20 Year Toasted Barrel

In 2018, Barrell Craft Spirits introduced the first release of 15-year-old Gray Label Bourbon. During the production of that bourbon, a portion of the blend was transferred into nine custom raised American oak barrels that were perfectly toasted to our specification. After resting for five years, the first of these unique toasted barrels is ready to share with the world, with the remaining eight barrels to be released annually. This Single Barrel is the epitome of an expertly blended bourbon matured in a toasted barrel.

FLAVOR NOTES

Venerable age has enveloped this bourbon with time-worn oak. Beneath its woody mantle lies warm cola and bonfire smoke. Age has created so many tiny notes of herbs and spices that they blend together into notes of spice cupboard and old herbal liqueurs. Water reveals a classic nutty bourbon tasting of raspberry jam, graham cracker, and vanilla latte.

Neat

Appearance: Polished cherrywood.

​

Nose: A singular, intense aroma of antique oak furniture. The high proof coats the furniture in fresh varnish and lemon oil yet the smell of dust lingers. It takes a bit of time and patience for other notes to appear. When they do, it’s with a complexity in which the flavor of individual herbs and spices lose their meaning and instead manifest as spice cupboard and warm cola.  Barrel char singes the edges of sourdough toast and lights cigar tobacco ablaze. Banana bread studded with walnuts joins creme de menthe and dried coconut to round things out.

​

Palate: After the crash of polished oak, the warm cola is front and center, rendered in greater realism by the balance of sweetness and acidity. The herbs and spices go deeper, into vintage fernet, thyme, and pine needles. Fruit makes an unexpected appearance in the form of green grape and pear pie. Fresh pumpernickel and peanut butter cookies showcase the rye grain’s umami side.  The char returns now in the guise of burnt marshmallow, campfire, and even tar.

​

Finish: A rush of sugar ushers in maple syrup and grape soda. In turn that yields to bitterness encompassing coffee grounds, cocoa powder, and wormwood.​