Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023

Figured I've nipped the 2022 and 2023 enough and in the mood for a couple rates tonight, so here it goes. This whiskey has a wonderful peanut butter nose that seriously reminds me of a Reese's PB Cup...boasting of chocolatey sweetness (maybe a skosh of oreo cookie?), peanut brittle, caramel, some fruits, and even some light flowery notes on the edges...its interesting and pretty damn great. The palate is enjoyable, but downright "vanilla" compared to the nose. Generally sweet, but not complex...hints of brown sugar, mildly roasted peanuts, a hint of chocolate if I search, and well, otherwise, just a characteristic bourbon, with a bit of back end ethanol that reminds you this is a 115ish proofer. Mouthfeel is average...not particularly viscous, but not thin either. Overall this is a really nice whiskey...but let's be fair, the palate/flavors keep this from being an absolute banger...like 4.75ish...and this was a bit of a surprise as I'd guess the palate has been the show on the vast majority of Barrell products (of which I am a big fan) I've enjoyed. This is quite good, and admittedly unique, and while the palate was a bit of a downer, I'm definitely happy to have this bottle on my shelf...

Aroma - smells like a candy shop… loads of chocolate notes and sugar candies. Very floral and tons of sweet fruits….Candied-apples and mixed berries…cinnamon graham cracker. Some honey-like cereal notes as well. This is an insanely sweet, aromatic whiskey. Very unique. No alcohol or oak presence whatsoever. Taste - Not what I was expecting… As complex the nose was, the palate is polar opposite. It’s still sweet but this almost seems too well balanced as far as tasting notes go.. Not overly complex at all. Caramel, cotton-candy, more sugar candy and slight chocolate notes. All very subtle. The alcohol presence is quite pronounced especially on the back of the palate and in the finish. Overall - Nose is wild and fantastic.. very unique and might not be for everyone especially if you enjoy the traditional flavors of oak, caramel and vanilla. The complexity on the palate is lacking for a BCS product. If you gravitate more towards the traditional flavors then this will be a strong avoid in my opinion. However, if you enjoy exploring whiskies that offer a unique experience, then this might be something worth looking into.

Very peanut shell, very salty/sweet. The more you let it open up the more fruit you will pick up on the front and the peanut shell moves to the back seat.