Tastes

Aroma - Toasted marshmallow, berry jam, rich caramel. Some rye notes coming through in winter green and cinnamon. All of these notes are faint. It’s not a very aggressive nose other than the alcohol. Not sure what to expect on the palate. Taste - Interesting… Wasn’t really expecting everything to transfer from the nose to the palate. But I get this nice addition of orange creamsicle which is nice. The flavors are well integrated and nothing really dominating. The finish is a caramel and vanilla. Long finish too but the flavors are just not bold enough. Overall - It’s good but this is a bit of a let down for me. The “hug” is very minimal at the proof. It just seems boring for a Barrell product if I’m being totally honest. There’s a lot of subtle notes on both nose and palate but it’s lacking character and identity. At the price, it is good but I much rather grab a different Barrell product.

Aroma - reminds me of a rum with all that brown sugar dominating the nose. There is some vanilla.. some herbal rye notes in the background. Cinnamon red hots . Slight orange citrus too. Taste -cherry cola. Sweet brown sugar. There’s a toasted marshmallow note in the finish which I really enjoy. Really unique rye profile. Overall - bourbon lovers rye. Extremely sweet rye. Very unique flavor profile and the finish is actually really nice and long. Viscosity is a bit low which is interesting because the finish is so long. Love that toasted marshmallow brings so much more depth. Would make for an excellent old fashion or Manhattan. Definitely a bottle worth keeping on hand. Awesome value for that $55-$60 range. 4.3-4.35

126 Proof Aroma - citrus and brown sugar dominate the nose. Very light oak and vanilla presence in the back. As it opens I’m getting dark fruits. Very sweet profile here and it’s nice. Taste - follows the nose. But it’s more elevated. Overall - This is actually really nice. Full bodied, long finish. Exceptional offering for under $50. And this is extremely smooth for the proof. The more I sip this, the more I appreciate it. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better bottle under $50

Rackhouse 002 Batch #10 Batch Size 30 Barrels Dumped on 2/6/24 120.6 Proof Aroma - Youthful. Quite a bit of fruit coming through.. Sweet apples, strawberries, even touch of citrus. Oak coming up towards the back. Taste - Nose transfers to the palate here quite a bit. But there is a more pronounced brown sugar note along with quite a bit of butterscotch. Also getting chocolate and toffee. The mid-palate is exceptional. So much of those awesome sweet dark tones but then the alcohol becomes overly aggressive on the finish which detracts that great mid-palate profile. The finish also has a nice bubblegum rye note that comes through. Hug is significant. Overall - Priced appropriately in my honest opinion. Nice bottle to have, has a unique flavor profile too. I’ve tried the Master Distillers select and that was outstanding. This one falls a little short just due the alcohol being so aggressive. But this bottle variations, a 115ish proof could be really damn good.

Aroma - “A lot of a little” is the best way to describe this… Lots of different notes pop off but nothing really pronounced. Definitely getting a youthful vibe. Bright fruits and citrus…. . Oak/wood presence comes in the form of walking through Lowe’s lumbar aisle. Definitely “sweet aroma”. There is some mild baking spice notes towards the back. Taste - Wow that is actually quite nice. Lots of brown sugar, various fruits and vanilla mixed with some baking spices. This is definitely a nice dessert style whiskey as it really is quite sweet. Overall - Has a bit more body that what the nose leads on. The finish is more on the medium-long which fits the profile of a barrel proof offering. Nice flavor profile. Decent complexity. At the price, it is definitely above average and I think it could actually do pretty well in a blind tasting because I do think the profile is a bit unique

Bottle 122 Barrel 153 107 Proof **Disclaimer** - I’ve tried to review this bottle now 3-4 times and each time my review changes. New elements come up that I didn’t experience before. Making this hard to review. Aroma - Whoa that is wild and extremely unique. Smells like honey graham cereal mixed with root-beer. Also getting some blackberry jam and brown sugar notes. A interesting funkiness is present as well (possibly the oak?). As it opens it becomes extremely bready and fruity… pineapples, oranges and red apples really begin to dominate. Extremely complex, definitely youthful though as the oak presence is very faint. Taste - Fruity and funky is the best way to describe this. Getting some hints of fruity gum mixed with more of that root beer note. Slight hint of smoke. Each time I get into the glass.. something new and wild comes forward. This is really all over the place. . Overall - It is quite unique. But I’m struggling to find its identify. It is very bold nose… very bright on the taste buds and the viscosity is low and the mouth feel is average. The finish is all fruit then transitions to this weird oaky funkiness that tends to last quite long. That funky profile is perplexing because I cant decide whether I enjoy it or not. This one is really hard to grade for me personally. It’s very unique but it also gives off vibes of a cheap chewing gum.. It’s all sugar and fruit for the first 7 bites before it loses it’s mojo. It drinks below its proof as well. If you are able to get it around $50-$60 it could be worth try if you are looking for something “off-the-wall” and different. If not, then I would absolutely save your $$$.

Aroma - Not what I was expecting… lots of floral rye notes. Man.. I was expecting a bit more Rum notes.. I still get some brown sugar and vanilla (but none more than I get on most whiskeys) . Black licorice. As it opens up.. orange citrus notes along with toasted marshmallow come out which is quite nice. As nice as this sounds… it’s just very light on the nose. Really wish these aromas were a bit more bold and aggressive. It gives off a low proof vibe. Taste - I thought the nose was light.. sheesh. Rum notes of brown sugar and vanilla mixed with orange citrus. Very little rye profile for a 95/5. No oak presence. Very light palate. Overall - Meh…. It’s unremarkable… Would be something to keep behind the bar for decoration and to show a rum lover a whiskey. For me, this was a disappointment. .. I hardly picked up any unique rum profile notes. At $80, this is definitely by about $20-$30. Theres just not enough uniqueness to justify the $80 price tag.

Aroma - lots of bright fruits dominate the nose (apples, pears), some slight nuttiness with vanilla cream as well. As it opens, getting more citrus notes mixed with oak. Seems quite youthful but it’s decent. Taste - Candy, water, fruit. Where’s the oak? Overall - It’s “smooth” but that’s because there is nothing to this. For me, the proof is way too low. There is no finish and the mouthfeel is non-existent. This would be a good introduction to whisky but this is massively over-priced. Really had a lot of potential based off the nose. Drinks closer to a $40 bottle to be completely honest. Way too many amazing bottles at its current price point to justify ever purchasing this one. Save your money.

Rich… sweet. Great viscosity. 4.70