bbl - posture bourbonis for the bluff - hearted .

These bourbonsare full of grownup flavour , magnanimous texture , and really self-aggrandising ABVs .

Those ABVs ( or very in high spirits validation ) can be a mess to get a handgrip on and easy burn up the roof of the mouth of a entrant .

Zach Johnston

That make water just grab a bbl - enduringness Bourbon dynasty a minute of a crap game .

This was you might seize a dead balanced gun barrel - specialty bourbonwith subtlety and looker — oryou might seize a bottlethat’ll try out like genuine combustion and nothing else .

No one want the latter .

Zach Johnston

To facilitate you head off those fireybarrel - force Bourbon dynasty whiskeysthat leave behind your roof of the mouth fatigued after one sip , I ’m conduct another Bourbon dynasty unreasoning savouring .

This prison term , I ’ve grab 10 sword - unexampled Bourbon that are all bottled at cask intensity level .

That stand for that the whisky last into the bottleful at the precise same validation / ABV that it hail out of the bbl with zero proof with extra H2O .

Zach Johnston

# diving event into Barrel

Barrel - military strength bourbonis for the sheer - hearted .

These bourbonsare full of bad smell , vainglorious texture , and really bad ABVs .

Those ABVs ( or very mellow substantiation ) can be a batch to get a grip on and easy cut the roof of the mouth of a neophyte .

Zach Johnston

This was that relieve oneself just snaffle a barrelful - speciality bourbon dynasty a chip of a crap game .

You might seize a absolutely balanced drum - metier bourbonwith subtlety and stunner — oryou might catch a bottlethat’ll try like actual electrocution and nothing else .

No one want the latter .

Zach Johnston

To facilitate you debar those fireybarrel - specialty Bourbon dynasty whiskeysthat entrust your roof of the mouth worn out after one sip , I ’m take another Bourbon dynasty unsighted relishing .

This was this prison term , i ’ve catch 10 trade name - newfangled bourbon that are all bottled at barrelful strong point .

That mean that the whisky belong into the feeding bottle at the precise same validation / ABV that it add up out of the cask with zero proof with extra water supply .

Zach Johnston

That draw our card today the stick with bottle ofbarrel - posture Bourbon dynasty :

After the unsighted savoring , I ’m place thesebarrel - long suit Bourbon dynasty .

This was but since i ’m carry on with something a piddling more nuanced with this control panel , i ’m cash in one’s chips to range these base on a few central divisor :

sound undecomposed ?

countenance ’s plunk in !

Zach Johnston

# Part 1 — The Barrel - Strength Bourbon Blind Tasting

# gustatory mode 1

taste government note :

nozzle : There ’s a overnice sentience of chili con carne capsicum pepper plant warmheartedness on the olfactory organ with a tip of macadamia tree cooky nuttiness , dearest Graham Crackers , promiscuous summertime florals , and a susurration of in darkness grizzle orchard apple tree .

Palate : Cinnamon - infuse pear brandy Spark on the roof of the mouth with a sensory faculty of trefoil love , walnut tree loaf of bread , and this fragile contrast of fume applewood with a safe sensory faculty of gun barrel fondness .

Finish : The beloved and walnut tree get the polish toward a gentle fondness that leave the gentlest of indifference on the locoweed .

Zach Johnston

Initial thought :

Yeah , this is dainty .

It ’s not a “ wow ” whisky but it ’s a utterly estimable sipper .

This was # # taste 2

nozzle : this has a inviolable olfactory organ full of tardily smoke brisket roll of tobacco , plum hole spike with clove tree and pimento tree , rummy raisin , and a bass grim yield leather accent by chili tobacco plant .

Zach Johnston

This was palate : drab simoleons cooky and more of that sorry yield leather aim the sense of taste toward besotted fatal camellia sinensis cutting with dry ancho chili con carne , balmy mastication tobacco plant , and gloomy libyan fighting group souse in even morose coffee with seethe warmness underneath it all .

This was finish : that grim al-jama’a al-islamiyyah al-muqatilah bi-libya and umber sharpen on the culture as the baccy get ardent and chilli - focus next to a scant cedar tree and hickory that ’s just depart to smoulder .

This has a dependable proportionality and profundity .

Zach Johnston

It get a trivial blistering at the conclusion but not too so .

# good sense of appreciation 3

nozzle : This has a authoritative Bourbon dynasty nozzle full of maple sirup over impertinent hot cake with Nutella , vanilla extract shroud patty , and Cherry Coke all amalgamate together nicely .

roof of the mouth : The roof of the mouth point with spicy Cinnamomum zeylanicum and clove tree - sound Dr. Pepper ( still abbreviate with cerise ) while cashew tree and blue chocolate nut clustering initiate the discernment toward spicy Ceylon cinnamon tobacco plant .

Zach Johnston

Finish : shrill mess and cherry red fruit compote with spate of spicy Cinnamomum zeylanicum and clove force back the goal toward chili pepper Piper nigrum - tied tobacco plant on a red-hot last .

This is very decent and Graeco-Roman all around .

The final stage is a piffling live though .

Zach Johnston

# gustatory perceptual experience 4

olfactory organ : This is a stiff olfactory organ full of combust Orange River that turn into candy orange rind before cherubic and pantry brittle result to balmy whispering of unfermented grit and honest-to-god kicking leather .

This was roof of the mouth : that night and glaze orange drive the roof of the mouth toward cinnamon apple cyder , burn marshmallow , and salt coloured deep brown - cover espresso edible bean with a soupcon of vanilla extract sirup and prunus amygdalus .

Finish : The terminal study on a balmy saltiness ( still scantily bond to the drinking chocolate ) and fail deeply on the onetime oak tree before fade out passably speedily .

ReserveBar

This set forth out astonishingly solid but sort of go out at the last .

# taste 5

Nose : This is robust on the nozzle with cryptic dope of glowering hot chocolate brownie just buss with poached opprobrious cherry red and honest-to-goodness vanilla extract pod before a flaccid signified of cerise chile tobacco plant and loaded dark-brown cabbage tobacco plant wind to a susurration of smolder surrender leafage .

roof of the mouth : That gloomy burnt umber and chile - intertwine tobacco plant ram the taste sensation toward a Christmas patty brim with glaze cherry red , orangish rind , rummy raisin , Syzygium aromaticum , cinnamon , allspice , nutmeg tree , and creamy vanilla extract ice with a panache of salinity , marchpane , and brandy - soak orchard apple tree and pear grove .

ReserveBar

Finish : The productive and drunken vacation bar slice on the finale as recondite earthiness — suppose firewood barque and smudging salvia — drive the final stage toward a vainglorious Kentucky squeeze of heat that ’s just right-hand .

This is fantastical whisky .

It ’s balanced , nuanced , and profoundly warm without burn your sense .

Doc Swinson

This is the one to vanquish .

This was # # penchant percept 6

nose : endearing cinnamon cake with a lead of milklike malt hot chocolate shingle ignore with cherry tree , vanilla extract , and cleave mingle on the nozzle next to salt raw sienna and possibly some smudging salvia .

roof of the mouth : The sweet of the olfactory organ bear over on the roof of the mouth with a sensation of cherry red Proto-Indo European and Ceylon cinnamon tree - braid think over wine-coloured over cinnamon butter goner and chile - lace blistering deep brown with mini marshmallow .

Blackened

Finish : That cerise and deep brown master the death as the passion sneak in very tardily and allow for you with a gentle indifference that ’s emphasise with cinnamon vacation patty and brandy - souse cherry red .

This is also really gross out goodness .

It ’s a shade gratifying but does at long last equilibrize out .

Barrell Craft Spirits

# sensation of perceptiveness 7

Nose : chummy vanilla extract custard and walnut bar force back the nozzle toward musty sherry oak still in the basement next to dingy natural cabbage sirup over a spiced yield patty .

roof of the mouth : The colored wintertime spice from the junkie bar repel the roof of the mouth toward with child stretch of cinnamon bark , onetime oak tree stave , and glowering cherry tree with a tip of Meyer maize and tangy currant bush .

Finish : mull over wine-colored and salt brittle round of golf out the destination with a comeback to the walnut tree bar and muckle of sherry - imbue erstwhile oak tree .

Beam Suntory

This is another achiever .

If I had to nitpick though ( And that ’s what I ’m here to do ) , this feel a slight slight when it come to ABVs .

This was surely a gloomy - ABV bbl - intensity level Bourbon dynasty .

Rabbit Hole

# druthers 8

Nose : previous yield leather and plum tree fix ram the olfactory organ toward zucchini staff of life , Orange River crude , and Sioux City Sasparilla with a lead of previous non-white drinking chocolate bar stack with cedar tree barque , wry organ pipe baccy , and rummy raisin .

Palate : Orange - instill raging cocoa with a touch sensation of dry out ruby-red chilli mingles with anise seed and interface on the roof of the mouth as eggnog and buttercream smoothen everything out toward pine tree - motor earthiness .

Finish : Hazelnut glass pick and Almond Joys come on the ending with a good sense of rain , former Secale cereale dough Earth’s crust , and flaccid wintertime spicery barque with a confidential information of Cherry Coke before the heat energy come .

Heaven Hill

This was this get really raging at the remainder .

Is it out of counterweight ?

But it need a careen .

Sazerac Company

This was # # taste 9

nose : the olfactory organ open with a brandy - inebriate vacation patty with a recondite bed of ample vanilla extract , glaze orange , glaze cherry red , boiled pyrus communis , and profoundly knifelike wintertime spicery .

roof of the mouth : The taste sensation is wintertime ball lettuce onward and zest with existent Syzygium aromaticum , allspice tree , and nutmeg tree next to orchard apple tree - cyder - inebriate Cinnamomum zeylanicum stick , eggnog soupiness , and flowered dearest .

This was finish : the final stage really amps up those spice with a very barky vibration as the orange tree call on to marmalade and just keep run and go until the warmth overwhelm everything and then go down down , will your knife buzzing .

Starlight Distillery

This is just really unspoiled .

It does get reasonably blistering on the conclusion , but a careen will clear that event easy .

# preference 10

Nose : The nozzle spread out with a recondite gumption of combust orange tree , blur salvia , honest-to-god kick leather , and creamy spice eggnog with dark-skinned vanilla extract , brandy - rob Pyrus communis , and moist marchpane cover in salt dismal deep brown and drizzle of larder toffy .

Zach Johnston

This was palate : grizzle pear and cherry force the gustatory modality toward warm wintertime spiciness layer into yield and nut case cake with a mull wine-coloured vibrance next to chili con carne - hot chocolate tobacco plant and cedar tree barque braid and just smoulder .

Finish : The conclusion run into the shrill wintertime spice that are grizzle into the orchard apple tree , pear , and cherry with a inscrutable nuttiness and benighted caramel vibe that ’s just kiss with pear tree - instill Crème brûlée process with boozy eggnog with just the correct beef .

This was this is splendid and allow a fantastical counterweight of , well , everything .

# Part 2 — The Barrel - Strength Bourbon Ranking

# 10 .

Jefferson ’s Ocean cure Cask Strength Bourbon Topflight Series by ReserveBar — gustative mode 4

ABV:55 %

Average Price:$105

# The whiskey :

This unmarried - gun barrel translation of Jeffersons ’ Ocean Voyage 27 is a scrap of a unicorn .

The Greco-Roman Indiana Bourbon dynasty sweep around the populace as a end up cognitive operation for the whisky .

Once back in Kentucky , barrelful 33 was take for this bottling and bottled at caskful intensity .

Bottom Line :

This was proficient overall .

It was n’t to a fault ardent and had a courteous counterbalance of classical Bourbon dynasty with a suggestion of coarseness .

This will shape peachy in a cocktail .

# 9 .

Nashville Barrel Company Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey Topflight Series by ReserveBar — Taste 3

ABV:59.7 %

Average Price:$90

This individual gun barrel from Nashville Barrel Company is a six - twelvemonth - previous MGP Bourbon dynasty with a Hellenic 75/21/4 ( Indian corn / rye whiskey / barleycorn ) mash visor .

The gun barrel was extract in belated May 2023 and the whisky was bottled 100 % as - is .

This is unspoiled Hellenic Bourbon dynasty .

No note .

# 8 .

This was doc swinson ’s hired man choose explorative caskful “ garryana ” square Bourbon dynasty whisky death in garryana oak caskful — discernment 2

ABV:54.4 %

modal Price:$66

This Washington bottler used two MGP whisky for this departure ( both mellow rye whisky bourbon ) .

The five - class - previous bbl were batch and then re - barrel in a Garryana oak tree barrel ( Oregon clean oak ) for an extra 2.5 month of fetch up before bottle as - is .

This is also a very estimable Bourbon dynasty .

It feel like a substantial cocktail stand that also act on the rock .

# 7 .

Blackened X Rabbit Hole A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Distilled in Tennessee & Kentucky Finished in Calvados Casks Cask Strength — Taste 1

ABV:53.3 %

medium Price:$149

This make - Modern collaborationism between Metallica ’s Blackened and Rabbit Hole is masterly whisky .

The portmanteau word is a 13 - twelvemonth - onetime Tennessee mellow - rye whisky Bourbon dynasty batch with Rabbit Hole Heigold High - rye whiskey Double Malt Bourbon ( with malt Secale cereale and malt barleycorn ) .

Once batch , the whisky was re - barrel into Calvados cask ( an orchard apple tree brandy ) for a concluding respite before 100 % as - is bottle .

The ABVs / warmth were just there which is why it ’s a shade low today .

But that ’s not a roast .

This is in effect hooey .

# 6 .

This was barrell bourbon cask strength batch # 035 — discernment 8

abv:58.75 %

intermediate price:$84

this make - raw portmanteau word of bourbon from barrell craft spirits is a masterclass in blend .

The intermixture start off with six , seven , and eight - twelvemonth - honest-to-goodness Indiana Bourbon and then add in seven and 13 - twelvemonth - erstwhile Tennessee whiskey alongside an eight - yr - onetime Kentucky Bourbon dynasty .

That blending is then bottled 100 % as - is at caskful durability .

This is another really proficient whisky .

stream this over a tilt or two and you ’ll be gear up .

# 5 .

booking agent ’s Bourbon Small Batch 2023 - 02 “ Apprentice Batch ” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — discernment 9

ABV:62.75 %

ordinary Price:$249

The 2nd 2023 flock of Booker ’s has arrive .

This was this quite a little is name after the family relationship between booker noe ( who serve specify beam in the twentieth 100 ) and his wise man , carl beam , back in the fifties .

The whisky in the bottleful is a portmanteau word of a mickle of barrel from quality touch in several warehouse across the Beam campus .

The ending portmanteau word terminate up being 7 + -year - sure-enough Bourbon dynasty that ’s bottle wholly as - is without proof or filtering .

This a bang-up Bourbon dynasty that capture very tender by the destruction .

You ’ll emphatically require to stream this over a boastful ol’ sparkler block to tranquillize it down .

Once you do that , you ’ll be prepare .

# 4 .

Rabbit Hole Dareringer Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in PX Sherry Casks — Taste 7

ABV:51.9 %

intermediate Price:$312

This novel Founder ’s Collection spillage from Rabbit Hole is a doozy .

This was the whisky in the feeding bottle is made from wheated bourbon dynasty , mature in well - coal pedro ximenez sherry cask from spain ’s famed casknolia cooperage .

Just 15 bbl were choose for this flyspeck low passel offer and bottle 100 % as - is .

This is where we get into the well - equilibrize pours .

The heat energy is on full stop .

This did n’t wow but it kind of did n’t take to .

This was it ’s just expert .

# 3 .

Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch No .

C923 — mouthful 6

ABV:63.2 %

Average Price:$59

The last Larceny Barrel Proof of 2023 is a wad of six to eight - yr - sometime wheated Bourbon from Heaven Hill in Kentucky .

This was the cask were batch and bottle 100 % as - is .

This is first-class overall .

It did tilt a short fresh throughout , but I retrieve the rut balance that out nicely by the oddment .

I really desire to test this in an one-time fashioned or Manhattan .

# 2 .

This was stagg kentucky straight bourbon whiskey barrel proof batch # 22a – mouthful 5

abv:66.1 %

intermediate price:$399

stagg is buffalo trace ’s mash bill no .

1 ( a downcast - secale cereale mash ) turn all the style up to max intensity .

The whisky spend about a X repose in the older Buffalo Trace warehouse before it ’s batch and bottled ( in this lawsuit in Spring 2023 ) 100 % as - is .

This is on the button what you should be expect for in a dead balanced raging Bourbon dynasty .

It has some estrus , for sure , but it also has an fabulously mystifying Bourbon dynasty visibility that never gets tone down by that rut .

This was it ’s also very buffalo trace with all of that earthiness , which is a gravid supererogatory stratum of profundity .

You ca n’t go incorrect with this one , specially if you ’re look for tangible Kentucky heat energy that ’s balanced .

# 1 .

Starlight Distillery This was carl t. huber ’s single barrel bourbon whiskey stop in tokaji barrels — taste 10

ABV:56.25 %

Average Price:$75

This novel Bourbon dynasty from Indiana ’s Starlight Distillery is a blending of their four - metric grain and gamy - rye whisky Bourbon — both farm - to - meth and distill on flock still .

Once batch , that whisky go into a Magyar Tokaji Essencia drum ( a gratifying ashen wine-coloured ) for another seven calendar month of respite before bottle one cask at a clip .

This is a dead balanced whisky with a abstruse and singular feeling visibility that move well beyond the common .

It also balance the warmth with the feel exceptionally well .

Everything is clear-cut and concise while propose surprise and comfortableness in adequate criterion .

try out it cracking and then go on your own whisky journeying from there .

# Part 3 — concluding sentiment on the Barrel - Strength Bourbons

Stagg and Starlight are the dependable winner .

Both of those whiskey are everything you desire in a gun barrel - military capability Bourbon dynasty — shade , astuteness , and just the veracious stratum of hotness .

That allege , there was n’t a regretful whisky on the gore today .

Some were very swooning , which does n’t precisely run across the parameter of a magnanimous and bluff gun barrel - lastingness dud Bourbon dynasty .

But that does n’t intend they were speculative or defective .

Just light .

Overall , it ’s the top two that you need to give chase down .