Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Dovetail
Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Dovetail is a 140.18-proof (70.09% ABV), 750mL cask-strength whiskey — incorporating stocks aged up to 25 years, finished in rum, port, and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 70.09% (140.18 proof) — hazmat-level cask strength, the highest proof of any Barrell blend
- Age: component whiskeys aged up to 25 years
- Finish: rum barrels, port pipes, and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet French oak casks
- Distilled: Indiana, Tennessee, and Canada — blended and bottled in Louisville, Kentucky
- Size: 750mL, limited edition
- Blender: Barrell Craft Spirits, Louisville, Kentucky
Dovetail, Turned Up to Twenty-Five
Gold Label Dovetail takes the award-winning Dovetail concept — whiskey finished in rum, port, and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels — and applies it to Barrell's oldest, rarest stocks. Component whiskeys aged up to 25 years were left in their finishing casks even longer, and very high-proof barrels were folded in to create a blend at 140.18 proof — the highest proof of any Barrell blend ever released. Each finishing cask leaves its signature: jammy fruit from the port pipes, ester-rich molasses from the rum barrels, dark fruit from the California cabernet French oak — all riding on a composed backbone of well-aged whiskey. "Intensity matched only by its nuance and layering," as founder Joe Beatrice puts it.
Tasting Notes
Nose: white grapefruit and red currant, stewed cherry, sarsaparilla, and creme de menthe, with espresso and fruit jams from the port finish. Palate: full-bodied and silky — lively citric acidity unfolding into strawberry-rhubarb pie, creamed honey, marshmallow, and rich chocolate pudding with a splash of water. Finish: long and warm — ginger ale and panela from the rum casks, tropical mango and candied pineapple, a whisper of cranberry and slate.
How to Enjoy
Neat, in the smallest pour you can stand — 140.18 proof is not a suggestion, it's a fact. A splash of water transforms it, muting the acidity into chocolate pudding and dulce de leche. This is a trophy bottle for the experienced palate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Dovetail"? Barrell's triple-cask-finishing concept: whiskey finished in rum barrels, port pipes, and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels. The Gold Label applies it to stocks up to 25 years old.
Is the 140.18 proof a typo? No — it is the stated, hazmat-level cask strength and the highest proof of any Barrell blend to date.
Where is it distilled? The component whiskeys were distilled in Indiana, Tennessee, and Canada, then blended and bottled in Louisville, Kentucky.
The boldest Dovetail ever made — order Barrell Gold Label Dovetail online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.