing notes of marcona almond, oxidized sherry, and light cornbread.

Conclusion:

I’ve loved everything I’ve tasted from Barrell so far, and I love Scotch (even the young stuff), so I was excited to taste this release. While I certainly enjoyed it, it fell a little short of my admittedly high expectations. It was just a little…mild.

I’m not sure where the disconnect happened, but that’s never stopped me from speculating. Perhaps the classic corn-based bourbon distillate just needs that extra flavor from the charred barrel. Maybe distillate made on a column still (standard practice for bourbon) doesn’t have those same heavy flavor molecules that pot-still distillate does to enrich the flavor of whiskey aged in used barrels.

Whatever the case, Barrell Whiskey 002 is a solid product, but when my friends ask me for whiskey recommendations over brunch, I’d point them to Barrell Bourbon 005 over this one.

FINAL SCORE: 86/100

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