Light blackberries | Earthy | Oak | Additional mixed berries | Very faint syrup | Sherry influence is quite noticeable

Syrup sweetness | Dry tannic oak | White peppercorn spice | Berry jam | Raisin

Flash of rye spice | Tobacco leaf | Dry oak | Mixed peppercorn spice | Leather | Raisin | Lingering dry finish

According to JZ Spirits, Barrica PX was created from a high rye bourbon that is sourced from MGP and undergoes an initial step of being enhanced with French oak staves. The bourbon then undergoes additional finishing for a minimum of 12 months in a Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry barrel which was imported from Jerez, Spain. The resulting whiskey is bottled as a single barrel bourbon. According to the company, they have been producing this and their Barrica OLO whiskey since 2020.

The extended time that this whiskey spent finishing in Pedro Ximenez barrels is noticeable right away. A combination of sweet berry notes along with oak and earthy notes swirl together and waft out of the glass. The sweetness is hammered home at the midpoint of the sip to a fault, as a viscous syrup sweetness dominates briefly before dry tannic oak, spice, and noticeable raisin push through. The finish takes a 180, thanks to what one can assume is the enhancement process of the French oak staves that was applied. Ending on earthy notes that turn into a long dry finish that continues to slowly suck the moisture out of your mouth, it’s a miss compared to the other parts of the sip. The combination of the finishing in Pedro Ximenez Sherry barrels along with the French oak staves finishing results in an over-exposure to oak, which becomes more noticeable as the sip progresses. It’s an interesting pour, and while it has its moments, comes across as slightly more imbalanced than not.

The whiskey being reviewed comes from barrel number 6 and is bottle number 1.