Tastes

Sherry influences on the nose. Some bread as well. Creamy malt base, very smooth and elegant on the tongue. Orchard fruit, cinnamon, dark chocolate. Buttery finish with a bit of clove. This is a high end whisky. Flavorful yet refined. 10/9/17

Creamy and spicy. Bread. Subtle. Pleasant. 10/9/17

Depth on the nose, but a bit muted. Some clove and apple. Bubbly on the palate, seems effervescent. Pleasant spices throughout. Cola and apple pie, some baking spice. Just a hint of floral rye. Not as herbal as I was expecting. Finishes a bit dry, which balances the sweetness. Nicely done. 10/2/17

Orchard fruit and nutmeg on the nose. Smooth and velvety on the tongue, just a bit of spice that lingers. The nose follows on the palate, along with a hint of cherry syrup, and some additional char and dark chocolate notes. Enjoyable. 10/2/17

Both of these are winners. B16, 127.5 proof: Muted nose. Initially the proof seems light, but after a few sips the heat creeps up. Sweet. Complex. Spice. Some floral. Notes. Delicious. Added a drop of limestone water and made it sweeter. B17, 128.1 proof: On the nose, fresh spring day. Smells hot. Tastes hot hot hot. Burns so good. Balanced sweetness. Nutty flavor. Limestone water opened it up, made it sweeter. 9/25/17 127.2 proof. Juicy fruit, and herbs on the nose. Rich buttery caramel. Strong rye components on the palate. Sweet, spicy. Mint, and more Juicy Fruit. This is like chewing two types of gum at the same time. 10/18/17 Having the 128.1 proof again. Smells like fresh clean laundry, honeysuckle. Sweet and hot on the palate, intense caramel up front, baking spice hits towards the middle, with high cacao dark chocolate, pepper, and a bit of sandalwood at the end. Good stuff. 4/20/18

Classic BT nose plus a bit of almond and toffee. Good nose. Smooth and light. A bit of spice at the end. And what you've read about the finish is right... it's loooooong. Sweet mild nutty. Intriguing. 9/25/17

Trying three Single Barrels, from 2015-17, and comparing to the Small Batch. In short, I liked the B17 the most, but if I were going to buy one and knew how it would taste, I would go for the B16 bottle I had. But ultimately, the Small Batch is great and certainly a better value than the Single Barrels. As we know, single barrel offerings vary, so here, I do think think the year matters as much, I probably could have gotten 3 from the same year and still had the variation. Good stuff, absolutely, but for my money the Small Batch stands strong. B15. Smells great, like good bourbon, but nothing different. Just solid. Taste is similar to the Small Batch, but not as sweet and this barrel has a strong damp wood taste at the end, and a bit more bitterness. Not bad, but I wouldn't reach for this, would rather have the Small Batch. B16. Smells like paper, softer than the B15. Sweet tones. But doesn't taste as sweet. Feels a bit like soda. Has more rye floral notes, a bit thinner than the B15 bottle. Some vanilla, some cough syrup. But pleasant. B17. Often three, the most similar nose to the Small Batch. The palate is also the most similar to the Small Batch. Maybe a but thinner, slightly more bitterness. 9/25/17 I had a different bottling of the B16. It was much better than the other ones, more flavorful and vibrant. I would give it a 4 rating. Shows the inherent variability when dealing with single barrels. This is a good product, but given the variability I think I like the safety of the Small Batch at a better price. 11/14/17

B15. Some dill on the nose, but mostly fresh linen and caramel. Thick mouthfeel. The traditional rye notes are there but aren't as prominent as some other rye whiskies. Sweet. Some floral notes, a bit of pepper, slight bitterness. Good heat. Short finish. This is a great rye for those who don't like ryes. 9/25/17

I was excited to see this on the menu (at Canon in Seattle), as it's a unicorn for me. Thick legs, almost syrupy. Initially very hot on the nose. But there's great depth, with spice, caramel, furniture polish, taffy, and char. A vanilla bomb. This is like finding a butterscotch factory in your grandpa's basement. On the palate, wow. Zest, a potpourri of rye spices, oak, burnt sugar, peaches, cacao nibs... the flavors cascade. Doesn't seem as hot as the proof suggests. Very rich, and balanced, not as unduly sweet or hot as other Barrell batches. Long finish. A great bourbon. Too bad these are all gone. Spectacular debut for Barrell, what a way to announce yourself. 9/13/17

Great nose, baking spices, caramel, and flowers. Some sort of sour vanilla as well. Strong wood initially on the palate, a bitterness that lingers. A quick hit of brown sugar, then leather and turpentine. Sometimes I get a flash of overripe orchard fruit. The finish is long and spicy. Lots of flavor in this one. 9/13/17