Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon Whiskey
Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Bourbon Whiskey is a cask strength, 750mL blend of 16- and 17-year-old straight bourbons distilled and aged in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee — the most mature bourbons Barrell Craft Spirits finds on its quest for exceptional casks, crafted and bottled in Kentucky. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
Gold Label sits at the very top of the Barrell range, above even Gray Label. The blenders selected barrels from four different collections — cherry-bomb barrels with a rich mouthfeel, nutty oak-forward barrels, high-proof high-complexity barrels, and barrels with pronounced milk chocolate notes — and the chocolate group underwent a secondary maturation in toasted virgin American oak casks before joining the blend. Sixteen-plus years plus that toasted-oak overlay rounds every sharp edge into a soft, gentle profile that belies the high proof.
Tasting profile: burnt marmalade in the glass; sugar cane, pipe tobacco and toasted cinnamon over slate, tar and cedar smoke, then rhubarb, Rainier cherry and tamarind shifting to dried apricot and papaya; candied ginger, marmalade and a bittersweet hop note tempered by pina colada, key lime pie and banana custard creaminess, peach nectar and cherry jam; a finish of hibiscus and za'atar giving way to dried and stewed fruits, sassafras, cocoa powder, smoked cinnamon and incense. Browse the Barrell Craft Spirits brand collection, more bourbon whiskey, and the full whiskey collection at Del Mesa Liquor.
Serving note: neat, in a proper tasting glass, with time — and a few drops of spring water if you want the floral and toasted coconut side to open up.
What makes Gold Label different from Gray Label? Older stocks (16–17 years vs. 13–19), four distinct barrel collections, and a secondary maturation in toasted virgin American oak for part of the blend.
Where was it distilled? Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee; blended and bottled by Barrell Craft Spirits in Kentucky.
What is the ABV? Cask strength at 102.2 proof (51.1% ABV), 750mL.