Barrell Craft Spirits Decade #2 20 Year Old Whiskey

Barrell Craft Spirits Decade #2 20 Year Old Whiskey is the second release in Barrell's Decade series: a 141.3-proof (70.65% ABV), 750mL blend of whiskeys distilled each year from 1995 to 2005, with secondary maturation in Spanish brandy and Hungarian oak casks — and it is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

Distilled in Canada and crafted and bottled in Kentucky, Decade 2 contains liquid ranging from 20 to 30 years old. It was built from the same barrels and the same finishing techniques as the original Barrell Decade (released summer 2025 at 142.7 proof), which sold out fast and was named Best American Whiskey of 2025 by Breaking Bourbon. The brand calls it "another exceptional Hazmat whiskey": the Spanish brandy casks contribute lush, syrupy fruit notes, while the Hungarian oak adds deep, warming highlights of toffee and cinnamon.

Tasting notes (per the brand and early reviews): lush, syrupy dried fruit — raisins and figs — with spiced chocolate; vanilla and caramel on the nose; a silky, textured mouthfeel despite the hazmat proof; subtle tannic shading on a long, warming finish. A few drops of water open it further.

Why buy Decade #2? Because it is Barrell's Black Label Series at its most ambitious — a decade of vintages, 20 to 30 years old, finished in brandy and Hungarian oak and bottled at a staggering 141.3 proof. Browse the Barrell Craft Spirits brand collection, more Canadian whisky, and other world whiskies.

Serving note: neat in a Glencairn to meet it at full strength; add water a few drops at a time to bloom the fruit.

How is Decade #2 different from the original Decade? Same barrels and finishing techniques — Spanish brandy and Hungarian oak — but a new 141.3-proof bottling (the original was 142.7 proof) with more dried fruit, spiced chocolate, and texture, per the brand.

What does "Decade" mean? Barrell blended barrels distilled in each consecutive year from 1995 to 2005 — ten vintages spanning a decade, aged 20 to 30 years.

Is it really 141 proof? Yes — 141.3 proof (70.65% ABV), cask-strength. It drinks remarkably polished for the proof.

Where is it made? Distilled in Canada; blended, finished, and bottled in Louisville, Kentucky by Barrell Craft Spirits.

Is it limited? Yes — a limited Black Label Series release. When it is gone, it is gone.