Barrell Bourbon and Whiskey
The Latest Press
Barrell Bourbon was featured on Thrillist as 1 of 6 spirits and the only bourbon to pick up as a gift for Father's Day. We're proud to be among such a select bunch. "Made in the state where bourbon was born, Barrell Kentucky Straight Bourbon is bottled at 116.7 proof and has a rich flavor profile with touches of chili peppers and salted caramel...perfect for the father who appreciates tradition." With over 13 million monthly visitors, Thrillist is one of the top web magazines in the world for upscale food, drink, and travel.
Barrell Bourbon was selected as one of the top 5 bourbons to try for National Bourbon Day by Richard Thomas, Owner and Managing Editor of the Whiskey Reviewer, a web magazine currently ranked as the #5 whiskey-only website in the world. Richard says "The folks at Barrell Bourbon have earned some high marks for finding some good casks to buy and bottle, making their first release of the year a whiskey to try." Whiskey Reviewer has been cited, quoted and reprinted by the American Distilling Institute’s newsletter, The Atlantic, Drinkhacker, Foodista, MarketWatch, and NY Daily News.
We're Expanding
Barrell launched in January 2014 in New York City with a bottle of Bourbon Batch 001 and a lot of spent shoe leather. Thanks to all of our fans, we're now in over 120 stores, bars, and restaurants in New York. As of July, The Winebow Group will become our distributor in New York and New Jersey to help us bring Barrell to even more places close and far from NYC. In the meantime, Barrell has found it's way onto the shelf at some great spots in New York like Wheated (homemade pizza and whiskey) in Brooklyn, The Moonlight Mile in Greenpoint, 5 Napkin Burger in Hell's Kitchen, and Bondurants on the Upper East Side.
We continue to expand in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Nantucket may win the award for highest island concentration of Barrell with 3 restaurants, The Sea Grille, The Boarding House, and Brotherhood of Theives.
Barrell is learning to say y'all. Distributed in Tennessee by Athens Distributing Co., Barrell should be appearing on the shelves from Memphis to Chattanooga. If you're in Tennessee or know anyone who's looking for Barrell there, be sure to tell them it's now available.
Heading further west, Quality Wines and Spirits in Illinois and Purple Feet Wines in Wisconsin will be distributing Barrell Bourbon and Barrell Whiskey. Expect to start seeing it on the shelf later this summer and into the fall.
New Releases
Barrell Bourbon Batch 005 has just been bottled and is making it's way north from Kentucky as we speak. Our oldest bourbon yet, it's a Tennessee Straight Bourbon aged for 8 years. Tasting notes will be posted on BarrellBourbon.com in the upcoming weeks.
Barrell Whiskey
If you haven't tried Barrell Whiskey yet be sure to pick up a bottle. Barrell Whiskey Batch 001, released in January, is made from a bourbon mash of corn, rye and malted barley. It scored 93 points and was a Finalist in the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge and won Double Gold at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The whiskey was distilled in Indiana and matured in Kentucky for seven years in ex-bourbon barrels, and then bottled at 122.5 proof. As a result, the whiskey has a brilliant, golden color along with an aroma of tobacco, persimmon and chocolate. Notes of cooked stone fruits, roasted corn, toasted oak and chewy leather dominate the palate, and lead to a finish accented by hints of chocolate and hazelnut. The full tasting notes are available on our website.
Warren Bobrow, aka the Cocktail Whisperer, remarked in a recent Foodista article, that Barrell Whiskey "may well be the best whiskey I've ever tasted." That's high praise from a guy who gets paid to eat and drink for a living. Warren consults about mixology and spirits, travel, organic wine and food, and is the author of Apothecary Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails, and most recently, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails. All of Warren's recipes made with our bourbon or whiskey are available on our website. Check them out here.
Upcoming Whiskey Events
Fresh off of the NYC Whisky Jewbilee and Whisk(e)y Monday at Ward III, we'll be doing Barrell tastings almost every weekend in the NY metro area.
Barrell Bourbon at Your Service
We continue to expand across the country! Check out our new Where to Buy page to find a retailer near you, or one who will ship our products directly to you. If you want to help us get our whiskey into your local liquor store send us an email and tell us where you live. Every state has different laws about liquor sales and distribution, and some states are easier to get into than others, but we will do our best to get our products to you.