Nashville Barrel Company, located In Nashville, Tennessee, has quickly made waves in the whiskey market since its founding in 2018. How, you may be wondering? Well, a bit unconventionally. You see, they store and age whiskey—barrels and barrels upon barrels—so much so that they opened their own distillery in 2021. With a tasting room for visitors to sample their various single barrels, in addition to their blended small batch cask strength bourbons and ryes, Nashville Barrel Company isn't a traditional distillery. Their primary focus is on barrel aging and custom barrel projects rather than distilling their own spirits. On their website, they go into more detail:
We bought our first batch of barrels in 2018, quite honestly, we did it so that we could continue the tradition of picking through good whiskey with our friends. Little did we know what would happen next. Well, the word got out... fast. People started talking about our barrels. It became so popular that friends were asking if they could pick a barrel of our stuff. February of 2020, we released our first single barrel rye - and people on social media made sure the rest was history. Soon, groups from all over the country were calling to ask to come pick a barrel for themselves.
Crafting unique flavor profiles through aging and collaborating with other distilleries and brands is basically their bread and butter. Does that mean you should immediately walk away and look elsewhere for your next favorite bottle? Nope. The beauty of whiskey is the open-mindedness we, the ones sipping and enjoying said whiskey, inherently bring to the glencairn. Sourced whiskey is simply a process of vetting, as I see it anyway, and, at the end of the day, good whiskey is good whiskey, no matter how it makes it to the bottle.
The bottle up for review had a meticulous picking team behind its discovery. No, really, those two smirking above went through many barrel samples (with a decently filled spittoon by the end) before finding this one. When it comes to trying new brands, leaning into palates that align with yours can absolutely reduce regrets. Having not tried Nashville Barrel Company yet myself and given the team behind the pick, I felt comfortable enough to buy this bottle before trying it. So, will this one align, or will it just be "fine"? Let's find out!
Company on Label: Nashville Barrel Company
Whiskey Type: Straight rye whiskey
Mash Bill Percentages: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Proof: 116.46°
Age: 8 years
Further identification: Barrel # 7595 is a single barrel pick selected by Nick from Amongst the Whiskey in collaboration with Liquor Junction with an MSRP of $99.99
Nose: Whoa, the smells wafting out of my glass seem determined to fill my entire house with their scent. Lightly toasted rye bread with melted butter and a tiny bowl of whipping cream leads the way. This pour seems to ask, "Why not pair an everyday basic with a fluff of happiness?" The answer comes as a whisper of creamy orange before fresh earth takes hold. Soft and subtle, I'm tickled by velvety young pine needles inside the palm of my hands, or so I imagine when whiskey sometimes takes me away to another time and place. Deeper inhales transform the woodland hike into a well-earned meal of grilled ribs dripping in homemade brown sugar barbeque sauce. There is no eagerness inside this glen, nor is there one thing here that wants to hold my attention too tightly, which allows me to rock along with the ebb and flow of this nose. I feel remarkably relaxed with this pour, yet totally in tune with what I'm experiencing. Time to elevate this moment with a taste!
After a few sips, I return to a cozy kitchen with freshly sliced oranges and crumpled wax paper from a pan of freshly baked cinnamon bread. Nearing the end of the glass, I find lemon-lime soda, long since forgotten, on a picnic table. The empty glencairn smells of damp campfire soot and dried wildflowers.
Palate: The mouthfeel is giving me all the swoons, but holy crap, the flavors melting across my tongue are awe-inspiring. As someone who usually steers away from citrus notes, especially those leaning toward orange, I am having a moment with this glass and this tricky note for me. It's clearly here but so well integrated that it tastes absolutely fantastic. Take me away! And find me wrapped in a soft sweater, rocking in a chair on a covered porch, where the light is golden, the air is brisk, and the warm spice cookie in my hand is about to be bitten into. This sip is total bliss—a rye I know will rise as a fast favorite after just one sip.
Further sips usher in soft and puffy sweet bread dough and a nostalgic undertone, like a tin of coffee cake from the local grocery store. Goodness, the flow of flavors, and the way they mingle with one another effortlessly, like long-time friends vacationing together. The linger is long and equally complex, with a warming wood spice that encourages both patience and anticipation. As I take my final sips, I'm drifting away, unanchored, without a care to be had.
TL;DR: a true delight; the burnout on mediocre sourced whiskey ends here
Rating: 5/5
When you know, you know, and this rye left me with no doubts about its intentions. It soared into heights unthinkable, thanks in part to the passion of Nashville Barrel Company and the patience of the picking team for this barrel. It's a rarity that a 95/5 MGP rye can illicit such a response in me, yet here I am, sipping with stars in my eyes and giggles in my belly.
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