Barrell Rye Mash & Grape Pick Batch V231
Like I mentioned on my other Barrell Canadian Rye Pick (the 9th Floor), Canadian Whisky can vary quite a bit - one of the fun things about the Barrell picks is that they frequently get barrels with “hazmat” whisky in it. "Hazmat” is a whisk(e)y at or above 70% ABV/140 proof, and is called such because you’re not legally allowed to bring it on an airplane - all alcohol is flammable, but at 70% ABV or above it’s volatile enough to warrant a ban on air travel!
This was a double treat for me - not only was it my first hazmat whisky, it was also the first Barrell product I owned. I’ll be honest, I got it exactly for that reason: to own a hazmat whisky. The other benefit that I didn’t recognize until I got the bottle was that it was a short barrel, meaning that it had considerably fewer bottles come out of it than the average barrel would.
An average 53-gallon barrel - the standard Barrell size in the whiskey industry - will yield somewhere between 200-250 bottles, with variations caused by heat, evaporation, leaks, and any number of variables. A short barrel doesn’t have an exact definition - it’s really up to the marketing people and taters to define a barrel that way. This barrel yielded only 82 bottles (mine was bottle 26).
Short barrels are sought after because theoretically the whiskey inside is more concentrated, rarer (by volume), and might be a purer whiskey for those two things. The most recent case I’ve seen was the 2020 King of Kentucky release, where there were some barrels that yielded only 6 - SIX - bottles from a single barrel. Those bottles subsequently went for up to $2K on secondary. Some people are crazy!
Barrell Rye Mash & Grape Pick Batch V231: Specs
Classification: Canadian Whisky
Origin: Canada
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 140.72 (70.36% ABV)
Age: 14 Years Old
Location: Canada
Barrell Rye Mash & Grape Pick Batch V231 Price: N/A - Single Barrel no longer available
Barrell Rye Mash & Grape Pick Batch V231: Tasting Notes
Eye: Golden honey, thin rims.
Nose: Rye for sure, but there’s a wine and grape sweetness. Somewhat of a tight nose, though some mint also ekes out.
Palate: Quintessential rye character, though the heat makes its presence known. It’s not a pure fire kind of heat - it’s a whisky heat, and tasty at that. I’m not sure I’d drink it blind and immediately think "wow this has got to be a hazmat” - it’s smoother than that. Orchard and stone fruits open up after some air and dance on the tongue. Mouthfeel is oily and filling.
Finish: Short-to-medium length, grape candy coats the tongue.
Overall: This is a really nice rye. It’s got an inherent sweetness, even at hazmat proof. Also has a great mouthfeel that’s rare in most whiskies but gets more common for me at higher proofs. Definitely a solid pick by Mash & Grape.
Final Rating: 8.1
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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