One
of the more respected American blenders is Barrell Craft Spirits.
Based in Louisville, Barrell has been at it for a decade and has won its fair
share of awards (including some from me). Every release is at cask strength;
Barrell wants to leave the proofing adventure to each individual’s preference.
“It’s incredible to think we’ve launched [so many] unique bourbon batches over the past 10 years, which truly speaks to our passion for pushing the creative envelope every day. […] As longtime champions of transparency, this further underscores our commitment to informing consumers about what’s in their glass of whiskey.” - Joe Beatrice, Founder of Barrell Craft Spirits
Barrell
has just introduced its Cask
Finish Series, highlighting its blending expertise
with unique barrel finishes. It will be a recurring annual release that
includes two blends each year. Barrell has been kind enough to send me each
sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews.
Each
Bourbon was sipped neat from a Glencairn glass. Now, without further ado, let’s
#DrinkCurious.
The first of the two is the Amburana Cask Finish.
Amburana
is one of the newest, popular exotic wood types to hit the American whiskey scene
and is starting to garner attention overseas. It comes from a hardwood tree
that grows in Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. Traditionally, it
has been used to age cachaça, one of Brazil's most popular distilled
spirits. Those casks typically offer strong cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and
vanilla spice.
Barrell’s
Amburana begins with a blend of Kentucky and Indiana Bourbons. The Kentucky
component is 5-years, while Indiana’s is 5-, 6-, 7-, and 10-years. The mashbill
is 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. This 52.81% (116.42°) Bourbon comes
with a suggested retail price of $89.99 for a
750ml package.
Appearance: This Bourbon presented as a dark mahogany. Try
as I might, I couldn’t get a stable rim to form; instead, it was jagged and
broken. Thick, slow tears fell back to the pool.
Nose: Cinnamon
apple strudel? This smelled like dessert! I also found bananas, almonds, and
rice pudding. I handed my glass to Mrs. Whiskeyfellow and invited her to sniff,
who proclaimed, “Oh, yummy!” When I inhaled the vapor, it became like a cinnamon-dusted
coffee cake.
Palate: There
is no way on the planet this is 116°. I had to grab the bottle and
double-check. The dessert theme continued. I could have been eating pumpkin
pie! The front tasted of pumpkin, nutmeg, and pastry crust. Midway through, I encountered
ginger, cinnamon, and almonds. The back featured dry oak, corn, and black
pepper.
And I got so lost in the
pumpkin pie that I forgot to mention the mouthfeel, which was silky.
Finish: The
most dominating flavor remaining was ginger; it even overtook the black pepper.
The pumpkin pie came close to sticking it out but fell away shortly before the
ginger. The finish was long and spicy.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Do you
remember when I doubted the proof? I was so enchanted with the taste and trying
to pull out all the flavors that the proof snuck up on me. I could feel it in
my head. So, the first thing I will tell you is if you need to go anywhere,
make sure you have a designated driver.
Secondly, this was just
stupidly delicious. I loved it. I want to find other whiskeys finished in
Amburana casks. It would be challenging if you asked me to choose between
Amburana and Tokaji casks. Both give dessert sensations, but they’re so
different.
Barrell Amburana is one of
those I-don’t-care-what-this-costs whiskeys. Just buy yourself a Bottle.
Meanwhile, I’m still stunned. While I’ve not yet tasted the second Bourbon,
Amburana is the best Bourbon I’ve tasted in 2023 so far.
The
second is the Tale of
Two Islands.
In 2018, Barrell released its Tale of Two Islands Rum, which took Jamaican rum and aged it in peated Islay Scotch whisky casks (for the record, that made my mouth water). Those casks were then used to finish a blend of 5-, 6-, and 9-year Indiana and 5- and 6-year Maryland Bourbons.
The
final mashbill was 73% corn, 23% rye, and 4% malted barley. Tale of Two Islands
is packaged at 59.11% ABV (118.22°) and has a suggested price of $89.99 for a
750ml bottle.
Appearance: This
Bourbon possessed a rusty coloring. A medium-weighted rim created thick, slow
tears.
Nose: I could
smell this whiskey from across the room while I allowed it to breathe. The
aroma comprised molasses, brine, cherries, bananas, lemon curd, and orange
peel. When I pulled the air through my lips, I found toasted coconut.
Palate: This
Bourbon’s texture initially seemed slick but began to congeal before arriving
at the back of my throat. While that distracted me, I noticed that flavors from
all over the map were competing with one another. I could identify something mineral
(but not Dickel's minerality), coconut, and stewed peaches on the front.
The middle offered tastes of cherries, apricots, and molasses, while the back
tasted of oak, clove, and baking chocolate.
Finish: What
was left behind were apricots, molasses, cherry cola, lemon zest, cocoa, oak
tannins, and black pepper. It had a medium-to-long duration.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I had
expected some peat with the Islay component; what came instead was the brininess
and baking chocolate. That’s not bad; it teaches us not to make assumptions. A
Tale of Two Islands is a seriously complex Bourbon. I
was confused, which meant it held my attention, forcing me to concentrate
harder. I like that.
Like the Amburana, Tale of
Two Islands drank far below the stated proof. The only thing that reminded me
it was cask strength was the numbing of my hard palate. I enjoyed what was in my
glass. As I type this, I still want peat; regardless, it was unusual in a good
way, which means it takes my Bottle rating.
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.
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