Tastes

Rich and full bodied with vanilla and caramel. Not much bite but a very nice sipper before moving on to wilder stuff.

A solid pour to be sure in a classic bottle, but definitely not worth much more than the $65 MSRP. EHT SiB or 4RSB is at least as good and typically easier to find.

I bought a bottle of this in early 2018 and thought “this is pretty good for $25”. What a difference a year makes. It wins a major award and now I see it on shelves for $60-80+. I still don’t get it. I wouldn’t even rank this in my top 20 in my own collection. Certainly not bad by any measure, but not what dreams are made of.

I’ve been burned recently on disappointing ryes in the $70-90 range so I decided to reset my palette by starting at the bottom shelf. Just paid $16 for OH and I’d gladly have traded it for several high priced drain pours. Yeah, it’s nothing special at 80 proof but a smooth, solid, reliable mixer.

An outstanding value with a nice combination of sweet and heat at 101 proof. Can’t find McKenna anymore? Time to check out Johnny Drum.

A bit rough around the edges, but still a quality 100 proof alternative to EHT and 4RSB.

While I prefer 1920, this is a complex and unique bourbon with a distinctive smoky finish.

Probably my favorite mainstream bourbon. Holds its own next to bottles costing 2-3 times as much.

Simply outstanding stuff...a very distinctive flavor with notes of chocolate and dark fruits according to my palette. I have six other Barrell products which are all excellent, but the 019 remains my favorite.