Barrell Bourbon Batch 032 Review
Let’s start this one with a story: on my honeymoon, I had the opportunity to go to the top restaurant in the world, Osteria Francescana in Modenda, Italy. This is the type of place that if it’s not number 1, it’s 2 or 3, and nobody doubts it’ll be back at number 1 soon enough.
I bring this up for two reasons: first, food, like whiskey, should be an experience. The most interesting meals and the most interesting whiskies aren’t always the 10-out-of-10 ratings. Sometimes, they’re in the 6-8/10 range but grab you and won’t let go, causing you to try pour after pour because there’s so much to unpack or a new note you’ve never experienced before but want to again.
The meal at Osteria was easily one of the best of my life: this brings me to the second reason. While experiencing these new foods and textures, I also figured “why the hell not try a new kind of wine”. Enter Ribolla Gialla.
Ribolla Gialla originated in the Friuli region of Italy and has been produced as a wine for nearly a millennium. Like so many other grape species, it was decimated by the phylloxera plague in the late 19th century. While cultivation is now on the upswing, it’s still considered a regional, lesser-known variety (albeit one under a DOC).
On a tour through Italy and Greece, trying wines is like breathing, and it’s easy for even the best to get lost in the shuffle. So when that exact sense memory came to me when trying Barrell Bourbon Batch 032, I had to pursue it and see what other notes were triggered.
Barrell Bourbon batches are built on three pillars: Kentucky Bourbon, Tennessee Bourbon, and Indiana Bourbon. Some batches add in unnamed distilleries from other states, such as New York and Wyoming (see Barrell Bourbon Batch 30 for my thoughts on that one).
Batch 32 or 032, depending on nomenclature, is actually Barrell Bourbon’s 34th batch since batches 007 and 008 had “b” batches. Yet, after 34 batches, I’ve stopped thinking there’s a true core profile the Barrell team is looking for.
Perhaps that is to say: I’ve started fully believing that they blend each batch to what tastes best.
Taking them at their word, that means that after the first two components of Batch 032 were blended and vatted, they decided that another flavor/note/element was missing. This led to a third component entering the mix, “a small group of spice driven 7-year-old barrels with notes of cinnamon toast, coffee bean and chocolate.”
For my palate, Barrell’s tasting notes for the three batches of barrels match more with my notes before blending than after, but honestly if you’re reading this after my other Barrell Bourbon reviews, my notes are often quite different from the brand’s. That’s fine - not everyone tastes the same things - but usually if there’s a note or two we agree on, there’s a throughline.
Circling back to the Ribolla Gialla, my specific notes are in the usual section below. Top-line, this Bourbon Batch was a vinous bomb, with oak more similar to a fortified and aged white wine than a woody bourbon. The vinous character proves a wonderful pairing with fried, buttery corn, toast, and manuka honey. What could be too sweet is tempered by a stronger-than-expected proof.
In conclusion, for me, this is an excellent bourbon, one that pushes the boundaries of what Barrell can do when it stays to its core components of KY, TN, and IN bourbon. Granted, I love expressions like the 24-year-old Canadian Gray Label, or the Gold, or other one-off finishings. After my feelings on Bourbon Batch 031, however, Bourbon Batch 032 brings this line back into my good graces - and more importantly, onto my shelf.
Oh, and don’t forget about that explosion of vanilla bean after a bit of air. Wow.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 032 Whiskey: Specs
Classification: A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies
Origin: Undisclosed (Likely MGP, Cascade Hollow, and Barton 1792)
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 115.34 (57.67% ABV)
Age: 5 Years Old (Up to 10 Years Old in Blend)
Location: Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana
Barrell Bourbon Batch 032 Price: $84.99
Barrell Bourbon Batch 032 Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Bronze. Thin rims and free-floating droplets.
Nose: Buttery - roasted and buttered corn, grape Necco wafers, warm honey. Vinous fruitiness, not overly sweet, like an oaked and fortified white wine. Elotes and arepas - getting a fried corn vibe, too.
Palate: Much more grape-forward, lots of proof heat up front. Doesn’t seem too oaky. Bitter marmalade on wheat toast. Mouthfeel is thick and chewable, opening more black pepper and clove heat. Unctuous, really coating the palate and getting under my tongue. The corn returns as the proof fades.
Finish: Medium length and astringent, leans fully into the Ribolla Gialla profile. Lingering with white grape jelly.
Overall: The proof mellows just a bit on subsequent sips and pours, but retains enough power to keep it from going overly sweet. The fortified orange wine adds body and oak, a welcome departure from the norm. Vanilla beans explode after some air, a final firework just when you think the pour is done.
Final Rating: 7.5
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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