1792 Single Barrel Bourbon Review

By Father John Rayls

Rating: B+

1792 Single Barrel is the newest release of Barton 1792 Distillery of Bardstown, Kentucky, in turn owned by the Sazerac Company and a stablemate of Buffalo Trace. The head office has been giving Barton something of a push lately, what with the 1792 Sweet Wheat and Port-Finish, and now the new Single Barrel, and we should continue to see new and innovative bourbons coming out of Barton. The Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon in a no age statement (NAS) straight whiskey, bottled at 98.6 proof.

As for the Barton Distillery, it continues to operate as the oldest fully operational distillery, lending weight to Bardstown’s claim as the “Bourbon Capital of the World.”

The Bourbon
The whiskey has an appealing golden copper coloring in the glass. Although thin to medium viscosity in appearance, it produces some long legs. Any light passing through the liquid reflects golden hues particularly when matched with the drip trails on the inside of the glass.

The nose is a medium-to-subtle one, with primarily sweet cereal rising from the whiskey. This is present on top of the very subtle caramel aroma and makes for an interesting mix. You might be tempted to think in terms of a bowl of oatmeal with some brown sugar or even a very light maple syrup or butterscotch blend.

The provided tasting notes describes the flavor as “having the flavors of butterscotch and caramel notes, delicately balanced with hints of fruit and toffee. The body is rich and lingers on the tongue for a delicate and pleasant finish.” I often find these descriptions overreach themselves, but Master Distiller Ken Pierce may have had a hand in this one, and I find it spot on. There is a light creamy feel initially and a pleasant sweetness is experienced on the front and top of the tongue.

All the other action takes place immediately at the back of the mouth. The fruit is a little more difficult to nail down, but the butterscotch, caramel and toffee are there for the duration.

It has a medium-to-long finish, never moving forward further than mid-mouth.

This is an easy sipping whiskey when taken neat. Although it might be considered very slightly hot, it’s never rude. While this bourbon should not be thought of as a complex whiskey, complexity isn’t always what whiskey drinkers are looking for. This is a simple, straight forward, “what you see is what you get” bourbon. It should prove easy to get, is definitely easy to drink, and quite enjoyable.

The Bourbon
The 1792 Single Barrel Bourbon should have been officially released last week. You will find it retailing at a suggested price of $39.99.