2023

Barrell Foundation Bourbon
A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies

50% ABV
$60
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

Louisville, KY (October 11, 2023) – For the past 10 years, Barrell Craft Spirits® (BCS) has become synonymous with some of the most exciting cask strength releases being made in America, showcasing its ability to blend complex flavors in bourbon, rye, and American whiskey from a variety of different distillery partners across the world. Today, the original independent blender of unique aged, cask strength whiskey since 2013 announced the launch of Barrell Foundation Bourbon, its first non-cask strength bourbon, in select U.S. markets. The new ongoing release is a blend of Kentucky (8yr), Indiana (5, 6, and 9yr), Tennessee (8yr), and Maryland (5 and 6yr) bourbon whiskeys bottled at 100-proof (50% ABV). Featuring a derived mashbill of 73% corn, 23% rye, and 4% malted barley, the expression presented a unique challenge for the award-winning blender to show it can produce a great, consistent whiskey at a lower ABV and for all occasions.

“Barrell Foundation is a delicious and easy drinking bourbon whiskey with all the flavor of a cask strength bourbon whiskey at 100-proof,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice. “We believe that a true art form in bourbon-making is the ability to produce bourbon whiskey that can be enjoyed by everyone, and we welcomed the challenge to show that we can produce great bourbon whiskey at a more approachable strength and price for all occasions. For 10 years we’ve led the blending movement in the U.S. and now welcome this exciting opportunity to be a trailblazer of an entirely different style of bourbon whiskey.”

Having recently opened its new 31,000 square foot blending facility in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, BCS can now support the growth of its current brands as well as new product launches. Featuring eight blending tanks with 64,000 gallons of capacity, the new facility enables the team to blend larger stocks of its bourbon into a profile that tastes great neat and works well in cocktails.

Founded in 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky, BCS selects and blends products that explore different distillation methods, barrels, and aging environments. BCS’s extensive stocks of high-quality casks mean it can craft extraordinary blends that maximize the nuances of each ingredient. Creative finishes and a liberated approach to blending guides every product release.

Barrell Foundation is now available for purchase online via the Barrell Craft Spirits website and in select markets (AZ, CA, DC, DE, IL, MD, MI, MO, NJ, NV, NY, TX, and WA beginning this month for the suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750ml bottle. The new offering will rollout nationally in January of 2024.

BLEND COMPONENTS:
Kentucky: 8 years old
Indiana: 5, 6, & 9 years old
Tennessee: 8 years old
Maryland: 5 & 6 years old

DERIVED MASH BILL:
Corn: 73%
Rye: 23%
Malted Barley: 4%

Crafted and bottled in Kentucky

FLAVOR NOTES
​Neat
Appearance: Golden amber.
Nose: An initial wave of honey, candied-strawberry, dark cherry, and grilled cantaloupe greet you. Notes of lavender and fennel emerge and are balanced by cocoa, brown butter, and cardamom. Grilled peaches and hazelnut linger, followed by a burst of lemon and lime zest with a touch of oily, waxy fruit peel.
Palate: Maple pecans, dark chocolate and cinnamon unfold and are quickly followed by rich flavors of tiramisu and cardamom cake, with a mouthfeel to match. This expands to include hints of fennel, lemongrass, and lemon zest, balancing the creamy, full-bodied mouthfeel.
Finish: Creamy and sweet, emphasizing cinnamon, toffee, vanilla pudding.
With a splash of spring water
Even more viscous and creamy with the vanilla pudding evolving into bananas foster. The citrus zest and the lemongrass become more elevated with notes of orange sherbet.

What Gary Says

Nose: Cocoa, caramel, oak, toasted citrus zest, blackcurrant, black cherry, subtle floral and mineral notes.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with caramel, cinnamon, dark chocolate, blood orange, vanilla, cherries and toffee.
Finish: Moderate in length with cinnamon, coffee cake with vanilla icing.
Comments: This is Barrell Craft Spirits first foray into bottling a bourbon at a specific proof with a consistent flavor profile. They’ve proven that they’re damn good at blending bourbons from different distilleries to create something unique and delicious, and Barrell Foundation continues this legacy. This is a delicious, complex but approachable bourbon.  A bit of water brings out a bit more of the mineral note on the nose as well as amping up the citrus vibe, although I really love this neat. I did find this delightful in an Old Fashioned as well, and look forward to picking it up when it comes to Georgia next year (and seeing how the consistency holds up over time).

Rating: Stands Out

Bourbon Steak’s Ragged Branch Wheated Bourbon
Exclusive to Bourbon Steak’s DC Location

60.5% ABV (for sample provided; varies by barrel)
$21 for 2 oz pour in restaurant (see menu for current price)
Restaurant Website
Distiller Website

We would like to thank Bourbon Steak and The Brand Guild for sending us a sample to review.

What the Restaurant/Distillery Team Says

Bourbon Steak has teamed up with Ragged Branch, the renowned distillery located in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, to launch an exclusive Bourbon Steak Bourbon, only available at the restaurant’s DC location!

Ragged Branch crafts the finest, authentic Virginia bourbon and every drop comes from their own grain – milled and mashed daily, aged in charred American white oak barrels and distilled onsite. Ragged Branch produces almost zero waste, as the water in the distillery is recycled for cooling tanks and the spent mash is fed to their cattle, creating their own unique flavor of beef, also produced at the farm.

Bourbon Steak is Chef Michael Mina’s love letter to the American Steakhouse, and the DC location is the brand’s flagship and a staple in the DC food scene, having debuted nearly 15 years ago at the Four Seasons hotel in the heart of Georgetown. The limited edition bottle is truly unique, hand crafted, twice barreled and double oaked. Ragged Branch hand cuts and filters the bourbon straight from the barrel, ensuring the utmost smoothness and quality. Sip it neat, on the rocks, or enjoy in Bourbon Steak’s House Manhattan!

Bourbon Steak places community at the core of their operations and are proud to be partnering with this exceptional local distillery to create this special bottle – only available at Bourbon Steak DC.

Mashbill: 68% corn | 16% wheat | 16% malted barley

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, oak, fruit notes of cherries and a bit of orange, hint of malt and mixed nuts.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, caramel, chocolate, toffee, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, cherries, blackberries and pepper.
Finish:  Moderate in length with cherries, cola and oak.
Comments: An interesting pour; blackberry is a note I don’t get very often in bourbon, same with cola. A bit of water brings out notes of cedar on the nose, and actually thickens the mouthfeel while bringing out more chocolate. The barley content is a bit higher than you typically see which may be contributing to that uniqueness. I inquired what ‘twice barreled and double oaked’ meant and they explained that the bourbon is first aged for 4.5 years in a #3 charred virgin oak barrel before being aged an additional 1.5 years in a #4 charred virgin oak barrel.

Rating: Stands Out