Barrell Seagrass

Finally got my hands on a Barrell. Was looking forward to trying something based off their solid reputation. This particular entry sounded very enticing. Exotic/unique barreling listed had my interest peaked. The nose was quite interesting. Reminded me of a type of fruit cobbler. I say type cause the notes kept switching in the stone fruit family. Peach or perhaps apricot. Both surrounded by a gentle oak covering. One cannot also forget the ethanol presence which occurs if you get to deep in your chalice of choice. Keep to the rim and you'll be golden. The sipping part was quite the experience. Neat (at least for me) resulted in an exothermic reaction in the esophagus. High proof be damned here 😂 Dilution is the solution here folks. (Again IMHO) After said water was added I can resume the review process. The rye spice was quite potent and carried on towards the finish line. But tastefully so! Once that hurdle was traversed the rye dovetailed into a lovely fruit medley that trickled in and stayed with you much after the fact. Apricot was the obvious star. But I also got an orange marmalade essence as well. Oak, a dusting of cinnamon, and cocoa played a minor role at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the layered effect from this spirit and recommend it to those on the fence. $79.99 I paid seemed like a fair price given the complexity that lied within. No question I will seek out their other offerings if made available.

sugar, rye spice, apricot, marmalade, peach 119.3 proof

Sweet nose, apricot up front, sweet madeira, fades to rum finish

Today’s tasting is Barrell Seagrass rye. A cask strength rye aged in brandy & rum barrels. This one was late to the rye auditions, but was still allowed to show off her talent. From the first until the very last sniff this one is proud to have grown up on a fruit farm and takes every opportunity to let you know that she’s light and gentle, but much like the Wu, ain’t nuthing ta F’ wit. At 118.4p, jamming your nostrils into the G-glass will undoubtedly bring on phantosmia of rubbing alcohol poured over nectarines, pears, cling peaches, and apricot. It’s not unpleasant, it’s just strong, and IMO requires rim on the lip rather than nose in the glass to truly appreciate the aromatic blend. The first sip brings on the pepper right out the gate and is to be expected of a juice at this proof. The pepper seems to slowly ease its way from the throat and into the chest, where it does a cursory check of the respiratory system before taking up residency in the belly. Subsequent sips don’t even bother with the tongue-throat-chest exploration, Dr. Pep just rideshares to the front door of the gut and screams “honey I’m home!” It’s almost magical how you continue to get the pear, apple, peach, and apricot flavors without the burn up top, only to have 118p of lump coal do the beatbox challenge in your stomach. The beautiful thing is, the burn subsides after 20-30 seconds and your left with the most notable character, apricot. Age-yourself time Larry. Do you all remember the semi-dehydrated apricots Woolworth used to sell on the aisle across from the perky parakeets? Well that’s what drinking Seagrass reminds me of. Not only is the flavor there, but also that thick waxy chew that seems to coat the palate. I finished my glass and was still tasting apricots an hour later. The BS is not lacking in character one bit. Call me what you want but this one is a little too hot for me in a Glencairn. I added a couple of drops that did well to tame the burn somewhat, but kept the flavor intact. I think at 100p-105p this would be an excellent summer sipper. At 118p I’ll most likely run 3oz over an ice ball next time to balance out the heavier proof to that of the sweet, delectable fruit profiles that embodies the blend. I haven’t tried any of the other Barrell offerings but this rye blend has me curious to try some of their other juice. I had this one shipped in for under $100. Would I walk into the LLS and drop a Benji on this one......Yes!....but I’d do so knowing that I could step on it with half a cup of water to get to the 100p that I think this blend deserves, plus an extra 5 shots out of a fifth is never a bad thing. Barrell Seagrass rye cask strength...I’m eager to hear the BOARs thoughts on this one. Two thumbs up from me for tons of flavor, a color profile that perfectly fits those of the flavor profile, fruit salad galore.....did I say Apricots?... Oh and a jack hammer gut finish that leaves no doubt about its rye heritage. “Not a rye guy!!”.... I’m looking forward to what this does as the bottle get lower ☺️. Cheers 🥃 to all my fellow April babies. Enjoy your week everyone. ✌🏾

Thanks to @jonwilkinson7309, who sent over a generous pour, I got to try this unique whiskey. It’s a complex vatting of three ryes, each matured seperately in Madeira, apricot brandy, and rhum Agricole ( which is from sugarcane, and not molasses ). Generally, I’m a huge fan of Barrell, especially their experiments. Their previous ones, Dovetail and Armida, were some of my favorite Barrell batches. This one fell a bit short for me, but I’m the outlier. So, at entry, this was simply too hot without any dilution. I couldn’t taste any of the complexities behind the three casks maturations. Was just all rye heat for me. I then added a few drops water, and still too hot. Finally, added a huge chunk of ice, and then I was able get classic rye, but a layer of apricot chutney and chocolate. Unfortunately the huge ice took away any aromas, but at least for me, made it more palatable. I think this is one that probably requires some dilution—-and amount of dilution can vary person to person. Not a bad experiment, but a distant third behind Armida and Dovetail. Thanks Jon for the pour!