Blending is an art form. A good artist has the desired masterpiece in mind. The challenge is how to get there. In blending, it takes a dash of this, a dab of that, and an eye of newt (okay, maybe not that last one). The long and short of it is that unless you rely on dumb luck, mixing stuff randomly usually turns out awful. It is why I abandoned my infinity bottle project several years ago; I took excellent whiskeys and made something that made my left eye twitch.
One
American blender that has earned my respect is Barrell Craft Spirits
(BCS). Based in Louisville, BCS has been at it for over a decade and has won
its fair share of awards (including some from me). Almost every release is at
cask strength (two years ago, it released Foundation, which was not); BCS wants
to leave the proofing adventure to each individual’s preference.
With
some things, BCS is transparent, and others, not so much. For example, they’ll
tell you what state they source their whiskeys from, but not the actual
distillers. In some ways, it is obvious who the distiller is. In others, it is
a combination of experience and guesswork.
The
newest Bourbon from BCS is called 12-Year
Bourbon French Oak Finish.
“French oak offers a more refined subtle contribution compared to heavily toasted American Oak barrels used for initial maturation or heavy charring, adding layers of flavor without overpowering the bourbon itself.” – Joe Beatrice, Founder
Unlike
many BCS Bourbons, the mashbill is undisclosed, but we do know the component whiskeys
come from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Here’s where experience
(and a lot of detective work) comes into play: the respective distilleries are Jim Beam,
Ross & Squibb, Cascade Hollow, and Wyoming
Whiskey. We also know the youngest component is
a dozen years old.
How
does this Bourbon taste? To answer that, we’ll #DrinkCurious, and the
opportunity was made possible via the generosity of BCS in exchange for my
no-strings-attached, honest review.
- Whiskey Type: Bourbon Finished in French Oak Casks
- Distiller: Undisclosed Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wyoming distilleries
- Age: 12 years
- Mashbill: Undisclosed
- Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, then finished in French Oak casks
- Alcohol Content: 54.25% ABV (108.5°)
- Price per 750mL: $159.99 (1500 bottle yield)
Appearance: I used
a Glencairn glass to explore 12-Year Bourbon French Oak Finish neat. It
presented a deep and dark hue, which I would describe as sienna. A thin, fragile
rim jettisoned slow, thick, cramped tears.
Nose: I allowed
the whiskey to breathe for about 15 minutes before bringing my glass beneath my
nostrils. I smelled fresh ginger, pineapples, roasted hazelnuts, nutmeg, dark
chocolate, and cinnamon. When I drew the air through my lips, I discovered intense
French oak.
Palate: The medium-weight,
silky mouthfeel led to a palate shock of ginger root. My subsequent sip
provided notes of allspice, cinnamon, and dark chocolate on the front of my
palate. My mid-palate identified Nutella, blueberries, and pineapple, while the
back included flavors of clove, heavily-toasted oak, and ginger spice.
Finish: Blueberries,
pineapple, ginger, clove, chocolate, and cinnamon remained well past the
swallow. It had a very slow ramp-up, but never got beyond warming. I found it a
tad dry. The duration ran 1:38, placing it on the border of a medium-to-long
finish.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: BCS 12-Year
Bourbon French Oak Finish was multilayered and complex. The French oak
influence was obvious. I was pleasantly surprised by how it started spicy, then
went fruity, then became spicy once more. The Bourbon drank a handful of points
below its stated proof; it went down easily and lacked alcohol burn.
I’ve had many of BCS’s
whiskeys over the years, and some are excellent. I’d group 12-Year Bourbon
French Oak Finish in that category. Is it a bit on the spendy side? Sure. Is it
worth picking up a Bottle? I believe so. Cheers!
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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