The first American vatted Single Malt with a deep and complex nose and palate.
Founded in 2014, Barrell scoops up extra casks of premium Bourbon and Rye and bottles ‘em up at full strength. Each batch is completely different. Sometimes the coolest casks on the market are Tennessee-style Whiskies, sometimes they’re Kentucky Bourbon. The good stuff could be straight, or it could be a finished wood. The point is that they find the best odd lots and “left-overs” that would more likely be tossed into a generic blend and sell it to us in all of their glory.
Some folks hear the word “blended” and think bad things. That’s just not fair — especially in this case. Barrell Vatted American Malt Whiskey is a blend of some of the best single malts from across the United States. American Single Malt producers are doing some of the most innovative work in the field right now, and this “vatted” Whiskey is comprised of some of the best of them. Some of those distilleries wanted to remain anonymous, but there are plenty of names you know, including Balcones, Hamilton Distillers Del Bac, MGP, Harvest Distillery, Santa Fe Distillery, and Kings Country Distillery. The individual Spirits are between 1.5 and 8 years old and the final bottling is an impressive 58.75 ABV.
Smartass corner:
Why is the extra letter “L” in Barrell Craft Spirits? Company founder — Joe Beatrice — just ain’t saying. But he will tell you all day long about his passion for the work that they do to preserve unique orphan casks of American Whiskey.