Barrell Craft Spirits, Part 3: Four bourbons

I don't think I've ever tried ten different American whiskies in one week before, but here I am in the middle of a intensely humid summer drinking a half score of barrel strength oak extracts. And yet I always insist I am not a masochist.

This three-parter concludes with Barrell's original product, blended bourbons. There are no wine, rum, brandy, beer, or hot sauce casks involved this time. Just oaks and whiskies. All four of these batches include bourbons distilled in Indiana (MGP), Tennessee (Dickel?), and Kentucky (up to three different recipes?). The first two are from the standard bourbon cask strength batches, the third one is of the fancy schmancy Gray Label series, and the fourth comes from the Vantage series (a mix of Mizunara, French, and toasted US oaks).

Mixing bourbons does indeed sound like a good place to start blending experiments, allowing for more focus and fewer embarrassing flubs. It's less risky than most of their other products, but does it produce better results???

Part 3: Four bourbons

Barrell Bourbon Cask Strength Batch 14 9 years old, 54.7%abv	Barrell Bourbon Cask Strength Batch 34 6 years old, 57.3%abv	Barrell Bourbon Gray Label (NAS) Batch 5 50.29%abv	Barrell Vantage Bourbon, Three oak types 57.94%abv
The nose stomps in full of corn, citrus, and bluster. It's sugary, with its Luxardo cherries, maple syrup, and corn whiskey. But it also has paint VOCs and wet cardboard in the background.	Peanuts in the nose. Peanut dust and burnt peanuts. Candy corn, barrel char, and caramel also sit up front. It picks up smaller notes of dijon mustard and watermelon Jolly Ranchers with time.	A surprisingly earthy nose offers soil, black walnuts, and mesquite smoke. Oats and caramel sauce, with just a hint of the peanut dust.	Dried peaches, dried cherries, and a hint of cabernet sauvignon arrive first in the group's most expressive nose, followed by flowers and brine. Maple and vanilla stay in the background.
Got some boozy, honeyed barrel char going on in this nose. Lemonade, tart nectarines, and roses fill the middle, with a slight nuttiness in the back.	The barrel char here reads smoky. Lots of salt and umami in the palate, as well. Moderate tartness and sweetness. Mint candy and black pepper appear after some time.	The palate is all cinnamon and tart cherries at first. A piece of halvah here, a few red Twizzlers there. Some savory and tart notes stay behind.	Fruits and flowers, begins the nose. Ripe cherries and plums. Cinnamon, cardamom, and just the right amount of sweetness. Pretty!
It finishes tangy and sweet, with mild tannins.	Tart and sweet balance out in the finish. It's also leafy and minty, with a vanilla hint.	Halvah, cherry lollipops, and red Twizzlers finish it up.	It finishes with toasty wood spices rather than barrel char (duh?). It's mildly sweet with a few tart cherries as well.
DO I GET IT? Yes	DO I GET IT? Yes	DO I GET IT? Yes	DO I GET IT? I certainly do
Ah yes, getting closer to classic bourbon territory. Its palate is the least "craft" element, and the most satisfying, never reading too raw or oaky. Decent stuff but I started to forget about it with each successive bourbon here.	Another one with a palate that tops the nose, though I didn't mind the peanutty side. Very satisfying and better balanced than I'd expected. It feels like a single bourbon rather than a mix, which is a success!	Much different than the first two, this Gray Barrell's earthy nose was a fun surprise, and it was very very drinkable, perhaps due to a good abv as well as quality blending. I'll have more to say about this whiskey below**.	My favorite Barrell whiskey yet. The mix of oaks seems to make more sense than cask seasonings; they play so well together here, offering a great swirl of fruits and spices. I may seek out a Vantage bottle of my own.
Rating: 81	Rating: 83	Rating: 84	Rating: 85

FINAL THOUGHTS...

**From what I've read, the first four Barrell Bourbon Gray Label batches had 15 year age statements. The fifth, the very 50.29%abv batch I tried today, had no age statement and yet the price remained the same as the age-stated batches. To bourbon fans everywhere I say, "Welcome to Scotch Land!" Yes, you've all been here before with Elijah Craig and others, but when a smaller and more independent company follows suit, it just hurts a little more. Such is the marketplace. We fans of other whiskies know your pain.

Today's grouping was best of the three, probably due to what I'd mentioned in the intro. Blending bourbons without playing with barrel finishings will deliver more consistent results. Maybe it sounds boring, but the bourbon is good.

Of course, to be partially contradictory, the one real experiment here was the Vantage and its various oak types, and it bested the rest. It highlighted the pleasures of toasted (as opposed to charred) barrels, which is safer than in-cask-blending various spirits, so you'll get a bright union of fruits and spices rather than a potential Long Island Iced Tea in a bottle. 

I am certainly not saying Barrell should discontinue their blending adventures. They've wisely diversified their whiskey ranges, offering more standard bourbons for a curmudgeon like me, and wilder stuff like Seagrass for weirdos like me. From an outsider's view, they seem to be having fun. May they also find continued success.

Barrell Craft Spirits, Part 2: Two ryes

On Monday I reviewed a quartet of Barrell Craft Spirits bourbon(-ish) releases, hoping I'd understand the whiskies enough to actually ponder and opine. The attempts were mostly successful! Now onto the ryes, both in the Barrell Seagrass range.

Something struck me as I looked at the Seagrass label this weekend...

Was this whiskey named SEAGRASS because it is made from rye produced at former SEAGRAM'S distilleries??? Yes, I'm aware that Barrell has a philanthropical relationship with The Ocean Foundation. That's a great thing! But how about it? SEAGRASS = SEAGRAMS? Should I be very proud of myself, or has this theory already been plastered all over social media?

To those new to this rye curio, it's a blend of American and Canadian ryes, finished in Martinique Rhum, Madeira, and apricot brandy barrels. Yes, Barrell's blenders are once again hunching over their blending tables, squinting at their samples, and swirling their beakers, trying to create something unique and palatable at the same time.

I reviewed a different batch of Barrell Seagrass Rye last month, and enjoyed the whiskey. Not enough to run out and buy a bottle, but pretty close to it. This time, I have a different batch of the standard Seagrass AND a gray label (fancy stuff) Seagrass edition aged 16 years. The 16yo had the same barrel finish, but it's fashioned from 100% Canadian rye, so you don't have to open up a new credit card just to afford one bottle.

Here they are, side by side, as I use Monday's approach to review them:

Part 2: Two ryes

Barrell Seagrass Whiskey American and Canadian Ryes 60.1%abv	Barrell Seagrass Whiskey Canadian Rye 16 years old 1,861 bottles, 66.67%abv
Like its 59.92%abv sibling batch, this whiskey possesses a crazy crazy nose. It starts with a peppery rye spirit base, then spins out to apricot jam, orange zest, and a snuffed citronella candle. Then a fennel bulb, warm Sprite, maple syrup, Carpano Antica, and calamine lotion.	This one's nose begins with such a strong chlorine note, that I wonder if it has anything to do with the ethyl burning my skull. Beneath the heat, one may find dark chocolate, eucalyptus, rosewater, and dry soil up front. Then milky coffee, kale, green bell peppers, and raspberries.
The palate arrives hotter than expected. Plenty of rye spirit at the center, again, but it's surrounded by bubblegum, lemon bars, honey, and bitter citrus peel. The sweetness is nearly overwhelming.	Thankfully, the palate is neither too hot nor too sweet. It's like a journey through a tree. Really. First there's bark, then pulp, then bark again. Honey, cinnamon, and lime candy surround the wood, while a hint of pinot noir keeps showing up in the background.
Rye candy finish. Honey, cardamom, and lemon hard candies.	It has a very similar finish to the 60.1% standard Seagrass, mostly lemons, honey, and dried herbs. No burning sensations.
DO I GET IT? I think so!	DO I GET IT? Yes.
This may be the sugariest rye I've ever tasted. That position used to be held by Angel's Envy, and their rummy rye. With this whiskey, I appreciate that the rye spirit shows through all the decoration, but it also exists completely separate from the finishing casks' contributions. Nothing merges, at least within the palate. The nose, the highlight, lives in its own dimension.	16 year old North American whiskey is going to be oak juice no matter what, and this whiskey proves it again. Aside from that alarming chlorine experience, the nose isn't too zany; in fact, I kinda like it. Meanwhile, the palate bludgeons the drinker with a tree trunk. It doesn't matter what the finishing casks held, the wood wins, eliminating complexity. Perhaps one can give it a positive spin: the wood provides focus. It also holds the whiskey back.
Rating: 79	Rating: 78

FINAL THOUGHTS...

Here's a link to that 59.92%abv batch of Seagrass. As of this morning, it remains my favorite Barrell product. The casks and the sweetness barely graced that batch, and the rye element was very solid. Today's 60.1% batch smells and tastes much younger, while also pushing the finishing barrels harder, resulting in something that feels less baked; the dreaded capital "C" Craft affliction.

It's a rough estimate, but 4-out-of-5 teenage North American whiskies are not going to work with my palate. I wonder if that has something to do with the thinness of column still spirit? Or just aggressively charred oak? Or both?

Next up, four Barrell bourbons!

Barrell Craft Spirits, Part 1: Four private releases

Having spent nearly two decades of my life engaged in creative pursuits, I know what it feels like when an audience doesn't get an original work. Most of the brain screams in frustration, "They don't understand it, so why are they criticizing it?! It's a Them problem, not a Me problem!" The agony is only intensified by that tiny voice mumbling in the background, "They don't get it because I missed something. I fell short somewhere."

Successfully blending spirits requires a unique skillset. Fashioning one high-quality whisky from dissimilar whiskies, then hitting that mark again and again really is a craft, and perhaps, with its greatest successes, it approaches an art form. 

I don't get many contemporary whiskies, but that's usually not because of the blenders. Most new whiskies from established producers don't come across as creative endeavors, rather they seem like corporate decisions to expand a product line with contrivances that no one ever asked for, like a McPizza or MegaLeg.

That's why I'll give new companies more leeway than conglomerate-controlled brands. For instance, I want to get Barrell Craft Spirits. They've gone all-in on casketry and cask-fuckery (my subtle terms), or in-cask blending (Serge's more thoughtful phrase), to produce something different. Barrell blends whiskies (and rums) from different distilleries and using a wide variety of casks. These casks include pear brandy, apricot brandy, Jamaican rum, blackstrap molasses rum, Martinique Rhum, Sicilian amaro, California Cabernet, Port, Madeira, Oloroso, Armagnac, Tokaji, Mizunara oak, French oak, and toasted American oak. And there are probably more.

Thus Barrell aims to create something new through a level of cask blending that's rarely been tried, but "new" can mean anything from a unique flavor profile, to a cocktail in a bottle, to a garbage fire. It's a risky approach, likely filled with flops along the way. So I want to understand, to get, some of Barrell's creations. Some of these blends do actually work, right?

Thanks to a whiskey group's organizer, I was able to buy into 10 Barrell bottle splits. Yes, this requires a lot of drinking. That's okay, the kids are out of town. 🙄

Part 1: Four private releases

Here's a quartet of four Barrells – one single barrel and three blends – that were selected by individual California retailers. The first two were bottled for my former haunt, Hi-Time Wine & Spirits. The single barrel Barrell appears to be just bourbon without any finishes. The three blends were all cask-finished, and not one of them was called "bourbon", but rather "whiskey".

Okay, I'm well hydrated, here it goes:

Barrell Single Barrel Bourbon Hi-Time #25L8, 8 years old, 54.78%abv	Barrell Whiskey Blend Hi-Time #AQ27, Tokaji Finish, 62.29%abv	Barrell Whisky Blend Roco Wine & Spirits #CJ30, Oloroso Finish, 61.04%abv	Barrell Whisky Blend Cypress Craft Liquor #AQ06, Armagnac Finish, 64.33%abv
At first it noses like candy. Specifically, orange creamsicles and black cherry soda. The angles arrive later: fennel seeds, white peppercorns, and nocino	The nose is all over the place. Port, cheap cream sherry, low-ester Jamaican rum, flowers, brine, and milk chocolate. It gets more vanilla-ed with time.	Barrel char. There are other things on the nose, like roses, cherry lollipops, almond extract, maple, and peanuts, but it's mostly barrel char.	I did not see this coming. It's cream soda, vanilla fudge, and Mt. Gay rum on the nose. Maybe some hints of lime zest, and eucalyptus in the far back, with time.
The palate comes in hotter than expected. Fennel seeds and black pepper arrive first. The sweets, second. Caramel, dried cherries, and brown sugar, with a hint of tart citrus.	The fizzy palate offers black cherry soda and rye-like pepperiness on the first sip. Subsequent sips offer bitter oak, cherry lollipops, and sour cherry candy.	Less barrel char in the palate, thankfully, but less of everything in general. Vanilla, caramel, and marzipan. And that's it.	The palate is VERY SWEET: vanilla-spiked Mt. Gay rum, bottled sour mix, chile oil heat, and a bit of oak spice, never really coming together.
The finish recombines some of the palate. Tart citrus and brown sugar are the loudest. Vanilla and black pepper, the quietest.	It finishes with an odd sweetness, like Aspartame-affected orange and cherry sodas.	A simple finish too. Marzipan, caramel, and bitter oak.	It finishes all funky tangy sugary, like a sweet rum and sour mix cocktail.
DO I GET IT? Yes! I recognize this as bourbon.	DO I GET IT? I thought I did until the finish. So...kinda?	DO I GET IT? Yes-ish.	DO I GET IT? Nope.
The edgier notes combine well with the fruits and sweets, and the tannins have yet to invade. There's nothing here that differs from younger cheaper bourbons, but I'd still be happy to drink this again, anytime.	The palate says, "bourbon". The nose says, "PAR. TAY." The finish says, "Bury me in a cocktail." That's a lot of voices I'm hearing in my head. Not sure if this blend needed more or less time in the Tokaji barrel.	It seems like a plain straightforward bourbon, so I wonder why they didn't label it "bourbon". The oloroso cask had almost no influence, and I think this "whiskey" could have used a wee pick-me-up.	I went back to the pic of the actual bottle to make sure I'm not drinking one of Barrell's rums. This is definitely something new, a 128-proof sugary cocktail in a bottle, but I can't imagine that being the intent.
Rating: 81	Rating: 77	Rating: 79	Rating: 72

FINAL THOUGHTS...

With more NOPEs anticipated and a lack of brutal oak experienced, I declare this tasting a success. I've had a pair of armagnac-bothered High Wests that I wasn't sold on, so I wonder if that brandy doesn't quite work with American whiskey. Would cognac be too gentle? On the other hand, I want to try more sherry-cask-finished bourbons because it could be an intriguing mix, depending on the type of bourbon and sherry. As for Tokaji? Good luck to the blenders.

For Part 2......actually I don't know which whiskies will be part of Part 2, yet. That will be a game-time decision. In the meantime, if you've had any of these four whiskies, please share your thoughts!

Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Barrell Seagrass Rye, 59.92%abv batch

Yes, Barrell with two Ls for those of you who are not actively soaking in the American whiskey scene. Not a drop of Barrell has passed through these lips until now, though these eyes have seen many Barrell bottles on liquor store shelves for nearly a dec--

Sorry for that last sentence, I'm straining for a way to introduce a blend of US and Canadian ryes that have been finished in Martinique Rhum Agricole casks, Madeira barrels, and apricot brandy casks. Well, I guess there's an intro. The "whiskey" sure seems like a cask strength cocktail in a bottle, but I'm willing to give it a try because I like rye. And I don't despise Martinique Rhum, Madeira, and apricot brandy. And a portion of some of the sales actually goes towards the conservation and restoration of seagrass. And, what the hell, why not?

Company: Barrell Craft Spirits

Range: Seagrass
Type: blended American and Canadian Rye whiskies

Region: ??? and ???
Age: I wrote "9yo" on the sample label, but I don't know where I got that info from

Mashbill: ???

Maturation: American oak, first maturation. Second maturation: a mix of Martinique Rhum, Madeira, and apricot brandy vessels. Finally, these are blended together.

Alcohol by Volume: 59.92%

(thanks to Dr. Springbank for the sample!)

NOTES

The nose is aggressively floral, and is loaded with cotton candy and lemon candy. Then there's butterscotch, orange juice, citronella, and nectarine skin. After 30 minutes, the fruits are replaced by marshmallows and toasted coconuts.

There's more actual rye in the palate, ultra high-rye rye, like a mix of MGP's 95% bill and Alberta's 100% bill. It's very peppery and minty, almost mentholated. Hints of oranges, dried apricots, and mothballs offer highlights and angles. It's certainly not as sweet as the nose leads on.

It finishes with dried apricots, lemon bars, menthol, and tabasco sauce.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This assemblage (pronounced the French way) is difficult to opine on, much like this odd Ben Nevis from Le Gus't. The nose is kind of insane, with the finishing casks taking over and not even remotely coming together. But those casks barely touch the palate, and for that I am grateful. Though I'm not rushing out to buy a Seagrass bottle, I would absolutely drink this again. Perhaps a batch will come along that will inspire me to get out my credit card.

Availability - Just USA, I think
Pricing - $70 - $95
Rating - 84 (maybe?)