Bourbon Reviews: Barrell Bourbon Batch 21, Batch 22

Deeply caramel, with some fire at the end. I’d suggest drinking this with some ice or water. It’s pretty hot. It starts sweetly…and ends up straight burn. I don’t mind that but if your mouth isn’t made of asbestos like mine, you might reconsider. Typical of Barrell, it’s high-proof. This tastes high-proof but it certainly doesn’t mean it’s tasteless. The second and third and fourth and fifth sips lend it less fire and allow more of the melted chocolate and caramel to come out. But I’d call it more sweet and less dry. Think hot gingerbread cake. Final Thoughts: It’ll hit you hard and it’s unashamed. I actually feel like this tastes younger than 10 years. I like this, but I wanted to like it more than I did. Score: 3/5 Barrell Bourbon Batch 21 Tasting Notes: Barrell Bourbon Batch 22 Vital Stats: A blend of 5-year-old straight bourbon barrels distilled and aged in Kentucky and Indiana. Aged in American White Oak. A mash bill of corn, rye, and malted barley. 116.6 proof. About $90. I tasted Bottle #4,678. Appearance: Lighter than its predecessor. Sand at sunrise. A slight greenish tinge—again, this is compared to its immediate sibling. Palate: See, I actually like this one better than #21. Even though it’s younger it seems more mature to me (let’s not bring up dating) Despite being more alcoholic, it’s less fiery. It doesn’t have the complexity of the one that’s aged longer, but it also doesn’t have its unpleasant fire (again, I get the whole dating analogy, thanks). This is deceptively drinkable. This will knock you on your ass. It’s subtle. Proceed carefully. Final Thoughts: Am I going to reach for it all the time? No. But I would probably pour myself a belt of this on a tough day (there are a lot of those lately) if I want to forget the world. Score: 3.5/5