Barrell Rye Single Barrel #M244

Released for The Whisky List's American Whisky Show virtual tasting event in 2021 Nose: Mint, cinnamon, dill pickle, thyme, sage, dusty oak. It's quite potent neat, but water adds depth, a velvety smoothness, and significantly enhances the background oak notes. Palate: A very sweet start with hot cinnamon and peanut brittle. Cherry, peppermint, and a lot of black pepper develop. The texture is good. Water moderates the heat, provides much-needed balance, adds sweet notes, and further increases the texture's density. Finish: Short. The palate's strong peppery and spice notes fade surprisingly quickly. An enjoyable enough rye. The nose is the best part, with an enveloping richness that suggests an interesting palate, especially after adding water. However, this promise isn't met in the mouth; the whiskey is simply too hot and intense, unbalanced when neat. A splash of water is essential and works wonders by considerably softening and sweetening the palate. There's some development but no length when neat, the intense palate disappearing rapidly and leaving almost no aftertaste beyond a peppery tingle. However, water greatly improves the finish once again. As a neat drink, I'd rate this as just average, but with water, it becomes much more pleasing and earns at least a full point in rating, though it's overpriced in our market. Tasted from a 20ml sample. “Above Average”: 82/100 (3.25 stars)