Distillery: Sourced from distilleries in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana
Proof: 115.7 proof (57.85% ABV)
Age: Selection of 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, and 15-year-old-barrels
Mashbill: Corn, Rye, Wheat, Malted Barley
Color: Carrot
Price: $92.99
Company
Barrell Craft Spirits is an independent blender and bottler of whiskey and rum based out of Louisville, Kentucky (they also distill and age in Indiana and Tennessee). They pride themselves in making spirits that people want now and not focusing on what people liked in the past. Their ultimate goal is to select and blend products that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, and bottle them at cask strength.
Production
According to Barrell Craft Spirits:
“Barrell Bourbon Batch 027 started with 6-year-old fruit forward barrels from Tennessee and 5-year-old spice forward barrels from Indiana. After these were blended together, 13 and 15-year-old barrels with more wood tannin and depth were layered in and a select number of 9-year-old barrels with a higher rye content were blended in for spice and assertiveness. Finally, 5 and 8-year-old wheated bourbon barrels were added to soften the batch, brighten the front palate, and solidify a cohesiveness to an otherwise extremely complex flavor profile.”
Nose – 94/100
Cherry, caramel, spices
Palate – 94/100
Cherry, oak, caramel, vanilla, syrup, spicy
Finish – 93/100
Pepper, leather, oak
Value 93/100
While the price is on the higher end, Barrell Bourbon Batch 027 gives you an extremely complex flavor profile that you won’t find anywhere else. The spice, oak, and heavy cherry flavor make this a must-try.
Verdict – 93.5/100
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 95+
- Gold – 90 – 94
- Silver – 80 – 89
- Bronze – <80
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.