jonwilkinson7309
Barrell Bourbon Batch 019
Bourbon — (bottled in) Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
November 26, 2019 (edited June 22, 2023)
Barrell Batch 019 is a mix of whiskeys from Kentucky and Tennessee, ranging from 9.5 to 14 years in age. Although not disclosed, George Dickel is alleged to be the Tennessee source. It's bottled at 54.7% ABV.
A deep caramel and molasses note is prominent on the nose. The palate is dominated by wood spice, cinnamon, anise, pepper and clove. Underneath is a very nice caramel and orange sweetness. The finish is long with vanilla and spice. Barrell's web site identifies dark chocolate covered blueberries on the finish as well. While I would not have come up with that on my own, it rings very true.
I don't often experiment with adding water, but I did in this case. A handful of drops toned down the cinnamon and spice a bit while increasing the vanilla and oak. It also brought out a bit of fruit on then nose. While Batch 019 is very nice straight out of the bottle, I preferred it with just a bit of water - to my palate, it was a bit more balanced.
With or without water, this is simply a great bourbon, and a complex one at that. I have no doubt I'll find more as I work through the bottle. The complexity and relatively high ABV make it an engaging dram that demands to be consumed very mindfully. But it's also an easy enough sipper that I could thoroughly enjoy it in a completely mindless fashion. All in all, great stuff!
Universal Package Store - New London
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@jonwilkinson7309 I’ve been hesitant on adding water until recently due to me being a bit too heavy handed and ending up with a watery drink instead. I got a water dropper and seem to be better at dialing in my ideal proof recently which has helped in exploring higher proof whiskies like Lost Lantern that might be too hot for me. Experimenting with water has been fun and yielded great results so far.
@pkingmartin. It's interesting - when I wrote this review two years ago, I really was hesitant about adding any water. Fortunately, I got over that and now experiment a lot. Especially with really high proof bottles like the Lost Lantern Ironroot, it's fascinating to see the effects.
Great review and spot on with the water! The water really opened this up for me and was too spicy without it.
I need to give the splash of water a try. I felt like the nose and palate didn’t quite line up but the viscous buttered biscuit on the finish is pretty dang satisfying.
@PBMichiganWolverine I have not, but I would love to try one of the rums, but haven't found one for sale yet. Maybe next batch. I'll let you know if I get my hands on a bottle. I didn't go to New London for this bottle, but ordered online from the Universal Package Store. One of my favorite places to buy whiskey. But I love the area. My wife and I take a few trips a year to Rhode Island or Mystic, and my sister-in-law and brother in law have a summer place in Gilford, so we go there at least once a year.
Generally can’t go wrong with Barrell. Have you tried any of their rums? I was curious—but haven’t dipped there yet. On a side note: New London in CT? I used to live close by , after college, in Mystic