Barrell Whiskey Private Release CS01 Irish Whiskey Finished in Spanish Brandy Casks

This is my first of any of the Barrell whiskies; I find it pretty ironic that my first experience with a Barrell product is an Irish whiskey. There probably aren't too many that can say that. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine, I have the opportunity to try something from one of the elite blenders in the world of whiskey. Nose: Peppermint note right off the bat. Also getting some shortbread cookie and red fruit. Cranberry, strawberry. There's definitely some sweetness. but also some spicy and dusty notes. Allspice, clove, and nutmeg. I find the alcohol is well-masked at 65%. Oddly, it reminds of the early batches of High West Campfire on the nose. Interesting start. Palate: More of the same. The peppermint note is the most obvious. I also get some of the shortbread cookie, as well as strawberry and cranberry. It's biting into a Hawaiian Gusher. Plenty of vanilla. There's oak, nutmeg, and clove spice. Finish: Very long. Spicy as hell and packs a big hit of ethanol. It's a scorcher. Some of the peppermint carries over, and then it's all spice. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and oak. It teeters on the edge of overly-spiced, but I find it enjoyable at the same time. This is a fine whiskey. My one criticism is that it trades complexity for raw power. I don't mind the latter, but I'd appreciate a bit more depth here. It's definitely one of the more interesting Irish whiskies I've tried. And I think this could be really well-executed with a bit more time in the casks. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was. Can't wait to get my hands on another Barrell product--probably a bourbon this time around. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine!

As a kid, I listened to a lot of radio. I hadn’t thought about it in many years, but I remember periodically hearing a game that involved a very short song clip (so short it seemed like less than a second), followed by, “...be the first caller to identify that song, and you’ll win…” This whiskey brought to mind that game. Let me explain. On the nose, there’s definitely ethanol (at 65% ABV, I’d expect nothing less), but there’s also nice fruitiness and grain sweetness. On the palate, there’s a great entry of bold cereal notes and fruit flavors that are more in keeping with the cognac finish than the apple and pear I usually find in Irish whiskeys. But the entry is so fleeting that I couldn’t pin it down any more than that, and a fraction of a second after the entry a tidal wave of ethanol crashes down. That pounding wave goes on, and on, and on, with the promise of the entry never to return. I slowly added water, but the effect remained the same, although everything got progressively more mild. I eventually added enough water to tame the ethanol, but by that time, the great notes from the entry had been diluted to something that vaguely resembled a watery cognac. I’m usually happy with higher-proof drams, but admittedly, it can get dicey for me above 60% ABV. Also, I have yet to understand why some whiskeys accept water well, while others do not (to use just one example, I find that Dovetail takes water beautifully - I find it to be virtually the same whiskey at any proof, just stronger or more mild). So I’m intrigued, but definitely not enamoured. Those of you who have never found a whiskey to be overly strong might have a very different experience. Thanks @pbmichiganwolverine for the pour!

Barrell has come out with a mind boggling, and probably genius, strategy: have a micro-production of about 2 dozen highly customized blends finished in various casks. These are limited to about 120 bottles. There’s such varieties like 18 yr whiskey finished in Italian amaro, 18 yr whiskey finished in German ice wine, etc. Each variant has no more than 120 bottles, all reasonable priced at $100 or so. This one caught my attention because it was the only non-American in the lineup. So...every Friday I have a bit of a ritual. Since I only drink about 1 ounce (3-4cl) once a week, I really look forward to it. On a Monday, I select the whiskey I want to have for Friday. I pour it into a sample vial. Throughout the week, every so often, I’ll open up the vial and smell the aroma. It really makes the Friday pour that much more appreciated. All week long I was looking forward to this one. It was like smelling a fruit basket of lychees and pineapples. Finally, Friday night...relaxing with a Netflix...poured into a glencairn. That pineapple aroma floated through the air. The palette starts with the fruit basket, but takes an abrupt turn to a slight bitter tinge, a bit grape-y, from the brandy I guess. I wasn’t a fan of that slight deviation..would’ve loved instead to have the fruit forward...but I guess that defeats the point of the brandy finish. I’d give this a solid 4 on the nose and a 3 on the palette...