Malt | Bread | Toffee | Mixed red fruits | Sweet with a slightly fermented smell

Golden raisin | Toffee | Vanilla | Mixed nuts | Light malt

Fruit punch | Light cocoa powder | Sandalwood | Lingering malty aftertaste

Rooted in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Blackhat Distillery officially relaunched on September 19, 2019, after owner Joe Koscove acquired the former Bluefish Distillery. The craft operation produces a wide-ranging lineup of spirits, including a notable launch of their American agave spirit line. Its core whiskey portfolio features their signature expression bourbon blended from two distinct bourbons aged at least 4 years, which it sources from select distilleries (presumably in Colorado, as the state of distillation isn’t disclosed), blends and proofs in-house using Rocky Mountain water. Blackhat owns a pot still and offers contract distilling, custom bottling, and private-label production for third-party brands.

Barleywine is a strong, sometimes unforgiving malt-forward beer with a high alcohol content to match. Though its name comes from its wine-like strength, it often acts as a go-between ale and wine, encompassing flavors from both styles. This makes for a polarizing sip for most people, though flavors and variations can vary, creating dramatic differences from one brewery’s barleywine to another.

Whiskey finished in barleywine is a fairly uncommon finish. Barleywine is often aged in used whiskey barrels, and in Colorado Springs alone (likely the source of the whiskey and the finishing barrels), some are aged in Breckenridge Bourbon barrels, while others finish in Stranahan's malt whiskey barrels. Blackhat doesn’t disclose the origin of the barleywine barrels, though malt is definitely a key flavor here.

We recently reviewed a Copperworks single malt finished in barleywine barrels that went light on its finish, resulting in a whiskey that didn’t taste as unique as you’d expect. That was likely a case of the producer playing it safe. With Blackhat, it tastes like they strove to hit a middle ground. The barleywine influence is definitely present and even off-putting at first. At times, it can taste fermented or like a fortified wine, and for many bourbon drinkers, it will hit them like a freight train.

But after a few sips, you can begin to understand that this isn’t as harsh as it first tasted. Here, you’ll taste golden raisin, toffee, vanilla, and mixed nuts on the palate, and its best part: a fruit punch note in the finish. There’s no doubt this is a challenging pour, but keeping it at 80 proof helps temper some of its stronger notes. With a high asking price, proceed with caution, but if you’re looking for something completely out of the box and inherently unique, Blackhat Distillery Bourbon Finished in Barley Wine Barrels wants to play that role.