Barrell Bourbon New Year 2022
I’ll say this about Barrell: love them or hate them, I continue to be impressed by their blending skill - and it never seems like they’re taking the easy way.
In this case, for the Barrell Bourbon New Year 2022 release, the not-easy way was to blend straight bourbon whiskies from seven different states: Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Wyoming, New York, and Texas (by order on the label).
Some of the distilleries involved are either known or strongly suggested (Tennessee = Cascade Hollow, Indiana = MGP, Wyoming = Wyoming Whiskey, New York likely is Finger Lakes Distilling), with the other states more unknown. Undoubtedly, my friend Mike over at Bourbon Culture will have more insight when he receives his bottle, and I’ll link it here when he does!
Bottled at 115.34 proof and coming from seven states, this New Year release is almost identical in proof to last year’s release (115.7) with the same age statement - well, technically it’s NAS on the bottle, but the press release says the blend includes whiskies between 5 and 14 years old, whereas last year’s was between 5 and 11 years old. The first difference is the states from which the blend is sourced, with Ohio taking Colorado’s place and the order of the states switched up: Kentucky is now third, with Indiana second; New York is sixth, Ohio is fourth, and Texas drops from fifth to seventh. The price, fortunately, has remained the same at a reasonable $90.
The second major change is the volume. Barrell Bourbon New Year 2021 included 2,548 bottles. New Year 2022 nearly quadruples that with 10,569 bottles available. Still non chill-filtered, still all straight bourbon whiskies, but almost four times as many bottles. That’s a big statement.
I had some questions about this release…several questions. The team at Barrell generously answered a few of them for me! The answers below come from Tripp Stimson, and I thank him for his time (questions and answers have been edited for clarity).
This year’s release nearly quadruples the size of last year’s New Year’s release. What drove such a drastic change in volume?
Tripp Stimson: We [Barrell] have a target volume we aim for based on our projections for the year which are driven by targeted growth and the previous year's sales. With this in mind, the initial blend is created on the white board and then blended in the lab. As the blend is scaled up, it begins to answer questions by revealing lacking components in the blend that, when added, pull all of the pieces together into what becomes the final blend. The final volume is really dictated by the blend itself meaning that the flavor drives the entire process.
The rise of premium, ultra-premium, and limited-release whiskies have driven up costs across the industry for the consumer and blender alike - how has Barrell managed to keep the cost the same as last year (MSRP: $90), and how long can we expect that to continue?
TP: We have discussed taking a price increase and at some point it is likely to happen. In many cases the barrels that we use do come from different locations and these barrels will have a range in age. The age of the barrel is a large driver for price as well as certain mashbills from certain locations. So, depending on the barrels used and where they fit into the overall "value matrix", deciding which barrels to use across different ages from different locations will absolutely have an impact on the price of the batch. That said, while we are very conscious of the cost side of the equation and its impact, the flavor really is what we use to make decisions on the final release.
When creating a New Year's release, what kind of profile are you looking for?
TP: New Year is a blend using components from many of the projects we have worked on throughout the year, so it is really more about the components that we have available and how these components work together and what unique flavors are created more so than setting a target profile and trying to blend to it.
Thanks to Barrell for providing a bottle of the New Year’s 2022 Bourbon at no cost. While full editorial control remains with me, it is greatly appreciated.
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2022 Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies
Origin: Multiple Distilleries
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 115.34 (57.67% ABV)
Age: NAS on Label, 5-14 Years Old via Press Release
Location: Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Wyoming, New York, and Texas, Blended in Kentucky
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2022 Whiskey Price: $90
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2022 Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Maple syrup. Thin rims, small quick droplets.
Nose: Necco wafers, orange zest, marmalade on wheat toast. Warm honey and toasted grains grow as a bit of proof appears. Bits of cardamom and coriander.
Palate: Slow-building heat, all peppercorns and no oak. Orange zest and wheat grain in abundance, a kind of baked marmalade flavor. Slightly astringent. Plenty of Tennessee bourbon flavor, but the others together temper and complicate that core. Mouthfeel is peppery and light, turning custardy on the chew. Chocolate and almond skins build, too.
Finish: Medium-length, with Necco wafers returning to the limelight. Pepper fading slowly. Toasty wheat suffuses the mouth as the liquid coats without being heavy.
Overall: This is another intriguing blend, though I imagine some might find it a bit Tennessee bourbon-heavy. Without knowing the exact proportions (let alone the distilleries) it’s impossible to pinpoint one flavor on any one distillery, so I’ll speak generally instead. There are wheated notes throughout, showing themselves through toasty honey and chocolate notes. The orange zest and marmalade, while coming partially from the Tennessee bourbon, are more complex than that and likely come from other distilleries as well. Bottom line: if you don’t mind this being Tennessee bourbon-forward, you’ll love this blend and rate it higher. For me, it leans too heavily on one distillery while having seven to pull from, resulting in a pleasant, if imbalanced, pour.
Final Rating: 6.1
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 | 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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