Barrell Bourbon Batch 31
Oof…sorry Joe, Tripp, and Will…but this one needs a conversation.
Admittedly, out of all of Barrell’s product lines, the bourbon batches are generally the lowest scoring for me. The ryes are consistently great to excellent - I haven’t had a single barrel pick yet of the 7-8 year old rye I haven’t loved. The finished ryes and whiskies are at least interesting if not outright very good, and the special releases like Armida and Seagrass generate conversation and make me want to keep going back to try it again, even if I don’t like it at first.
With Batch 31, Barrell kept the core trio together by blending bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana (as always, ratios are undisclosed). Based on the typical sources, Indiana is MGP, Tennessee is Cascade Hollow (George Dickel) and Kentucky is either Beam or Barton (could be Bardstown Bourbon Co., but that’s less likely).
With Batch 30, Barrell added Wyoming distillate into the mix (almost surely Wyoming Whiskey) but for Batch 31 Wyoming was left out. The same general ages are still there - 6, 7, 10, 15, and 16-year-old barrels - and the proof is very close at 111.2 (compared to 117.32).
***Record Scratch***
So, that conversation I said needed to happen? It happened, and it drastically changes my thoughts on this bourbon.
My original review:
Ultimately, my issue with this batch is simple: all I taste is Tennessee bourbon. Other batches might have a strong Tennessee presence, but it’s always balanced out or at least countenanced a bit by the other states and sources. Maybe I’m too sensitive to the orange Flintstones vitamin flavor, but on three separate tries of this that’s all I could taste. I enjoy orange and orange zest but once that chalkiness and minerality comes in, I’m a firm no.
I want to be clear: I gave this several chances. Taste one was blind. Taste two was after looking at Barrell’s flavor notes and a few friends’ ratings/tasting notes. Taste three was just to make absolutely sure. Barrell’s notes include autumnal flavors like pumpkin pie, peppermint latte, and pine needles, vanilla creme anglaise, cherry soda, and pumpernickel. I didn’t get a single one of those. The only note on which my and Barrell’s agreed was the citrus, and not in a good way.
Alright, at this point I’m beating a dead horse. I just didn’t like this batch. I’m excited as always to see what the next ones bring - and hopefully the TN is a little less dominant.
So what changed?
Well, I talked to Will Schragis for an episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast. When in doubt, ask. My assumption that a high proportion of Tennessee bourbon had thrown this off for me isn’t necessarily wrong, it’s misplaced. According to Will, the ratio of Tennessee bourbon in this blend is quite low, meaning that either I’m extremely sensitive to that flavor OR there’s something else causing my palate to react this way.
It’s possible I’m that sensitive, but I honestly don’t think that’s the case. I enjoy other Barrell products that contain objectively more of the Tennessee bourbon, including Dovetail and even other bourbon batches. In small doses or well-balanced ones, the orange notes can be refreshing and fruity rather than pithy and mineral-y. So, is it the wheated bourbon? the MGP? It’s hard to tell, and I might not ever figure it out without having the component bourbons. Will was generous with his information, but there’s only so far NDAs allow you to go!
I’ll need to share this with more friends to see what they think (I know one, Jeff Schwartz a.k.a. WhiskeyFellow, loved this batch) and maybe I’ll never know why this batch’s palate is so off for me.
So, in conclusion, Tennessee bourbon, I haven’t given up on you yet! And if I had to choose one company I trust to blend you right, I’ll choose Barrell every time.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 31 Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies
Origin: Undisclosed (Likely MGP, Cascade Hollow, and either Beam or Barton)
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 111.2 (55.6% ABV)
Age: 6 Years Old (Contains Bourbons Up To 16 Years Old)
Location: Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee
Barrell Bourbon Batch 31 Whiskey Price: $89.99
Barrell Bourbon Batch 31 Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Green iced tea. Thin rims, droplet legs and splotches on the sides of the glass.
Nose: Orange zest, slightly burnt, a bit of proof catches in the back of the throat. Dried papaya and mango. Clearly Tennessee bourbon-forward, but restrained here.
Palate: Wow…that is super vitamin heavy. Overpoweringly so. Pepper proof slams my tongue, as does a chalky, Necco wafer-like feeling. Mouthfeel is also chalky as hell, stays on the front of my palate. Neither filling nor coating, but the flavors stick around everywhere.
Finish: Burnt orange zest and bitter pith. That’s it.
Overall: Just not good. I can deal with Dickel in small doses and when it’s balanced, but this is bitter, pithy, hot where it shouldn’t be and unbalanced. Sorry Barrell team, I’m sticking to my Batch 30 on this one.
Final Rating: 3.8
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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