Blending
is an art form. A good artist has the
desired masterpiece in mind. The challenge is getting 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. I’m proof of that. I abandoned
my infinity bottle projects several years ago; I took excellent whiskeys and
made something that made my left eye twitch uncontrollably.
One
American blender that has earned my respect is Barrell Craft Spirits.
Based in Louisville, Barrell Craft Spirits 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 (three years ago, it released Foundation, which was not);
Barrell Craft Spirits wants to leave the proofing adventure to each
individual’s preference.
With
some things, Barrell Craft Spirits 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. Sometimes a bit of detective work reveals who they are,
and it isn’t a matter of Barrell trying to hide information; rather, it is
mostly due to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
Today,
we’ll examine Batch 038, a cask strength blend of straight Bourbons from
Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Maryland. I’ve been reviewing Barrell’s
products for several years. I’ve concluded that Kentucky is Jim Beam,
Indiana is MGP, and Tennessee is George Dickel. I’ve not been able
to nail down the Maryland source – yet.
The
youngest component whiskey is 8 years old, which, incidentally, is the one from
Maryland. Indiana has two, one at 9 and the other at 10 years; Kentucky is 12
years, and Tennessee has two aged 12 and 15 years. The derived mashbill is 79%
corn, 17% rye, and 4% malted barley. The 750mL bottle features a prominent red,
white, and blue motif meant to honor the 250th birthday of the
United States. Packaged at 58.48% ABV (116.96°), Batch 038 has a suggested
price of $84.99.
All
of this background is nice, but is the Bourbon inside the bottle any good?
We’re about to #DrinkCurious and find out, but first, I must thank Barrell
Craft Spirits for providing me with a sample of Batch 038 in exchange for my
no-strings-attached, honest review.
- Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
- Distiller: Undisclosed Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Maryland
- Age: 8 years
- Mashbill: 79% corn, 17% rye, and 4% malted barley
- Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels
- Alcohol Content: 58.48% ABV (116.96°)
- Price per 750mL: $84.99
Appearance: I used
my trusty Glencairn glass to explore this Bourbon neat. It possessed a sienna-amber
color and produced a thick rim with sticky, large droplets that eventually fell
after about 20 seconds.
Nose: After
waiting my cursory 15 minutes for Batch 038 to acclimate, I grabbed my glass
and held it beneath my nostrils as I inhaled. The aroma included notes of brown
sugar, dried cherries, new leather, pipe tobacco, and something musty, almost the
smell of the fallen leaves of a river forest. When I pulled the vapor into my
mouth, I encountered cinnamon and brown sugar.
Palate: The
first sip exposed me to a dense texture with an intense punch of gingerbread.
It took me a few minutes to get past the palate shock. My subsequent attempt tamed
the spice while thinning the mouthfeel. On the front, I tasted dark chocolate, worn
leather, and honey. The middle featured hazelnuts, nutmeg, and mushrooms. Flavors
of clove, bold gingerbread, and heavily charred oak made up the back.
Finish: Something
resembling amburana on the finish caught my attention. There was plenty of
cinnamon, ginger, and smoked oak, all trying to pretend the amburana wasn’t
there. Near 2:15, I detected cranberries. At 2:20, the duration was incredibly
long; it started strong and slowly (very slowly) faded until it finally
vanished.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The one
thing that threw me off was how a corn-heavy mashbill would reveal such spicy
characteristics. It wasn’t as if the sweeter notes couldn’t be found; they were
on the subtle side. In fact, the only sweetness I found was the note of honey on
my mid-palate and amburana on the finish.
I got curious as to what
might happen if I added two drops of water to the remnants of the Bourbon in my
glass. Using an eyedropper, I watched the distilled water emulsify. There was
thick, rich caramel on the nose, while the texture became velvety. The spice
notes became sharp, feeling as if they were cutting the tip of my tongue (which
was very unexpected). Yet, there were cherries, plums, and cranberries that washed
the sharp sensation away. I did find that the finish remained similar to when I
sipped it neat.
What should I make of this?
Barrell Bourbon Batch 038 is off-profile for what should be a sweet Bourbon.
That’s fascinating all by itself. If you’re into high-rye Bourbons or even
potent American Ryes, you’re probably going to fall in love. I enjoyed this
sipping experience; my Bottle rating is appropriate. 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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