Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Barrell Craft Spirits, sourced from distilleries in Kentucky, Tennessee & Indiana.
Proof: 111.2, bottled at cask strength.
Age: 7.5 to 18 years old.
Finishings: Finished in Madeira, Armagnac, Rum, and Hungarian oak casks.
Mash bill: Not disclosed.
Retail Price: $84.99.
Appearance: Orange caramel.
Nose
First, I’m greeted with a bevy of fruit, starting with Luxardo cherry syrup, mixed red berry reduction, ripe apricots, and orange citrus. Alongside are delicious barrel-character notes of crème brulé, toffee, hazelnuts, dark chocolate, and vanilla pudding, with floral, clove, and allspice. Every time I bring my nose up to the glass, I’m picking up something different. There’s also a freshly baked bread note that I sometimes find on a wheated bourbon. This nose is fantastic.
Palate
With a medium, creamy mouthfeel, there’s crème brulé, toffee, cherry, berries, citrus, vanilla, floral, and clove. Cinnamon spice builds as it coats the palate, lasting through the finish. I like how the palate matches the nose, but here the barrel character comes first, with the fruity notes on the back end. This is a complex and well-blended profile. I like this proof point, which makes it a great sipper and delivers a lot of flavor at cask strength.
Finish
Cinnamon spice continues as soft tobacco tannins develop with cherries, red berries, and stone fruit alongside cloves, floral, and vanilla. As the spice fades, the tobacco becomes darker, closing out the sip with a long, dark, oak-forward finish.
Conclusion
The two things that stuck with me from the first pour were how much I love this flavor profile and how excellent and consistent the blend is throughout. The Madeira and Armagnac finishes deliver the amount of fruit notes I was expecting, but what makes this a standout release is that there’s just as much rich oak, which balances the sweeter flavors. The lingering dark tobacco on the finish is an important characteristic that shows Barrell Craft understood the assignment. I’m impressed by how good the Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend is, and I’m happy to see it’s priced the same as the Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series releases. Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend may be a late arrival to the party, but they came prepared with a release that stands on its own amongst the best Cigar Blends currently out there.
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: 8.3/10.
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.
