Barrell Bourbon New Year 2022

Starts very hot. Needed ice for about 15 minutes to smooth it out. After that, it was decent. Has a sweet character to it.

Nose: Incredibly soft nose for 115 proof. No ethanol burn whatsoever. Sweet red fruit (maybe dried plums), vanilla birthday cake, raisin biscuits. Some very tangy citrus notes later in the glass; like a glazed lemon bundt cake that eventually turns into a strong lemon zest. Very complex nose as it opens up. Palate: Sweet oak notes to start, followed by strong cola notes. Gets even better later in the glass: sweet citrus and vanilla bean coming through. More oak and tangy cola along with lemon meringue. It’s crazy and all over the place, but the further in you get, the better it is. Finish: The flavors linger on the palate, and the tanginess really sticks with you because of just how out of the blue it is. It’s still sweet, like a bread pudding woth lemon zest on it. Like a lemon pie with vanilla ice cream. It’s still in my mouth and mind as I type this description and I haven’t had a sip for a full minute at least. Overall: This is a great, unique, crazy complex bourbon. For the price, it ought to be. But this is something I’ll be reaching for (and salivating while I think of it) on very special occasions. Man… I’ll be looking forward to the 2023 edition of this. May be a new annual tradition I have to look forward to.

Straight-ahead textbook bourbon, with a nose of hickory and honey, a palate of caramel and sharp fruit (peach?, apricot?), and a mid-length finish of cotton and nut. A pleasant unexotic everyday drinker. And the 57% ABV helps justify the higher-end price tag.

Fruity esters, brown (slightly burnt) sugars, vanilla, and mild ethanol dominate the nose. Know some folks have mentioned various berries here and though I'm not able to place individual fruits, the berry sweetness is evident. Gets better with a bit of glass time. Flavor is sweet with a bit of underlying spice - keeps it interesting - along with some oak and fruit. Good stuff that seems to evolve from sip to sip. Palate is full...easy drinking even with a bit of backend heat, and a well-above average length to the finish. An interesting dram that will keep you guessing.