Barrell Bourbon Batch 017 Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

In the hullabaloo surrounding the launch of the Barrell Craft Spirits (BCS) line of super premium whiskeys, it might be forgivable to overlook that their normal, well-established lines of spirits continue. The main case in point is the most recent Barrell Bourbon, now in its seventeenth batch.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 017 is billed as a classic 10 year old bourbon, and it is a pretty solid example of the way the company does things to boot. It draws on sourced whiskey from Indiana (MGP), Kentucky (unknown) and Tennessee (presumably George Dickel). The youngest constituent is 10 years and four months, while the other two are 14 and 15 years. As is always the case, it is bottled at cask strength: 112.5 proof.

The Bourbon
Batch 017 has a light amber coloring, belying its middle aged and barrel proof character. Coating the inside of the glass reveals a viscous bourbon, one that forms a distinctive crown and proves quite reluctant to drop any legs at all.

The nose smacks of a fruit pie, with cherries and apples seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and sweetened with brown sugar and vanilla. Then someone took that pie and sprinkled chopped mint and roasted nuts on the top.

Once on the palate, the character elements are all there, but the presentation of them shifts. The roasted nuts, spice mix and mint come forward. The fruitiness, brown sugar and vanilla retreat in the background. It’s bursting with flavor, and frankly I think leading with the nuttiness and spiciness is actually a good thing. It’s what separates this bourbon from the pack.

The finish flows off a wood spice note, and fades swiftly.

The Price
Expect to pay about $80 a bottle for this one. If that seems steep, it isn’t. In fact, it’s very much in tune with what merely mature barrel proof bourbons cost these days, to say nothing of middle aged and barrel proof.