Barrell Bourbon K&L Private Release Batch A471
K&L Wines in California is a hotbed of hot picks. Seriously, I’ve had over a dozen private barrel picks from them and not a single one has disappointed. They’re also well-known for getting hooked up with insane bottles - the most recent one was an independently bottled Speymalt Macallan 18/19-Year-Old single barrel at CASK STRENGTH - just so you know, every word in that sentence added around $50 to the value.
So, when I got a chance to try a Barrell private release (after making sure there was no Tennessee in there haha) I had to take my friend up on the offer. It didn’t disappoint. I tried this as part of a 7-way Barrell blind, and it was easily the best pour of the seven. The only downside to K&L is that they only ship to California. Oh well…
Barrell Bourbon Private Release K&L Selection Batch A471 Review: Specs
Classification: Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskies
Origin: Kentucky and Indiana (MGP)
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 110.12 (55.06% ABV)
Age: 15% 5-Year-Old, 45% 9-Year-Old, 15% 13-Year-Old and 25% 15-Year-Old.
Location: Kentucky and Indiana
Barrell Bourbon K&L Private Selection Batch A471 Price: $99
Barrell Bourbon K&L Private Selection Batch A471: Tasting Notes (blind)
Eye: Amber/orange honey. Thin rims, droplets just hang on.
Nose: This smells like a finished bourbon - there’s definite bourbon underneath, but also clearly some wine finishing (ended up not being the case, but I swear it smelled like it!) Some eucalyptus and honey come forward, making me sway slightly towards a rye until the sweetness veers back towards a bourbon. A finished one, but still a bourbon.
Palate: Heat right up front - hits the tip of my tongue like a missile. Tons of chocolate, caramel, fortified wine sweetness and body (think Madeira or sherry). Heat makes its way under my tongue and burns like hell for a second before mellowing out and hanging on in the background. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with lots of semisweet chocolate with some candied blood orange.
Finish: Dark, dark red fruits with the heat still sticking around. The chocolate goes from semisweet to dark on a short-to-medium finish.
Overall: As expected, an excellent pick. Chocolate-forward to a level that made me think there was an Oloroso finish on here. It’s also got quite an interesting finish - the flavors and heat do fade, but I can still feel the flavors on my palate. I want a bottle of this…gotta find a California mule…
Final Rating: 7.8
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)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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