Barrell Bourbon Batch 031

It looks like a golden orange, with slow-moving legs. The aroma is sweet, with notes of cornbread, deep caramel, woody oak, abundant vanilla, and marshmallow. There's a touch of spice and perhaps even pine. The palate offers more spice than the nose, but the sweet cornbread and caramel are present, alongside plenty of oak, vanilla, faint mint, nuts, and molasses. The texture is full and rich, certainly warm but not overwhelmingly so – it's pushing it, but enjoyable straight. All in all, fantastic, quite balanced, and a worthwhile splurge... Thoughts on Beer: As far as I can tell, no beers are aged in barrels specifically linked to Barrell (some databases have misspellings of "barrel" with an extra "l", but I don't think that counts). However, since they acquire all their barrels, it's possible they might interact with a brewery. Given Barrell's skill in selecting barrels for their blends, I imagine they'd be good for barrel-aged beer. Batch 31 is reportedly made from 99% corn bourbon, a somewhat uncommon but not unheard-of barrel choice for aging beer (a Mellow Corn variant of Eclipse was quite good).

A swirl reveals attractive legs in the glass. The nose offers notes of Tennessee minerality, nutmeg, prunes, and tobacco. The palate is sweet and spicy with a hint of artificial grape. I suspect a significant amount of Tennessee whiskey is present, which I don't typically favor, but this is well-blended and possesses depth in its stone fruit and fall spice notes. The finish is pleasant, with sweet chocolate and pepper. However, it is slightly astringent. Adding a large ice cube nicely rounds out some of the harsher elements and brings forward sweetness, chocolate, and a touch of stone fruit. The finish extends, and the pepper is tempered. The astringency disappears. Overall, a very pleasing whiskey.

Plenty of spice, expected considering the alcohol content. It really does strike me as being similar to a rye. All in all, it’s okay but didn’t really impress me. Based on some other opinions, I’ll revisit this one once it’s had more time to open up. Like others, the initial pour was quite harsh and fiery. I returned to re-evaluate and had a significantly different impression. It continues to drink like a rye, but with a small ice cube, it presents notes of butterscotch and something reminiscent of a desert, with a much mellower and sweeter character. The touch of heat remains, akin to a higher-rye mash bill, but the sweetness provides excellent balance. The closest comparison I can make is like enjoying a spicy hard candy. Shifted from a 3.0 to a 4.00.

Nose is massive with oak and vanilla, brown sugar, fruit, and even a touch of tropical notes. Caramel and a subtle hint of baking spices are present. The scent is incredible. I truly hope the flavor lives up to it. Taste - well, this wasn't what I anticipated. It's completely dissimilar to the nose. Sweetness upfront, followed by a rye-like spice in the middle, and then a profoundly sweet finish...a creamy vanilla finish. This might be the most vanilla I've ever encountered. Some almond-like notes emerge with subsequent sips. Seriously, these barrel batches are so distinct. Batch 31 is much better than 29 and 30.

The initial pour from the neck was quite spicy, akin to cayenne pepper on the finish. Some aeration mellows it; the spice remains intense, but the brown sugar/vanilla notes typical of good bourbon become more apparent. If you prioritize smoothness, this might not be your preference, but as a rye enthusiast, I find it very appealing. I've enjoyed Barrell finished ryes (Dovetail, Seagrass) previously, and this will prompt me to explore their bourbon batches as well.

The aroma is quite dominated by oak, with nutty and creamy undertones. The flavor is fruit-forward, with a spicy sweetness reminiscent of mincemeat pie. It's rich, elegant, and very easy to drink. The finish leaves a lasting impression of pepper and some char, but concludes pleasantly with a sweetness like homemade grenadine. Like every other Barrell Bourbon we've tasted, this is another fine addition to their collection or limited releases.