Shocking whiskey upsets at San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Hint, it's us. Barrell Bourbon Batch 011 Best Bourbon of the competition, Best Small Batch Bourbon, Double Gold
Best Over-Proof Rum of the competition, Double Gold Barrell Whiskey Batch 004 Gold medal winner
Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel 7B29 for Mash + Grape Gold medal winner
The results of the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition are in. Barrell Bourbon Batch 011 won best Small Batch Bourbon and Best Bourbon, beating Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel in the final two glass race. Barrell Rum Batch 001 won best Over-Proof Rum. Both were also prestigious Double Gold winners, considered outstanding and earning top marks from all judges. Barrell Bourbon Batch 011 is the culmination of a two-year barrel sorting project focused on highlighting a particularly rare and bright flavor note found in only select barrels of bourbon. The base of this blend is 6-year-old barrels, but it contains older barrels as well. Competition Judge Fred Minnick calls out “rich caramel, vanilla, roasted pecans, marzipan” notes. Barrell Rum Batch 001 is a Jamaican pot still rum distilled and aged in Jamaica for 7 years in previously used bourbon barrels, then further aged, crafted and bottled in Kentucky at 134.73 proof. The bourbon barrel finishing is complementary to the rum, adding a woody sweetness and a unique pungency. Barrell Single Barrel 7B29 bottled specially for Mash + Grape, and Barrell Whiskey Batch 004 also came home with the Gold. Barrel 7B29 is a spicy, high rye bourbon, with hints of vanilla, tobacco and baking spice. Barrell Whiskey Batch 004 was a combination of an Indiana whiskey and a Tennessee bourbon and aged for 11 years in used American oak barrels. Separately, the two whiskeys were finished in either rum casks left over from Barrell Rum production, or rye barrels to add structure and spice. We then selected and blended a number of barrels of both whiskeys with both finishes to create something really special. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the largest international spirits competition in the United States. Judging is blind and done by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized spirits judges. The full list of results will appear May 15th on their website. Spread the word about our whiskeys and rum! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Lift your spirits.
