Barrell Whiskey Batch 002
The second Barrell Whiskey release from my friends over at the The Bourbon Culture was a corn party all over. Like the others, I tried this one blind without knowing anything about the sample.
Batch 002 added a little more of Barrell’s touch, taking Indiana distillate and aging it in Kentucky for 9-and-a-half years before finishing it in a sherry cask for an undisclosed period of time.
The nose just didn’t do it for me, though. The back palate, mouthfeel, and finish rounded out nicely, but the nose and front palate were all hot, led by ethanol and acetone that lit my nose hairs on fire.
The finish, though, really highlighted how a finish can be done well. The mouthfeel is creamy and filling, and the finish opens many more of the chocolatey notes than this blend otherwise had.
This was the last of the five batches I tried blind, and it’s possible my palate was a bit burnt out at this point, but unlikely since rather than being dulled, the nose and palate seemed heightened/sharper. Might not be the one of the five that I’ll look for most, but I did enjoy this.
Barrell Whiskey Batch 002: Specs
Classification: Blend of American Whiskies
Origin: MGP
Mashbill: Undisclosed Corn, Rye, and Malt Mashbill
Proof: 123.8 (61.9% ABV)
Age: 9 Years 6 Months Old
Location: Distilled in Indiana, Aged in Kentucky
Barrell Whiskey Batch 002 Price: N/A - No Longer Available
Barrell Whiskey Batch 002 Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Apple juice. A very thin rim that small droplets hang on to.
Nose: Corn and ethanol verging on nail polish remover. Some light sweetness way in the back.
Palate: Stays hot…I want to say there’s corn in there, sweet corn, but that heat is pretty dominant. Peppercorn and oak dryness/spice just keeps coming. Ow. Mouthfeel is light and silky after the burn mellows a bit. There’s a little chocolate that starts to come out but god that’s hot. Numbing hot.
Finish: Finish is caramel sauce on sweet cornbread, milk chocolate, and the mouthfeel becomes creamy and filling.
Overall: If the palate was as good as the finish this would be great, but it’s hot for me. The mellowed finish does redeem this a bit, and I can see it being better than I’m tasting it, but even for me this is hot.
Final Rating: 6.2
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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