Bourbon Review: Big Bottom Bourbon Barrel Experiment

, something like a slightly over-brûléed crème brûlée. The finish is warm and oak-forward, with notes of sandalwood. Barreling Experiment #2 Aged in a Cooper’s Select Char #3 barrel from Independent Stave Company Aged in the canonical char #3, the classic bourbon char, this spirit is much leaner than Barreling Experiment #1. Solvent and wet paint in the nose transitions to a rich, custard-like mid-palate followed by quite a spicy finish. Compared to the first, there’s much less in the way of vanilla or butterscotch confectionary notes. Barreling Experiment #3 Aged in a Cooper’s Reserve Heavy Toast/Light Char barrel from Independent Stave Company The heavy toast/light char release is the sweetest of the bunch, with a nice lemon-cream nose and sweet, citrusy palate. The finish is on the short side, and while the flavors are nice I found this bottling a little flat – perhaps a result of its relatively short aging in a barrel intended for longer resting. Barreling Experiment #4 Aged in a Cooper’s Reserve Light Char barrel from Independent Stave Company The last Barreling Experiment was aged in the lightest char barrel, preserving the most grain character of the underlying spirit. The nose opens with notes of marzipan and sugar cookie, while the palate is grain-forward and slightly savory, almost like toasted whole grain bread. There’s also an unusual spice note that reads something like garam masala. The finish is rather hot, with more pronounced alcohol than the others. This was a very interesting – and educational! – experiment from Big Bottom. While not all barrels were equally successful (I preferred Barrel Experiments #1 and #2 over #3 and #4), it was fascinating to get to taste all four side-by-side. If you’re interested in trying these bottlings, you’ll need to make your way to Portland, as these were tasting room-only releases.