Ultimate Awards – it took a 22 year old Bourbon to beat us
We’re proud to announce that Barrell Bourbon Batch 006 and 007 were finalists in the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, receiving the accolade Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation. Batch 007 was the only bourbon that scored 98 points, the second highest score achieved in any category, beaten only by Blade & Bow Limited Release 22 Year Old Kentucky Bourbon. Tasting notes from the competition describe it as “Cashew butter, rolled oats, nutmeg, and brown sugar on the nose. Toasted nut and honey dominate the palate with a complex fruitiness making for a lifted, balanced mouthfeel. Delicious.” It also received the cocktail rating of 3 Stars, Delicious. Batch 007 is now for sale in California, Connecticut, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Minnesota and Oregon.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 006 scored 96 points, tying with Blanton’s Gold Edition Single Barrel. Competition tasting notes state “The oaky intensity announces itself out of the gate. The wood nearly manifests as fumes. Vanilla bean and butterscotch push through on the palate, a testament to the maker’s skilled construction process. Vanilla even cuts through on the hot fade.” Batch 006 scored a cocktail rating of 4½ Stars, Drop Dead Delicious. Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel 022 scored a 95, with tasting notes “This fully loaded bourbon opens fire with intense shots of butterscotch, toffee and classic vanilla flavors, delivering a much sweeter profile than the musty oak aromas let on. Streaks of heat go on forever on the finish.” The cocktail recommendation was 4 Stars, Very Delicious.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 005, scored a 91, with tasting notes “Distinctively more delicate on the nose with sweet spice, pipe tobacco, persimmon, and red fruit. Toasty oak shines through in the mouth with a touch of smoke and leather. Fruit and pine last on the palate” and a cocktail recommendation of 3 Stars, Delicious.
Each spirit at this world-class competition is reviewed under ideal tasting conditions over a period of time that allows the product to express its best characteristics, then evaluated blind by panels in multi-stages assessments to remove any inherent or individual bias. These awards follow our success with Barrell Bourbon Batches 003 and 004 at last year's competition. Full results can be found here
Barrell Whiskey 002
We have lots of great things coming up this year, including our newest Barrell Whiskey Batch 002, an American straight whiskey with a sherry cask finish. Distilled in Indiana with a mash bill of corn, rye, malted barley and aged in Kentucky for 9.5 years, it was bottled at 123.8 proof. Warren Bobrow, aka the Cocktail Whisperer, says “Luxuriant Sherry-soaked graham cracker crust peach cobbler leaps onto the tongue and immediately leads to mustardy slices of crusty rye bread. It continues with flavors of caramelized brown butter and warm vanilla custard accompanied by broiled grapefruit. The 123.8 Proof is unmistakable yet rich, soothing, and understated.” The full tasting notes are available on our website. Be sure to pick up a bottle and let us know what you think.
Hail! Minnesota
We’ve made it to the Land of 10,000 Lakes! Premier Beverage in Osseo, MN was the first store to carry our products – purchasing Private Barrel #20, to tremendous response. You can now find Bourbon Batch 007 and Whiskey Batch 001 on the shelf there and at MGM and Haskell’s, among others. Check our store locator here. We’ve also signed with distributors in Arizona, Louisiana, Nevada, and Washington state, so be sure to request some Barrell at your local liquor stores there.
We Get Around
We have lots of events happening in the next month. In New York we have tastings scheduled at Ambassador Wine & Spirits, Mash & Grape, and Vino Fine WInes in Manhattan, and De Wine Spot and Heights Chateau in Brooklyn. We’ll also be pouring our latest releases at Whiskey Jewbilee in NYC on June 15 and the Varmax American Whiskey and Bourbon Event in Westchester June 25th. In Chicago, we’ll be doing tastings at Binny’s Bloomingdale, Marcey, North Clarke, and Orland Park on June 17th and 18th. And back in Kentucky, we’ll be at WhiskyLive Louisville on June 18th and the Bourbon Social in Lexington on June 19th. We hope to see some of you there. Follow us on Facebook or check the Events page on our website to get news of our latest events.
It looks like this Internet thing’s catching on
Our new website is up! Check our Where to Buy page to find a retailer near you, or one that will ship Barrell Bourbon directly to you (where legal, of course). If you’d like to help us get Barrell into your local liquor store send us an email and tell us where you live. If you're interested in a private barrel contact us at orders@barrellbourbon.com. Every state has different laws about liquor sales and distribution, but rest assured we’re doing our best to get our products to you.
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