Review: Barrell Dovetail

Much like the whiskey, the world of bourbon is not always simple.  One company has established itself as an expert of creating complex bourbons by mixing and matching other’s products as opposed to concentrating on the distilling process in house.  Almost rebellious in nature, they even misspelled the word barrel in their name.

Barrell Craft Spirits is an independent bottler of unique aged, cask-strength sourced and blended whiskey and rum spirits, based in Louisville, Kentucky,  Their entire purpose is to blend products and explore the unique effects of different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, while bottling at cask strength.  One of the variations that has been celebrated by the bourbon community is their Dovetail variety.

This is a blend of a 10-year-old whiskey distilled in Indiana, finished in Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels and a 11-year-old bourbon distilled in Tennessee finished in black strap rum casks and LBV Port Pipes.  It was crafted and bottled in Kentucky at cask strength.  The proofs of the 3 limited releases that have been bottled have been at 122.9 proof, 123.8 proof, and 124.34 proof.  The flavor profile is intended to highlight a buttery and deep whiskey profile.

The bottle that we are reviewing is 122.9 proof  and is bottle # 4,346.  This one is a lighter color of copper.  On the nose, this one is very sweet and floral.  There is certainly a mix of apricot and citrus flavors.  Upon tasting this one, it is very complex.  There is alot going on with this one and the Cabernet is certainly present and offers dark tones of cocoa and spice while then opening up with other flavors.  

For me, this is one that originally was almost too complex for me to enjoy.  I had to come back to it before I could appreciate what it has to offer.  The beauty of having a bottle like this on the shelf is that you can come back to it and keep trying to break down the experience.  If you let this one open up a bit and add just a couple of drops of spring water, it really opens up in to a citrus bouquet.

This one is definitely worth the price and will certainly be one to share, especially to someone with an advanced pallet and likes a little sophistication.  

Cheers Y’all!