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Barrell Craft Spirits has been doing wonderous and remarkable things. From my most recent experience with Barrell Seagrass, to Dovetail, to the fun batches of bourbon & rye, there hasn't been anything from them that I've been able to turn down a pour of yet. I even won a signed bottle from Joe Beatrice in a blind tasting competition! That said, I go into every pour with a challenging and inquisitive mind. I generally try to disregard label and price once the liquor hits the glass and just evaluate on my reception to the experience. Company on Label: Barrell Craft Spirits Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 119.54° Age: 7 years Further identification: Distilled in Kentucky, USA is listed on the back of this bottle; Barrel # Z2F4, bottle # 161. This is a store pick from Kappy's in MA for the 1940 Barrel Society called "Kappy Endings". I purchased this bottle in June of 2021 Nose: Wow, lovely spicy cherry; not hot in the sense of pepper spicy... not herbal... but a zesty hot tamale candy cherry. Really nice introduction smell. Caramel funk and citrus tied marvelously to the oak. It has that hallmark Pinesol note I've come to know very well. This has the makings of something that really reminds me of Willett distillate. Lightly dusty but mainly that sweet cinnamon is shining through on the nose pre-sip. Now some herbal chocolate mixes in. A bite of pepper. This has to be fairly high in rye content with what I'm smelling so far. I love it, but it definitely does not nose like a bourbon at the start! Introducing some air on a swirl brings out some light vanilla, white pepper and more of that funky citrus. The pre-sip nose seems to have run it's course, so let's give this a taste. Post sip, some of the intensity of the spice has mellowed which is a nice reprieve for the nostrils. It's more of a cardamom spice now with a slightly burnt oak. Caramelized sugar totally decimates the spice and now there is just a silky base of sweetness. A touch of mint can be found now that the aromas have turned more delicate late in the glass. A bit of dark, bready graham cracker can be found on deep inhales. I have zero complaints about this nose. Empty glass is a bit of floral vanilla and light molasses. Palate: Woah! That cherry explosion! It instantly fades into the cinnamon hot tamale candy profile I was also getting on the nose. The delivery of this is intense on a fresh palate. The linger is ridiculous. Alcohol soaked oak carries the same funky Pinesol-esque citrus forward. Molasses and chocolate are found left on my tongue on an exhale. The citrus feel has transitioned a bit to something that resembles a cooked or poached orange. Spearmint presents late as if the glass just turned over a new page. Some light chamomile tea flavors dance along late in the pour, as some lemon juice and honey drizzle their way into the finish. Some extra dark fruit and brown sugar is incredibly subtle but there. The last sip leaves me yearning for another glass, which is pretty rare for me. The light sting of lemon zest is so enjoyable to me at this proof. Rating: 5/5 This flavor is exactly why I love Willett family estate offerings. I obviously have no way of confirming if this indeed came from Willett, but my palate is about 95% confident it is... and I'm 100% confident that I love this bourbon. Thinking through this a bit more, it is definitely capable of being from Willett, given distillation resumed in 2012 and this is a 7 year age statement; it also shares a similar cask strength proof to some other Willett 7 year offerings I found online near 120°... Now does this mean Willett thought this wasn't good enough to be bottled under their label, or was Kappy's just lucky enough to select a fantastic barrel before it could go into the un-obtain-o-sphere? Thanks to Blake over at Bourbonr for some of the information that led me to this conclusion. I claim no accuracy to the information in this post, this is just my humble opinion on what I am tasting tonight. Let me know if you have tried this and what you think of it. Am I crazy? Definitely possible. Cheers!

Palate is very light still but a syrupy cherry note melts into a brown sugar and leather base.

Weller Full Proof hitting a Glencairn glass is like music to my ears. This pick is among one of the better picks coming out of MA from 2020. Prior to this bottle, I had finished a bottle of Weller Full Proof from Total Wine which was not a good offering at all. Let's see how this pick tastes! Company on Label: Buffalo Trace Whiskey Type: Wheated Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Buffalo Trace "Wheated Mash Bill" Proof: 114° Age: NAS Further identification: 2020 release from Kappy's - Barrel 294 Appearance is a robust caramel; a tilt or swirl reveals thick, long legs on the glass. Nose: Sweet pepper. Creamy leather. Smooth cinnamon without the typical bite on your nostrils. Cherry and butterscotch. Brown sugar comes in like a dusting sitting atop a strip of oiled leather. Some orange citrus zest is what feels like is keeping the ethanol of the proof at bay and doing it very well. Palate: Super rich caramel & brown sugar. Mouth coating feels akin to experience of real thick maple syrup. Chewy cinnamon balanced perfectly by the cherry note. On heftier sips smooth flames can be felt exiting your nostrils. They are not painful but creamy and flavorful. Finish is an impossibly long mouth coating, but the rising creamy/zesty finish cuts off a little too short, forcing more delicious sips. As the glass opens up longer, so does the finish. Let this one rest. Rating: 5/5

I've heard this called "Blanton's Jr" or something akin to that, and all my experiences with it have lived up to that stereotype so far. For one pour I attempted to put aside my preconceived notions on this bottle and give it a fair shake. Company on Label: Buffalo Trace Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2 (Higher Rye 12-15%) Proof: 88.9° Age: NAS (Rumored ~8 years) Further identification: 2020 'Buffalo Trace Allocation Season' purchase Dry nose; slight apple. Hint of vanilla is present and surprising amount of ethanol for the proof. Palate improves markedly with creamy thin vanilla mouth coating soaking in a light cherry. Rye spices (black pepper) are tamped down by much sweeter notes like a light fruity oak. Not overly complex... with a short, forgettable finish. Rating: 3/5 I think this one is getting too low in proof for me to enjoy regularly. But some days when you are tired and just need an easy sipper, this could definitely be it, if you can somehow find it for below MSRP.

Company on Label: Buffalo Trace Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (Low Rye < 10%) Proof: 90° Age: 10 years Further identification: Muckey's Liquors Store Pick Nose: Synthetic spice & caramel. Dusty, worn out oak. Very faint leather, like smelling a bound book sitting down in your lap. Very light, airy & open space feel to it. Fresh, floral Spring air. Brought back to reality from a dreamlike state by a level sour cherry. Occasionally the nose still drifts off to a farm somewhere with the mash bill grains showing off. Palate: Silky vanilla and pear. Cherry transfers well and is more sweet here on the palate. Creamy butterscotch opens the door to new tannic dark fruits. I could never get tired of this flavor & mouthfeel, dreaming forever of some impossibly perfect countryside. Finish is low & slow, but a creamy presence asserts itself still. This one could definitely do more in the way of complexity, but for enjoyment value, how can you go wrong? I have yet to explore how this pick differs from the normal profile head to head, but I’d imagine the nuances are small in magnitude. I’m so glad we have access to so many barrel selections in MA. Rating: 4/5

days of this bracket, I’ll be diving deep on all things Four Roses barrel strength single barrel. Roses Distillery Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: "B" mash bill: 60% Corn, 35% Rye, 5% Malted Barley "E" mash bill: 75% Corn, 20% Rye, 5% Malted Barley Proof: Varies by barrel, and typically by Plum pie swings in with a good bit of cinnamon spice that tingles in the chest. Very funky and malty with black treacle. Troves of oak present well aged.

I also discovered that the venerable Frank (@bourbyourenthusiasm) has also reviewed this barrel for Malt

known to typically run in the 4-6 year range) Further identification: This is a Warehouse I, Floor 1 single

Label: Proof and Wood Ventures Whiskey Type: Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley Proof: 120.36° Age: 6 years Further identification: This single barrel is sourced from MGP; it Slightly malty back on the nose, but a majority of this is just super dusty.

The experience tasting through several barrel proof single barrels with Lexie Phillips was a delicious This single barrel coming to the @ljwhiskeyfamily barrel program is a thoroughly complex, delicious whiskey The JD single barrel program is incredible - out of the hundreds of thousands of barrels that go through release well saying: From grain to barrel and straight to the bottle, our barrel proof Jack Daniel's single Dark walnuts, tingling vanilla and black pepper all mix cohesively.

Willett Distillery Whiskey Type: Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 74% Rye, 11% Corn, 15% Malted

Mayor Pingree 5 Year Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey Company on Label: Valentine Distilling Percentages: Undisclosed Valentine Mash Bill Proof: 117.8° Age: 5 years Further identification: This single There's a thick and leathery nose feel that certainly tingles a bit on the way through.