Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Bourbon 15 Year (2018 Release)

I've made many poor choices. This seemed like a trap, but I'm genuinely happy I took the chance and that my spouse will once again question my sanity. This is not the WLW bottle that someone reviewed. This 105 proof bottle is the second batch (2019/2020) of Barrell's 15-year blend. It's possible some of the first batch is still available, and I may never know if it's superior, inferior, or the same. Sitting on the back porch with my father on my birthday. A cool evening with a fire pit. It was during the pandemic, an election year, and the day RBG passed. The initial nose from a neck pour is strangely flat. No nuts, no spice, no sweetness. Then it's like vitamins. Then faint leather and earth. Raisins. Andes mints? A few floral notes. Wet oak and fallen leaves. More funk, more vitamins, a hint of sweet antifreeze. Peculiar. Sweet tobacco and minerals, wow! The MGP multi-phase plate is present, as are the mineral/Flinstones Dickel flavors. Sweetness upfront with a tingle of clove spice, followed by an earthy mid-palate and powdered sugar sweetness, with a diminishing heat and a coating like buttery bread that transforms into a lasting tobacco varnish. Candy corn, clove, and cedar for a long time... My father offered three pieces of advice tonight. 1) Learn to let many things go, especially with the children. 2) Cherish your kids; they grow up so quickly. 3) Don't take anything I say too seriously. Is this considered inception? At some point, I'll splurge on a pour of WLW, but for now, I don't feel the need. Right now, I am finally content. For the present. ————— Perhaps I was overly enthusiastic then. This isn't a top-tier pour. However, I don't believe it's bad at all. It might be a bit too expensive. As I've revisited this over the past year, it has maintained a thicker texture with a pleasant blend of musty sweetness, dried fruits, minerals, and nuts. The oak, likely due to the TN component, doesn't assault you like hot, dry splinters, which one might expect from a 15-year Kentucky whiskey. For some, replacing astringent oak with roasted chestnuts might be a positive. I feel it avoids being overly sharp to its detriment. Dropping the score to 4.5, but it could be as low as 4.0 or 4.25 considering the price and the fact that I prefer ECBP B520 for a quarter of the cost.

2019 bottling Aroma: caramel, citrus, vanilla, cherries, and herbs Taste: Fruit is prominent initially with minimal burn. Orange zest, cherry pie, leather, and vanilla. Slightly tart. As it lingers in your mouth, it shifts and blends these distinct flavors. Excellent mouthfeel. Adding water enhances the fruit aroma and brings out leather, fruit, cherry pie, and wood notes in the taste. Finish: A slowly intensifying warmth, never overpowering, cuts through the fruitiness of the taste and eventually mellows into cinnamon and then spearmint, which lasts for several minutes. The minty, menthol finish is the most distinctive characteristic of this drink. I opened my bottle immediately to decide if I wanted to buy more. It's a good drink, but I won't be purchasing it again at this price. **Updated review after the bottle had been open for 2 weeks. The menthol finish is less intense now and seems more balanced with the spice and cherry. Increased the rating by.25. I'm starting to appreciate it more. **Third update - after the bottle had time to breathe (3 months), the menthol characteristics have significantly faded, leaving me with waves of rye spice, citrus, peppercorns, and cherry that ebb and flow on the finish. I said I wouldn't buy more... and that was a lie... only 15,000 bottles were available to the rest of you fools out of 15,004 made. I never want to be without this and will purchase this bottle whenever it's available if the price is right.

Nose: Peanuts roasted, cocoa, toffee, vanilla, cinnamon, red berries, a citrus note, aged oak, anise, black pepper, and moderate ethanol burn. Taste: Toffee, citrus, vanilla, roasted peanuts, baked apples, chocolate malt, cinnamon butter, leather, nutmeg, black cherries, dry oak, and a moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with flavors of roasted peanuts, citrus, and baking spices. I have the great fortune of possessing three separate Barrell 15 Year samples, the 2019, 2020, and 2021. Starting here with the 2019 release, the nose has a strong dry roasted peanut quality. Cocoa powder, citrus, and toffee are also very present. It’s rich, but very drying. The palate carries the same roasted peanut quality or possibly something similar to a homemade peanut butter. Malted chocolate, black cherries, and strong baking spices round out a nice, albeit slightly bitter and drying, palate. The mouthfeel and finish are above average. So the Dickel is definitely strong with this one. That telltale citrus minerality is unmistakable. Further, there’s a very present musty peanut quality that makes me think of Beam, but I can’t verify that. Overall, this is very good bourbon. It’s extremely close to being great bourbon, but those Dickel citrus notes and a borderline unpleasant bitterness hold it back for me. A big thank you to a friend for providing the generous sample!

I've experienced many fine bourbons, perhaps 3-4 truly excellent ones, and 2 that I considered exceptional. This surpasses all I've ever had. It's a new release from the folks at Barrell, a mix of 15-year-olds from Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Picture walking into a chocolate-covered cherry. That's the aroma of this... heavenly cherries dipped in decadently sweet chocolate. The taste follows with caramel, cloves, nutmeg, and more cherries. This is undeniably one of the most intricate, well-rounded, and thrilling bourbons I have ever encountered. At $250, it's a significant expense... but it was a worthwhile indulgence shared with family over Christmas. We had several bottles open, but this was the only one that disappeared quickly that evening. My sole regret—I wish I had saved a few more sips for later. If you have the opportunity to find it, don't delay in acquiring it immediately.

Nose: Significant old oak aroma (imagine the scent of sanding aged oak wood), with dried fruits like figs and a molasses sweetness. Some vanilla emerges, carrying that beloved old whiskey scent! Palate: A dried fruit sweetness, akin to candied fruit or raisins, is quickly overtaken by old oak spices, similar to cinnamon or clove that have been stored for a while. Finish: It's long and persistent with more oakiness, but a pleasant sweet cherry candy appears if you retrohale as you finish. It lingers on the palate much like some older whiskey bottles I've encountered. Overall, an amazing bottle!

I've sampled numerous exceptional bourbons, including some on my bucket list. I take breaks from this brand, and each time I return, I'm amazed at how much superior it is to most others. The aroma is so intricate that I detect something new with every tasting. It's nutty, citrusy, smooth, and still unmistakably bourbon, if that makes sense. It's 106 proof, and there's absolutely no alcohol scent. The palate starts with citrus, but the more you drink, the more wood and nut flavors emerge. If you come across this bourbon, don't hesitate to purchase it. P.S. The 'tobacco' aroma that experts mention is only present when smelling the empty glass, and it's fantastic.