Bourbon

Barrell Bourbon Batch 026

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Barrell Bourbon Batch 026

56.32% ABV
$90
Website
Barrell Bourbon Batch 026
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 Bourbon Batch 026 was created by combining 9, 10, 11, 13 and 15-year-old barrels in several blending steps. The first was a fusion of 9-year-old high rye barrels peppery and pointed on the palate, 10-year-old oak forward barrels, and sweet, toasty 11-year-old barrels for mouthfeel and classic baking spice notes. The second balanced citrus forward 10, 12 and 15-year-old barrels with spicy, floral 9-year-old high rye barrels. These two blends were gradually co-mingled resulting in an intriguing bourbon that dances between fruit and spice long into its finish.

  • A blend of straight Bourbon Whiskeys
  • Distilled and aged in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana
  • Selection of 9, 10, 11, 13, and 15-year-old barrels
  • Aged in American white oak barrels
  • Bottled in Kentucky
  • 112.64 proof cask strength bottling

FLAVOR NOTES
Like a well-aged Sauternes, a complex array of fresh, dried, and cooked fruits dominates the aroma, supported by pungent florals and a delicate layer of barrel-spice. The palate is concentrated and extractive, having pulled quite a lot of sugar and peppery spice from the cask. Water tames it, bringing forth a panoply of tropical fruits on the nose and creamy desserts on the palate.

Neat
Appearance: Pumpkin pie.
Nose: Immediately bright and fruity, smelling of white peach, creamy coconut, and prickly rhubarb, followed by dried or cooked fruits, among them golden raisin, candied grapefruit peel, and roasted red pepper. Pungent florals are intermixed, notably rosehip and meadowsweet. As one’s nose adjusts, richer, sweeter notes of beeswax, toasted almond, and tiramisu arrive. They sit atop a dusting of allspice, spearmint, ginger ale and charcoal.
Palate: A bit brash, but well balanced and with only modest tannin. Initially the flavor is dark and complex, on molasses, black cherry soda, and root beer barrel candy. The palate is rounded out by slate, salt, green apple and a little horseradish.
Finish: Advances the cooked-fruit theme put forth by the nose, cycling through candied grapefruit peel, grape jam, cardamom and allspice. It fades with a mineral tingle of iron and wood smoke.

With a few drops of spring water
Tropical fruit aromas become the focus, particularly starfruit, pineapple, and limoncello. Geranium and vanilla lend to the exotic feeling. The palate grows richer and silkier, with toasted pumpernickel, quince paste, mocha and horchata.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, vanilla, graham cracker, hot cocoa with marshmallows, raisins, oak, hint of cedar, touch of honey with mint, allspice and nutmeg.
Palate:  Thick and spicy with citrus zip, caramel, honey, bit of maple syrup with apples and tropical fruit notes.
Finish:  Moderately long, thickly sweet with chocolate and coconut.
Comments: Quite a complex pour – one that I really enjoy simply nosing and pondering.  Another shining example of the blending skills of the fine folks at Barrell Craft Spirits.  I’ve yet to try a batch I didn’t think was damn fine (with some being more in my wheelhouse than others).  And I remain equally impressed with whomever does their tasting notes (reading them after making my own, I often find notes I didn’t nail but think “Oh yeah – THAT was there!”).  I tasted this along side Bourbon Batches 018 & 027, and of those three – this was my favorite (although I wouldn’t turn away any of the others!)

Rating: Must Try

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Barrell Bourbon Batch 018

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Barrell Bourbon Batch 018

55.78% ABV
$90
Website
Barrell Bourbon Batch 018

What the Blender Says

Barrell Bourbon Batch 018 is a cinnamon bomb of a bourbon. We began with a juicy and tropical 11-year-old blend and layered in more structured and spice-driven 14 and 15-year-old barrels to give this batch a serious amount of character and bite.

  • A blend of straight Bourbon Whiskeys
  • Distilled and aged in Tennessee and Kentucky
  • Selection of 11, 14 and 15-year-old barrels
  • Aged in American white oak barrels
  • Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
  • 111.56 proof cask strength bottling
  • Mash bill: corn, rye and malted barley

FLAVOR NOTES
A blend of straight bourbons with all the comfort of your favorite Old Fashioned — sweet and rich with notes of honey, orange and cherry. Coffee and tropical fruit on the palate lead into an earthy finish that invites thoughtful contemplation as the whiskey continues to evolve.

Neat
Appearance: Wildflower honey with brassy highlights.
Nose: Opens rich and fruity, on orange liqueur and maraschino syrup, with underpinnings of cardamom, juniper, and incense. With air, a note of sweet vermouth arrives then evolves into concord grape jam and mint shisha. Slowly, exotic notes of papaya, finger lime, and gooseberry lift above the milieu.
Palate: The flavor of wildflower honey joins the orange liqueur and sweet vermouth from the nose but these sweet flavors are balanced by tangy pomegranate and strawberry. Subtle notes of dark chocolate and kahlua lend it depth.
Finish: Unexpectedly earthy, with cardamom re-appearing alongside almond, cappuccino, and sumac.

With a few drops of spring water
The fruit grows brighter, introducing notes of tangerine zest, mango, passionfruit and coconut, while mineral notes of limestone and tonic water add even more lift.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, blood orange, vanilla glazed donut, sandalwood, pecans, cherries, oak, bit of dried mint and vitamins.
Palate:  Fruity with cherries, orange, grilled peaches, honey, bit of chocolate, caramel, mineral note with a hint of sweet vermouth.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with pepper spice, oak and an earthy mineral note.
Comments: A pretty solid blend. The presence of Dickel is a bit more prominent in this one compared to some others, so if you don’t care for that vitamin/minerality often found there, this might not be your favorite blend.  With some water the mouthfeel thickens nicely, and I got more floral notes on the nose as well.  I reviewed this side-by-side with two more recent batches (026 and 027), and this was my least favorite, and was still pretty good.

Rating: Stands Out

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Booker’s 2020-03 “Pigskin Batch”

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Booker’s “Pigskin Batch” Batch 2020-03
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

6 Years, 7 Months, 7 Days
63.65% ABV
$90
Website
Booker's 2020-03 "Pigskin Batch"
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says:

The third release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2020 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2020-03 “Pigskin Batch.” This batch is a nod to 6th Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe’s love of American football, which eventually became a whole family affair.

Booker was a good football player back in the day, playing both tackle and kicker on his high school team. He was quick for his size — standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing close to 300 pounds — and strong from working as a farm hand growing up. Although he ultimately never pursued a college football career, he was talented enough to practice with the team when he attended the University of Kentucky as a freshman – a rare honor in those days.

Anyone who knew Booker knew his love of football. Whether it was his favorite team on the television or his son and grandson playing in the backyard, Booker loved watching a game and made the sport into a true Noe family tradition.

TASTING NOTES

Like all batches of Booker’s Bourbon, Booker’s “Pigskin Batch” was selected by 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe to ensure it upholds the qualities and standards that his dad set for Booker’s Bourbon more than 30 years ago and that fans of the brand have come to know and love. Uncut and unfiltered, Booker’s “Pigskin Batch” has a beautiful light brown color. The aroma contains brown sweets and slight vanilla notes. The flavor is big and bold with a finish that is long and warm.

Booker’s “Pigskin Batch” is best enjoyed neat, over ice or with a few drops of water.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, vanilla crème brûlée slightly over-roasted, heavy oak, pecan praline, peanut brittle and chocolate.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel with heavy caramel, spice notes of nutmeg and pepper kicking in with dark chocolate, oak and a bit of orange.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with dark chocolate, oak and citrus spice.
Comments:  A really nice pour. I don’t have all of the various batches from 2020 to try to compare against, although in a blind side-by-side against 2018-04 “Kitchen Table” and 2013-06, I did find I preferred this one (which is props as I really liked 2013-06, one of the initial ’roundtable’ batches). The variation is subtle from batch to batch, and I found this one to be more on the sweet side, with a bit less spice and oak. Takes water really well, although I don’t mind it at bottling proof. The streak of “hadn’t met a Booker’s I didn’t like” remains unbroken!

Rating: Must Try/Stands Out

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Redemption 10 Yr Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Redemption 10 Yr Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon

57.2% ABV
$100
Website
Redemption 10 year barrel proof high rye bourbon
We would like to thank Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits and R\West for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
COLOR: Dark gold, flecked with crimson.
AROMA: Rich vanilla oak with hints of aged balsamic and violets.
PALATE: The silky texture of this whiskey is simply amazing combined with the spicy rye backbone, the flavors abound. Toffee, honey, and roasted nut flavors dominate this whiskey, which finishes with the exotic flavors of star anise, nutmeg, and a hint of lemongrass.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich vanilla, salted caramel, oak, fall leaves, cinnamon, dark chocolate with notes of orange bitters.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, warm and rich caramel, spicy toffee, coffee cake, cinnamon, chocolate, baking spices, pepper, a bit of clove and anise.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with cocoa, pepper, oak and baking spices.
Comments:  Another really nice barrel proof bourbon.  I prefer this over the 9 Year, probably more because of the higher rye mash bill than the extra year of age.  Takes water really well, tamping the sharp edges without losing the depth.

Rating: Stands Out

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Redemption 9 Yr Barrel Proof Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Redemption 9 Yr Barrel Proof Bourbon

52.85% ABV
$100
Website
Redemption 9 year barrel proof bourbon
We would like to thank Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits and R\West for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
COLOR: Amber with ruby tones.
AROMA: Aromas of fresh Madagascan vanilla pod, caramelized toffee, and dark roast coffee dominate the aroma with hints of lavender honey.
PALATE: Smooth, mellow, and seamless, this bourbon slides through the mouth. Bacon, smoked meats with nuances of hops and white pepper spice with an overlay of wet river stone are the signature flavors of this complex barrel proof whiskey.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich vanilla fudge, dark chocolate, honey, coffee, oak, orange zest, subtle spice notes.
Palate:  Warm and oily mouthfeel, rich caramel, cocoa, cracked pepper with notes of walnuts.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with pepper and oak.
Comments:  This is a solid, barrel proof bourbon. Definitely a step up from Redemption Bourbon in my book, which isn’t a big surprise since I do tend to prefer higher proof drams.  This takes a bit of water well, but despite the higher proof I don’t think it is required.  This is a really nice age as well, with some oak on the nose, but not so much on the palate.

Rating: Stands Out

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