Barrell Dovetail (122.9 Proof)

Carmel, cherry

This is immediately recognizable as something different. The nose just after popping the cork makes me think of some sort of Macallan 12, brown sugar and vanilla love child. No ethanol and no detectable flaws, just infatuation. I get port wine, fruitcake and Madagascar vanilla with a honey cheerio malt... and yet a waft of oak and tobacco come through making me still believe this could be bourbon. After a few minutes sniffing and wondering about it’s orange-ness I start getting more brine and honey. When I finally go in my first impression is “this is smooth, warm and odd... “ like something Prince would wear in concert. Mouthfeel is viscous, warm... damn. There’s a lot going on here, and frankly between the sherry/brine, Orange, oak, brown sugar dance I have to say that I’m a fan. It occupies a new space for me between bourbon and scotch. This is what I wish glenfiddich 14 in bourbon barrels would have been but I was all wrong. Put the bourbon in the sherry/port/wtf-ever barrel all day and I’ll leave the barley malt in bourbon barrels alone. This is a win for scotch-curious bourbon fans and I can honestly see it going both ways and seems malty enough to please the bourbon-curious sherry scotch drinker. What a wonderful bastard of a whisk(e)y! Also, knocking 20-30 off the price would be great, thanks Barrell.

Smooth like an 80 proof whiskey with all the flavor you expect in a 120 proof one. Best whiskey I have tasted to date. Holy cow this is good. Decadent rich chocolate and caramel.

I had a gift sample of this given to me by my local store owner, he told me it wasn't considered all that good. I beg to differ. The nose is not at all subtle, the cab cask influence is immediately apparent, both a grape jam and spicy cinnamon rum share the room with a healthy alcohol burn. On the front end the red wine factor comes through and indeed a bit of that grape jam flavor exists in the body. The dark fruit sweetness is on the heavy side of the bold and audacious sugary blend that remain emphasized throughout the finish. While the hints of spices and cinnamons are largely overshadowed by the fruit, they can be found tailing away with the other warm sweet juice flavors. Amazingly smooth for the proof factor the finish doesn't fail to deliver. I'm left thinking the Master Blenders at Barrell put some real work into getting this right, as the Dovetail provides the kind of powerful flavor normally reserved for the full proof and barrel strength offerings. While I certainly wouldn't want all or most of my bourbon whiskies finished in such casks, for the occasional off the pace treat this one really works out well. Barrell gets the job done again! Cheers!