Barrell Craft Spirits Goes Super Deep Into Finished Whiskey Territory

Barrell Craft Spirits, known to a number of whiskey drinkers for its popular Barrell Bourbon series, has worked hard over the years to emerge as one of America’s most well regarded independent bottlers. This has resulted in a range of whiskey blends that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, all of which are bottled at cask strength.

Now the brand is taking on its biggest project yet, a range of two dozen older Kentucky whiskey blends that are each finished in a secondary barrel or cask.

The new Barrell Craft Spirits Private Release Whiskey Series, according to those behind it, is described as “a project in detailed blending on a scale small enough to allow extreme precision. It affords the team the opportunity to exercise its blending expertise while maintaining a single barrel-like scale controlled entirely by hand and by palate.”

To this end each of the 24 batches features “a unique blend based around Barrell’s 18-year-old stocks of Kentucky Whiskey, which were then finished in a secondary barrel or cask.” The range of cask finishes, of which you can see a complete list at the end of this article, is pretty staggering in the variety.

“The Private Release Whiskey Series is hands down our most ambitious project to date,” said Barrell Craft Spirits company founder, Joe Beatrice, in a prepared statement. We pride ourselves on pushing the creative envelope every day, exploring opportunities to source and blend outside the box, and showcase the world’s most exciting spirits.”

Each of these releases is being considered as something akin to a private barrel program, offering “retailers, bourbon clubs and whiskey aficionados” alike a chance to secure a limited release with a “a distinct flavor profile.” Certain batches have already been purchased through retailers or clubs, or may be only available online, and each one ranges between 150-180 bottles only.

The general price for the batches of the Barrell Private Release Whiskey Series is around $109 per 750 ml bottle. More information on where to find each can be found over at the Barrell website.

• AH01 – KY Whiskey Finished in a Sauternes Barrel
• AH02 – KY Whiskey finished in a Tokaji Barrel
• AH03 – KY Whiskey finished in a Washington State Ice Wine Barrel
• AH04 – KY Whiskey finished in a Jamaican Rum Cask
• AH05 – KY Whiskey finished in a Sicilian Amaro Cask
• AH06 – KY Whiskey finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Barrel
• AH07 – KY Whiskey finished in a Oloroso Sherry Barrel
• AH08 – KY Whiskey finished in a Malmsey Madeira Barrel
• AH09 – KY Whiskey finished in a Ratafia de Champagne Barrel
• AH10 – KY Whiskey finished in a Ruby Port Barrel
• AH11 – KY Whiskey finished in a Gewurztraminer Ice Wine Barrel
• AH12 – KY Whiskey finished in a New York State Ice Wine Barrel
• AH13 – KY Whiskey finished in a German Ice Wine Barrel
• AH14 – KY Whiskey finished in a Calvados Cask
• AH15 – KY Whiskey finished in an Apricot Brandy Barrel
• AH16 – KY Whiskey finished in a Jamaican Rum Cask
• AH17 – KY Whiskey finished in a Pear Brandy Cask
• AH18 – KY Whiskey finished in an Armagnac Cask
• AH19 – KY Whiskey finished in an Armagnac Cask
• AH20 – KY Whiskey finished in a Pear Brandy Cask
• AH21 – KY Whiskey finished in a Rhum Agricole Cask
• AH22 – KY Whiskey finished in an Indiana Rye Barrel
• AH23 – KY Whiskey finished in an Islay Single Malt Scotch Cask
• AH24 – KY Whiskey finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Barrel