Barrell Armida
Barrell Armida (Bottle #6386)
Cost: $90 for 750 mL bottle (I’m reviewing a sample)
Age: NAS
Mash Bill: Undisclosed, but it’s bourbon, so all we know is ≥51% corn.
Proof: 113.54
This caught a lot of attention when it was first released and has claimed quite a few awards. However, I never received a chance to try it until a fellow whiskey reviewer hooked me up with a sample of it recently.
Now, this is a blend of bourbons finished separately in pear brandy, Jamaican rum, and Sicilian amaro casks, and then recombined to taste. Barrell claims this blend is a celebration of fall flavors…and here I am trying it in the early summer sitting on the porch in 85°F weather. But here we go!
This sample is from bottle #6386, reviewed neat in a Glencairn.
Appearance: Bright ruby red (1.4), very viscous making a ring around the glass that just sticks and takes nearly a minute before it finally makes thick and slow legs while the entire ring slowly slides down the glass at the same rate.
Nose: Rich pear preserves with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg and a dollop of sweet vanilla cream. There’s a sweet oak that is ever present in the background, and a syrupy sweetness that reminds me of the syrup from a Dole fruit cup. Going back in for another sniff I’m picking up blackberries, cocoa, and anise. After a little sip to really open the senses up I’m also able to pickup an Earl Grey tea note with a little lavender and chamomile. This is such a complex nose and super inviting!
Palate: The mouthfeel of this is fantastically oily and as thick as it appeared on the glass. My mouth is initially washed with traditional bourbon notes such as sweet oak, a noticeable rye spice, and molasses. However, it fairly quickly transcends into sweet poached pears dusted with nutmeg, paprika, and maybe even a little chipotle powder (there is a spice that hits the back of the throat kinda like that). The amount of oak I’m picking up is more substantial and more forward than what I got on the nose.
Finish: This finish is rather long and fairly dry, leaving notes that make me think I just sipped a black tea by a campfire when a light breeze is pushing the smoke slightly in my direction. There is a sweetness, best described as honey and barrel aged rum, that shows up very late in the finish as I give it a little chew long after the swallow.
Rating: 8.3/10
Value: 8.5/10 (this value is based on a ratio of the $/mL to the rating above compared to this same ratio for all other reviews I’ve made and normalized to 10)
Overall: What a pour! I was certainly taken to a place of a cool fall day with the aroma of fall spices and sweetness wafting through the kitchen. I’m a sucker for complexity and uniqueness, and this had both. The nose alone I would give just a bump shy of 10/10! It was a little astringent, but otherwise just had layers and depth that are rarely matched. The palate and finish were less complex than the nose, not quite having the layers that the nose did. However, they were still very unique and something that I’ve not experienced in a whiskey before. Also, this did not drink like a 113+ proof bourbon either…it’s dangerous…I could just keep this flowing all day long! I think the sweetness that is going on greatly helps offset any burn or proofiness that this would otherwise have.
This sample is from bottle #6386, reviewed neat in a Glencairn.
Appearance: Bright ruby red (1.4), very viscous making a ring around the glass that just sticks and takes nearly a minute before it finally makes thick and slow legs while the entire ring slowly slides down the glass at the same rate.
Nose: Rich pear preserves with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg and a dollop of sweet vanilla cream. There’s a sweet oak that is ever present in the background, and a syrupy sweetness that reminds me of the syrup from a Dole fruit cup. Going back in for another sniff I’m picking up blackberries, cocoa, and anise. After a little sip to really open the senses up I’m also able to pickup an Earl Grey tea note with a little lavender and chamomile. This is such a complex nose and super inviting!
Palate: The mouthfeel of this is fantastically oily and as thick as it appeared on the glass. My mouth is initially washed with traditional bourbon notes such as sweet oak, a noticeable rye spice, and molasses. However, it fairly quickly transcends into sweet poached pears dusted with nutmeg, paprika, and maybe even a little chipotle powder (there is a spice that hits the back of the throat kinda like that). The amount of oak I’m picking up is more substantial and more forward than what I got on the nose.
Finish: This finish is rather long and fairly dry, leaving notes that make me think I just sipped a black tea by a campfire when a light breeze is pushing the smoke slightly in my direction. There is a sweetness, best described as honey and barrel aged rum, that shows up very late in the finish as I give it a little chew long after the swallow.
Rating: 8.3/10
Value: 8.5/10 (this value is based on a ratio of the $/mL to the rating above compared to this same ratio for all other reviews I’ve made and normalized to 10)
Overall: What a pour! I was certainly taken to a place of a cool fall day with the aroma of fall spices and sweetness wafting through the kitchen. I’m a sucker for complexity and uniqueness, and this had both. The nose alone I would give just a bump shy of 10/10! It was a little astringent, but otherwise just had layers and depth that are rarely matched. The palate and finish were less complex than the nose, not quite having the layers that the nose did. However, they were still very unique and something that I’ve not experienced in a whiskey before. Also, this did not drink like a 113+ proof bourbon either…it’s dangerous…I could just keep this flowing all day long! I think the sweetness that is going on greatly helps offset any burn or proofiness that this would otherwise have.
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