Barrell Seagrass Grey Label (16yr)

Barrell Seagrass Grey Label (16 years)

Cost: $159 through Shared Pour via r/Bourbon

Age: 16 years

Proof: 133.34 proof

Mash Bill: Unstated, blend of rye whiskies

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn

Appearance: Bright copper. Thin, slow (like really slow) legs. This stuff wants to cling to the glass!

Nose: Extremely complex! Extremely bright smelling. Lots of bright fruit like apple, pear, and apricot. Lemongrass and salt(?) weave in and out of the nose (not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me because of the name, but I really do get a saltiness). There is a very light oak profile that mixes with the rye spice – for the age though, it’s shocking this isn’t more dominant.

Palate: Grassy and spicy. This was lacking in the nose but shows up dominantly on the palate letting you know this is a rye whiskey, despite what you just nosed. After the rye profiles subside, in comes a wave of sweetness with pear, apricot, and fig slices coated in vanilla and sugar, and a sprig of mint. There’s an occasional nod to the rum barrel finish with a thick, syrupy sweetness, and a faint barrel note that weaves in and out as well. This coats the palate well, but the proof does leave a tingling all over my mouth.

Finish: Loooonnnnnggggg! This is probably the longest finish I’ve every had in a whiskey. It’s very robust and definitely on the hotter side. But the heat does eventually start to dissipate and the waves of flavors start to weave in and out of your palate again. I get a lot more vanilla and oak than I did previously.

Rating: 8.9/10

Overall: When I first received this whiskey, I was really looking forward to trying it: the only 10/10 that T8ke has every given out – it’s going to be amazing! I tried it that same night and I was HIGHLY disappointed! (Record scratch.) For a lack of better words, it was complete trash! It was hot as shit! I felt like I could tell it was unique, but I couldn’t hone in on anything because it was so damn hot! Because I had some other bottles highly touted by T8ke before that was actually good, I thought this must have been a bad bottle (though no typical “bad” notes were present…it was just…bad). I’d be remised if I didn’t think that Jay West had sold out giving this crap a 10/10… However, I told myself I’d put the stopper back in and let it sit for a month or so before I tried it again. A month later…still shit…

Fast forward about 4 or 5 months and T8ke announced that he made his first blend with Barrell that r/Bourbon could purchase: Barrell Bourbon Batch: T8ke. Now, this 16 year Seagrass was the first Barrell expression I had ever had. But the way Jay described the Barrell Bourbon T8ke Batch in his email made me think that Barrell was worth a second chance, and if that Bourbon T8ke Batch was shit as well, I would just write off Barrell going forward. I got it in and it didn’t disappoint! (See Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke review.) So, I decided I would go back and try this Barrell Seagrass Grey Label again now that it’s been sitting for a few months after opening, and to my surprise, it was a completely different experience! I was able to finally pick out the individual notes and the heat wasn’t burning me out.

Since then, I’ve really come to like this sip, particularly when I’m wanting to really challenge my palate and ability to discern different notes. I’ve never tried anything quite this complex. HOWEVER…it’s still rather hot. I get it’s over 133 proof, but I’ve had some other 130+ proof whiskies that I didn’t have this issue with. For that reason, and because it took it nearly 6 months for me to be able to start to experiencing it for what it’s worth, I had to dock it some points. I do look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve as this bottle continues to breathe.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect