I think that I may have had too much whiskey in my house in 2020.
Yeah, I can’t believe it either. But for a while, at least, it was technically correct. (Which is, of course, the best kind of correct.) See, my wife and I usually take a couple of trips to Kentucky in a given year. Once to see friends and once for BourbonFest in Bardstown. We also were supposed to take our niece on a trip to visit some National Parks.
For obvious reasons, almost none of this happened in 2020. Which left us with nothing to do and a little extra money to do it with. So I did what any whiskey lover would do when faced with extra time and money that had already been earmarked for fun.
That’s right, I paid some bills. Oh, and I went whiskey shopping. It was really the only thing I could come up with to get me out of the house. Every so often, I’d hop in the truck and visit a local liquor store. You know, just to see what they had. I figured if I couldn’t see new things out in the world, I’d at least try some new whiskeys.
Well, I ended up shopping more often than anticipated and bought more new bottles than I could review in a decent timeframe. Which left me with technically too much whiskey. (Yeah, I went a long way to incorporate that Futurama reference.)
So anyway, tonight’s whiskeys have been sitting in my closet waiting for their turn for review since Halloween. Well, one was Halloween, the other was mid-September.
Hey, there is only so much space on the Special Shelf. That’s what makes it special.
Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel (selected by Sympathy for the Devil)
Purchase Info: $119.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Blue Max, Burnsville, MN
Price per Drink (50mL): $8.00
Details: Barrel #: D336. 13 years old. Bottle 096. 52.48% ABV. Distilled in Tennessee.
Nose: Caramel, a slightly medicinal wood note, and cotton candy.
Mouth: Thick and sweet. Caramel, vanilla, and oak which transitions to cinnamon and red fruit as you hold it in your mouth.
Finish: On the longer side of medium. Caramel, cinnamon, and oak. These fade to reveal a medicinal mineral note.
Thoughts: This is good, but costs much, much more than I am comfortable spending for it. You might ask, why I spent the money in the first place, then? And that is a good question. To be honest, I wanted to see what all the hype was about. However, if this had been sold at a store that offered tastings, I would have never bought it. I just don’t think it is worth the asking price. So, in a vacuum, it's pretty good. When you factor in cost, it's disappointing. I won’t be buying a barrel pick from this store again.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 24
Purchase Info: $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Price per Drink (50mL): $6.67
Details: 56.95% ABV. Bottle#15,894, 9 years old. Distilled in Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky. $99.99
Nose: Cinnamon, caramel, almond, mint, and brown sugar.
Mouth: Spicy and sweet with cinnamon, vanilla, almond, and a hint of mint.
Finish: Spicy and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of cinnamon, brown sugar, and almond.
Thoughts: This is delicious. I am as happy with this purchase as I am disappointed with the Single Barrel. Nice and spicy. Probably won't be buying this often due to the price, but would be open to splurging on a batch every couple of years or so. This one is going of the special shelf so I don’t drink it too fast.
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