Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Distilled and aged in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana.
Proof: 111.38, bottled at cask strength.
Age: Indiana: 8, 11, & 12 years old, Tennessee: 13, 14, & 15 years old, Kentucky: 10 years old.
Mash bill: (Derived) 78% Corn/18% Rye/4% Malted Barley.
Price: $84.99.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
The nose leads with caramelized dark brown sugar, toffee, butterscotch, milk chocolate, orange peel, cola, and ripe peaches. Alongside are notes of vanilla and coconut with clove and an underpinning of toasted oak, with cinnamon spice adding a nice balance without much proof heat. As this opens up, more chocolate and sweeter butterscotch develop, along with orange hard candy, ripe stone fruit, and toasted oak. The nose on this flavor profile is exceptional.
Palate
With a very good, viscous mouthfeel, the palate opens with oak-forward flavors of brown sugar, toffee, chocolate, and cola, followed by orange peel, stone fruit, green tea, toasted oak, and cinnamon spice. The flavors and balance are excellent. Batch 037 drinks very easy at its 111.38 proof but carries the flavor intensity of a higher-proof bourbon.
Finish
As cinnamon spice lingers on the palate, you’re left with toffee, cola, chocolate, orange citrus, stone fruit, green tea, vanilla bean, coconut, and toasted oak, with tannins of soft leather and pipe tobacco weaving in for a long finish.
Conclusion
I appreciate the changes that Barrell Bourbon has made since Batch 035 by introducing a derived mash bill and including the age of the blend components on the front label, which also displays a large Batch number, making it easier to see which batch it is. But what I’m most impressed with is the average age of bourbon in this blend. If this is a sign that Barrell is trying to up their game, I’m all for it. Not since Batch 026 (November 2020) has there been a similar Barrell Batch where all but one blend, using many components, is aged in double digits (9, 10, 11, 13, and 15). In comparison, Batch 026 is slightly sweeter, fruitier, and spicier. Batch 037 has a richer oak-forward profile with more dark brown sugar, chocolate, and cola. Both are excellent releases, but I preferred Batch 037’s profile slightly more, which is saying a lot.
Batch 037 is an exceptional release, comparable to some of Barrell’s best, earlier batches. I believe that Barrell Bourbon’s decision to reduce its batches to one per year, starting with Batch 036, has made an impact, prioritizing quality over quantity. If it’s been a while since you bought a Barrell Bourbon release, Batch 037 is the standout you’ve been waiting for.
The sample used for this review was provided courtesy of Barrell Craft at no cost and without any stipulations. The opinions of this review are my own.
Rating: 8.5/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
