More to Enjoy
Barrell Bourbon Batch 035
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Distiller:
Various
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Bottler:
Various
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ABV:
58.75%
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Age:
6 Years
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Price:
$$$$$
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Intro:
A blend of 6- 7- and 8-year-old bourbon distilled in Indiana; 7- and 13-year-old whiskey distilled in Tennessee; and 8-year-old Kentucky bourbon, this is the 35th batch of Barrell Craft Spirits' bourbon. These releases vary starkly in mashbill, age and state origin, which has made the series really interesting to taste through and compare the profiles of each release to date. Recently, batches 033 and 034 performed quite well ... can 035 top them? Let's find out.
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Nose:
Huge maple, brown butter, peanut brittle, butterscotch and milk chocolate.
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Taste:
Funky and rich, loaded with cherry, apple butter, cocoa, more butterscotch and a pleasant chocolate note. Moderate oak structure but spicier than previous releases. The spice isn't a function of ethanol, just more notes of baking spice and ginger. Proofed nicely, it's got a pretty viscous mouthfeel and a hint of orange peel on the back palate.
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Finish:
Long finish with a blend of fruits, butterscotch and caramels. Spicy pepper and ginger pipe up, as well. There's no shortage of things going on. Oak is present but hangs back, and I like that this release really pushes the spice and fruit of each whiskey to speak before the ethanol and tannin can pipe up.
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Overall:
This is quite distinctive compared with several fairly tightly grouped releases over the past year or so. The cherry, chocolate, butterscotch and ginger notes put this a good ways outside of the profiles of the recent Barrell Bourbon expressions, and the release is better for it — this is delicious and should scratch the itch of a drinker looking for a new profile to turn to. Don't like ginger and butterscotch? Sit this one out.
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Score:
7
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources