Barrell Whiskey Batch 001
It seems that Barrell has since moved on from naming their whiskey batches by number (in favor of Dovetail, Seagrass, etc.), but my friends over at The Bourbon Culture gave me some great blinds to try through - batches 001-005!
Batch 001 is a classic American blended whiskey. Mingling 7-year-old whiskies (I think they’re bourbons, but let’s go with what Barrell says), the first batch is a good start to what could be a great lineup. There’s some work to be done around the edges, but the creamy chocolate notes are lovely. It’s really on the back palate and finish where a little more work is needed - the finish is hot for what its nose and palate promise, like vanilla extract rather than a vanilla bean.
I know this was a few years ago, so it’s hard not to evaluate this through the lens of what Barrell has done since. I’ll do my best, though!
Barrell Whiskey Batch 001: Specs
Classification: Blend of American Whiskies
Origin: MGP
Mashbill: Undisclosed Corn, Rye, and Malt Mashbill
Proof: 122.5 (61.25% ABV)
Age: 7 Years Old
Location: Indiana
Barrell Whiskey Batch 001 Price: N/A - No Longer Available
Barrell Whiskey Batch 001 Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Apple juice. Thin rims, slow droplet legs.
Nose: Muted nose. Grape stems, a little proof heat. Sweet cornmeal. An intriguing incense note, like a cinnamon stick lit on fire and blown out.
Palate: Solid proof again…chocolatey, again. Milk chocolate syrup on ice cream. Really gets into the corners of my mouth and the mouthfeel is super coating. Cocoa pebbles level chocolate, just sits on the palate. Vanilla, but old vanilla.
Finish: Finish is spicier than the palate, if briefly so. Like getting too much vanilla extract all at once. Short-to-medium length, leaning to short.
Overall: Overall this returned to the chocolatey profile. Vanilla extract, too, but it’s hard to discern. An interesting nose, a solid if mostly one-note palate, and an ok finish.
Final Rating: 5.9
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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