Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon
2021 Release, 16 & 17 Yrs
56.77% ABV
$500
Website
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.
What the Blender Says
Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon is a blend of 16- and 17-year-old straight bourbons. Barrels for this release were selected from four different collections: cherry bomb barrels with a rich mouthfeel, nutty oak-forward barrels, high proof and high complexity barrels, and barrels with pronounced milk chocolate notes. The last group underwent a secondary maturation in toasted virgin American oak casks before being added to this intricate and seductive blend.
- Aged for 16 years
- Distilled in IN, KY and TN
- Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
- 113.54 proof cask strength bottling
A classically fruity bourbon, as sixteen years of maturation have produced an array of stewed and dried fruits of kaleidoscopic complexity. The overlay of toasted oak has rounded off all the sharp edges, leaving a soft and gentle profile that belies its high proof.
Appearance: Burnt marmalade..
Nose: The fresh and gentle notes from toasted oak are most obvious, as they add an unexpected dimension with vivid sugar cane, pipe tobacco, and toasted cinnamon. This freshness is contrasted by the earthiness of slate, tar, and cedar smoke. Fruits soon emerge, presenting rhubarb, Rainier cherry and tamarind, before shifting to dried apricot and papaya.
Palate: Candied ginger, marmalade, and northwestern hoppy beer notes speak to a foundational bittersweet profile. These are tempered by an unctuous creaminess, incorporating pina colada, key lime pie, and banana custard. Peach nectar, and cherry jam all contribute to a juicy quality whiskey at its best.
Finish: A bright pop of hibiscus and za’atar quickly yields to the cavalcade of dried and stewed fruits. As that fades some oak spices appear – sassafras, cocoa powder, smoked cinnamon, and incense.
With a splash of spring water: A bouquet of floral notes erupts from the glass: meadowsweet, elderflower and chamomile in the lead. The palate, on the other hand, develops instead along toasted coconut and curry.
What Gary Says
Nose: Rich, cocoa with cinnamon, dried apricots, baked apples, rickhouse must, vanilla, caramel cremes, worn leather, subtle smoke, baking spices with a hint of minerality.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with honey, pecan pralines, chocolate, hazelnut, caramel, pepper spice with cinnamon and a citrus twang that gives way to brown sugar.
Finish: Long and drying with cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, black tea and oak.
Comments: Another really nice bourbon. This has got a wonderfully complex nose – I really liked the nose on the BCS Gray Bourbon 4th Release, but I like this one better. A bit of water thickens this up nicely and tamps the edges. It also definitely brings out floral notes with coconut. Despite this being older than the BCS Gray Bourbon 4th Release, the oak is less prominent. The price is tough for me here – while I did enjoy this one more than the BCS Gray Bourbon 4th Release – it’s twice the price (and that one was priced up there). The most I’ve spent on a bottle of whisk(e)y as of this review is $300, but the market has definitely moved past where I’m at. If money isn’t important, this is a really delicious, well crafted bourbon.