Barrell Bourbon Batch 26

ReviewsAmerican WhiskeyBourbonBlendedBarrell

Feb 18

Thanks to Sandee at the Whiskey Ward for the picture!

This was my last pour in the 7-way Barrell blind, and my palate was crying for relief at this point. I don’t know if I gave this sample the proper attention, but in fairness my notes do seem pretty complete even for the seventh sample of the night.

Ultimately, this fell to the same problem that I have with many Barrell Bourbon blends - too much oak. Piecing together various interviews and such from Joe Beatrice and Tripp Stimson, it seems they like that woody tone and seek it out as part of Barrell’s profile, even if that profile is otherwise ever-changing. As someone who is turned off by too much wood in their whiskey, I’ll just have to search for those blends without such heady oak notes.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 26: Specs

Classification: Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskies

Origin: Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana

Mashbill: Undisclosed

Proof: 112.64 (56.32% ABV)

Age: 9-, 10-, 11-, 13-, and 15-years old

Location: Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana

Barrell Bourbon Batch 26 Price: $85

Official Website

Barrell Bourbon Batch 26: Tasting Notes (blind)

Eye: Dark maple syrup. Medium rims hold droplet legs.

Nose: Roasted nut skins. Caramel and vanilla for sure, but not enough to 100% call this a bourbon based on the nose alone.

Palate: Black pepper and oak astringency. Burns the tip of my tongue right out of the gate. Baked goods and a tingly spice remain. Some blood orange zest comes up. This is also quite oaky. Mouthfeel is mildly coating, medium-bodied, and carries the rye and black pepper parts of this more than the bourbon.

Finish: Creamy oak, medium-length. Coats my entire palate with orange vitamins and oak.

Overall: Definitely a bourbon, but an oaky and vitamin-y one. Not too bad, but not my profile for sure.

Final Rating: 5.6

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, 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 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)