Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Seagrass (2022 Release)

Vanilla, banana, fruit, balance. Excellent. Long finish. So smooth for 130 proof. Can tell it’s got that beautiful rye.

No detailed notes here… pretty flawless pour.

Color: Pale, almost apple juice Nose: a veritable fruit basket. Pears, peaches, red grapes, grass, cinnamon. No ethanol burn despite the high proof… full of fruity sweetness and a touch of spice, not a big spicy rye nose. The longer it sits, the more the sweetness evolves into baked treat sweetness, vanilla, syrup coming to the front to meet the fruits. Palate: As full as the nose, but not as heavily tilted towards fruit. Fruit is still there - peach, plum? But more mint, nut, and tobacco notes present. A touch of saltiness builds part way through and sticks around as you swallow. Finish: Heat builds on the back end, finally for the first time revealing that this is in fact a 130+ proof pour. Finish is moderate-to-long, starts sweet and evolves in more of a dry/ever so slightly bitter direction (oak, tobacco) as the heat builds.

The nose starts with a rich earthy rye forward mix of pine needles, spearmint and light fruits of pineapple, apricot and pomegranate seeds in the background then a butterscotch creme brûlée topped with candied fennel seeds followed by fruits of bananas foster, Morello cherry jam and tangerine orange that transitions to a trickling stream washing over stones, cracked black pepper, candied ginger and fresh cut hickory burning in an open fire with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting with a moderate bitter rye spice that fades to a mix of rich butterscotch pudding along with earthy rye forward flavors of charred pine cones, spearmint, wintergreen and medium fruits of canned pineapple chunks, apricot jam and diced sugared strawberries before a trickling stream washing over river stones followed by fruits of caramelized bananas, stewed cherries and candied orange peel that transitions to cracked black pepper, juniper berries, candied ginger and fresh cut hickory burning in an open fire with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with charred pine cones, tangerine orange, grilled pineapple rings, raspberries, rich butterscotch pudding, spearmint, leather and polished oak. This is a big, bold and creamy rye that the flavors are dialed up to an 11 and you really need to buckle in for. The nose is so rich with the rye front and center with the finishes of Martinique rum, Madeira and apricot brandy adding light fruity notes to enhance the complexity but not overpower that old rye base which carries over to the taste with a mouth coating olive oil viscosity but stumbles slightly out of the gate with a moderate bitter spice before finding its way with an incredible balance of old rye with those fruity finishes coming out more but still in the background of those rye notes and finishes long and creamy with those high rye notes, citrus and old polished oak. Comparing the normal Seagrass to the 16 isn’t really a fair comparison as the normal Seagrass seems to focus more on the fruit flavors while the rye plays a supporting role, but with the Seagrass 16 it’s the opposite with the rye flavors front and center and fruits playing a supporting role. The choice would depend on if you prefer a sweet or savory rye as both are expertly composed and delicious. A better comparison is another savory rye of Lock Stock and Barrel 18 in which the Seagrass 16 makes the Lock Stock seem thin, youthful and lacks the complexity that those finishes have provided to the Seagrass 16. At $250+, this is an expensive treat but can easily beat any Whistlepig Boss Hog at twice the cost and is one of the biggest, boldest and complex ryes on the market, if not the best.

At first sip, the brandy is evident. More heat than I expected. A little underwhelming at first. After 15-20 minutes in the glass, it starts opening up, and the Madeira cask starts to steal the show. Not a huge fan of the finish. Overall, it's pretty good, but can't help but feeling the price tag is influenced by hype, not the quality of the beverage.

Good whiskey, beautiful packaging. I find the apricot aroma and taste overwhelming. It’s not offensive, but it is almost like smelling perfume and I don’t like that. Maybe it will mellow with future sips.