While some describe sourcing bourbon as simply buying someone else’s barrels and putting it into a bottle with your label on it, what the folks at Barrell Craft Spirits do is anything but. This particular blend comes from three distilleries located in Tennessee and Kentucky, with an estimated 70 - 75% coming from Tennessee. After a strong showing with Batch 014, just how does this latest batch fare?

Scents of baking spices and seasoned oak give way to sweet honey aromas. On the palate a bed of gingerbread settles in beneath sweeter fruity notes of peaches and apples. A touch of cornbread and a trace of seasoned oak round things out. Long and warming, the finish consists of buttered cornbread, honey, and just the right amount of rye spice. A bit of sweet fruit also shows through in the finish as it trails off.

At 107.6 proof, Batch 015 is Barrell’s lowest proof bourbon release to date, though others have been close. Still cask strength however, the relatively low proof for a Barrell Bourbon doesn’t do this bourbon a disservice, and if anything allows the flavors to shine without being overpowered by an overly assertive proof. What’s especially interesting is the fruit notes I picked up with this batch are more prominent than any other Barrell Bourbon batch I can remember. To put it plainly, I’m a fan of Batch 015. It’s immediately likeable and has a flavor profile I could keep coming back to over and over.  

‍The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Barrell Craft Spirits. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.