Review #136-138: Barrell Infinite I, II, & III
Review #136-138: Barrell Infinite I, II, & III
I don’t think the Barrell Infinite Project needs too much of an introduction to the r/Bourbon community, but for those unfamiliar... This is a project that T8ke worked with Barrell Craft Spirits to create: an entirely custom blend for a trilogy of expressions only offered to the r/Bourbon barrel pick program. T8ke started this project in May of 2023 with the folks at Barrell and after a lot of blending various barrels and sampling, they landed on a wild blend of 6 whiskeys that would become the base for this trilogy. The three expressions would be released throughout 2024, one expression at a time. There were around 1000 bottles of each expression, and naturally, they each sold out immediately. 
I was fortunate enough to snag a bottle of Infinite II, but not I or III. With the help of some fellow enthusiasts, I was able to get samples of I and III to try as well. The signature differences for each expression is that Infinite I was finished in Barbados Rum casks, Infinite II was finished in Ratafia de Champagne casks, and Infinite III had a 20yr KY bourbon added to the blend before being finished in Ice Wine casks.
Everything I’ve previously had from Barrell has been quite complex, yet none of them have had nearly this crazy of a blend. This is also the first time I’ve had a Ratafia or Ice Wine finished whiskey. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
All three expressions were reviewed neat in a Glencairn. I approached this tasting doing 1oz of each side by side on one day, and a second ounce of each side by side the next day.
Barrell Infinite I
BLEND and AGE: An undisclosed ratio of the following was blended and married before being finished in Barbados rum casks.- 17 yr Tennessee Bourbon
- 17 yr Indiana Bourbon
- 17 yr Canadian Rye
- 17 yr Canadian Whiskey
- 22 yr Scottish Whiskey
- 24 yr Canadian Whiskey
COST: $130 for 750mL bottle (I'm reviewing a sample)
APPEARANCE: A dark mead color (1.3), with thin, slow legs.
NOSE: This nose is bright. “Orgeat” really covers a lot of ground in describing the nose – an orangey, bright, slightly floral nuttiness really dominates. Notes of honey, vanilla, pear, and a faint fig note are present as well. There is a light peppery, cinnamon spice lurking in the background. There is no burn at all. This is probably the most involved and complex nose of the three, but not necessarily my personal favorite as I do prefer richer, cozier, deeper notes. That said, the complexity and variety of well-defined notes leaves me in awe.
PALATE: A syrupy mouthfeel, though astringent as soon as you swallow. This lands with honey, fresh apple, mixed berries, and some citrus to make this very bright. At mid palate I get light brown sugar and spicy oak, and then a black pepper note going into the finish.
FINISH: Long, semi-dry finish. The rum shows up on the finish as…well, rum. A mild nuttiness, charred oak, black pepper numbness on the palate, and a touch of white wine. No hug, but a tingling left on the palate.
RATING: 7.6/10
VALUE: 5.9/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details. I try to minimize the personal aspect of value in this score i.e. how it makes me feel, what I think of the story, etc.)
OVERALL: Mostly bright, which I wasn’t expecting for this being rum cask finished. It does have peppery spice throughout, and moments of dark sweetness, but generally this was lighter and brighter than the other two expressions.
BLEND and AGE: An undisclosed ratio of the following was blended and married before being finished in Ratafia de Champagne casks.
COST: $130 for 750mL bottle (I'm reviewing a sample)
APPEARANCE: A dark mead color (1.3), with thin, slow legs.
NOSE: Very fruity. Like a fruit salad with emphasis on orange slices, chunks of apple, white grapes, and a ripe red berry mix. A blend of French vanilla cream and sweet oak make this smell like it’s going to be thick on the palate. There’s a touch of spice as well. It’s rich and deeper than Infinite I, but more ethanol on the nose than the other two expressions.
PALATE: The mouthfeel is thinner than infinite I. Caramel, a light maple syrup, white wine, and a mix of apple and raspberries land right away, quickly followed by rye spice and brown butter. Hints of buttercream frosting weave in and out, and black pepper and molasses bring this to the finish. Infinite II is more layered and complex on the palate than the other two expressions.
FINISH: Long, sweet finish with notes of white pepper, toasted sweet maple, pipe tobacco, seasoned oak, and burnt brown sugar. This is a wonderful finish, well balanced and complex.
APPEARANCE: A dark mead color (1.3), with thin, slow legs.
NOSE: This nose is bright. “Orgeat” really covers a lot of ground in describing the nose – an orangey, bright, slightly floral nuttiness really dominates. Notes of honey, vanilla, pear, and a faint fig note are present as well. There is a light peppery, cinnamon spice lurking in the background. There is no burn at all. This is probably the most involved and complex nose of the three, but not necessarily my personal favorite as I do prefer richer, cozier, deeper notes. That said, the complexity and variety of well-defined notes leaves me in awe.
PALATE: A syrupy mouthfeel, though astringent as soon as you swallow. This lands with honey, fresh apple, mixed berries, and some citrus to make this very bright. At mid palate I get light brown sugar and spicy oak, and then a black pepper note going into the finish.
FINISH: Long, semi-dry finish. The rum shows up on the finish as…well, rum. A mild nuttiness, charred oak, black pepper numbness on the palate, and a touch of white wine. No hug, but a tingling left on the palate.
RATING: 7.6/10
VALUE: 5.9/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details. I try to minimize the personal aspect of value in this score i.e. how it makes me feel, what I think of the story, etc.)
OVERALL: Mostly bright, which I wasn’t expecting for this being rum cask finished. It does have peppery spice throughout, and moments of dark sweetness, but generally this was lighter and brighter than the other two expressions.
Barrell Infinite II
BLEND and AGE: An undisclosed ratio of the following was blended and married before being finished in Ratafia de Champagne casks.
- 17 yr Tennessee Bourbon
- 17 yr Indiana Bourbon
- 17 yr Canadian Rye
- 17 yr Canadian Whiskey
- 22 yr Scottish Whiskey
- 24 yr Canadian Whiskey
COST: $130 for 750mL bottle (I'm reviewing a sample)
APPEARANCE: A dark mead color (1.3), with thin, slow legs.
NOSE: Very fruity. Like a fruit salad with emphasis on orange slices, chunks of apple, white grapes, and a ripe red berry mix. A blend of French vanilla cream and sweet oak make this smell like it’s going to be thick on the palate. There’s a touch of spice as well. It’s rich and deeper than Infinite I, but more ethanol on the nose than the other two expressions.
PALATE: The mouthfeel is thinner than infinite I. Caramel, a light maple syrup, white wine, and a mix of apple and raspberries land right away, quickly followed by rye spice and brown butter. Hints of buttercream frosting weave in and out, and black pepper and molasses bring this to the finish. Infinite II is more layered and complex on the palate than the other two expressions.
FINISH: Long, sweet finish with notes of white pepper, toasted sweet maple, pipe tobacco, seasoned oak, and burnt brown sugar. This is a wonderful finish, well balanced and complex.
RATING: 8.1/10
VALUE: 6.4/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details. I try to minimize the personal aspect of value in this score i.e. how it makes me feel, what I think of the story, etc.)
OVERALL: This starts of very fruity on the nose and morphs throughout to a sweet, high aged bourbon on the finish. I really enjoyed the evolution of this one and the experience through the whole thing. This was sweeter than Infinite I, which I wasn’t expecting. I think this is because of my inexperience with Ratafia, though, as I’ve never had it. I generally think of rum as very sweet, but considering Infinite I and II are the same blend, just different finishes, I would infer that Ratafia must be sweeter than rum (it is, after all, grape liquor/fortified wine).
COST: $130 for 750mL bottle (I'm reviewing a sample)
APPEARANCE: A little darker in color than Infinite I and II (1.4), with thin, slow legs.
NOSE: Richer than the other two with deep notes of maple syrup, melted milk chocolate, and caramel. Baked apples sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, and a little powered sugar. There is a faint lemon candy note providing some sprightliness to the deeper tones. I also get a kind of fruit cake cherry note with some deeper inhales.
PALATE: It’s thick, but slightly astringent. Orange blossom honey, sweet cream, and tobacco stand out. Sweet oak and dried apricot show up mid palate. I get a hint of lemon zest, and when combined with the sweet cream note, it give this an Italian lemon pie vibe at times. I get a faint caramel apple sweetness as well at the very end.
FINISH: Medium to long finish with a rich sweetness. Sweet oak, crème Brule with extra wafers of caramelized sugar, butter, and a light citrus zest that outlasts the rest of the notes.
RATING: 7.7/10
VALUE: 6.4/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details. I try to minimize the personal aspect of value in this score i.e. how it makes me feel, what I think of the story, etc.)
OVERALL: This starts of very fruity on the nose and morphs throughout to a sweet, high aged bourbon on the finish. I really enjoyed the evolution of this one and the experience through the whole thing. This was sweeter than Infinite I, which I wasn’t expecting. I think this is because of my inexperience with Ratafia, though, as I’ve never had it. I generally think of rum as very sweet, but considering Infinite I and II are the same blend, just different finishes, I would infer that Ratafia must be sweeter than rum (it is, after all, grape liquor/fortified wine).
Barrell Infinite III
BLEND and AGE: An undisclosed ratio of the following was blended and married before being finished in Ice Wine casks.- 17 yr Tennessee Bourbon
- 17 yr Indiana Bourbon
- 17 yr Canadian Rye
- 17 yr Canadian Whiskey
- 20 yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon (this component is not in the other two expressions)
- 22 yr Scottish Whiskey
- 24 yr Canadian Whiskey
COST: $130 for 750mL bottle (I'm reviewing a sample)
APPEARANCE: A little darker in color than Infinite I and II (1.4), with thin, slow legs.
NOSE: Richer than the other two with deep notes of maple syrup, melted milk chocolate, and caramel. Baked apples sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, and a little powered sugar. There is a faint lemon candy note providing some sprightliness to the deeper tones. I also get a kind of fruit cake cherry note with some deeper inhales.
PALATE: It’s thick, but slightly astringent. Orange blossom honey, sweet cream, and tobacco stand out. Sweet oak and dried apricot show up mid palate. I get a hint of lemon zest, and when combined with the sweet cream note, it give this an Italian lemon pie vibe at times. I get a faint caramel apple sweetness as well at the very end.
FINISH: Medium to long finish with a rich sweetness. Sweet oak, crème Brule with extra wafers of caramelized sugar, butter, and a light citrus zest that outlasts the rest of the notes.
RATING: 7.7/10
VALUE: 6.0/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details. I try to minimize the personal aspect of value in this score i.e. how it makes me feel, what I think of the story, etc.)
OVERALL: This is probably the most consistent experience from the nose to the finish of these three expressions. I get a whole lot more aged bourbon vibes from this pour than the other two, which must be due to the 20 yr Kentucky bourbon that was added to Infinite III. At the same time, the Ice Wine finish provides some sprightliness to it.
OVERALL: This is probably the most consistent experience from the nose to the finish of these three expressions. I get a whole lot more aged bourbon vibes from this pour than the other two, which must be due to the 20 yr Kentucky bourbon that was added to Infinite III. At the same time, the Ice Wine finish provides some sprightliness to it.
CONCLUSION
Each one of these expressions was very complex and involved. Comparing them side by side really is the best way to see the unique influence each finish provides this whiskey. While Infinite III was a slightly different blend with the addition of a 20 yr bourbon missing from the other two, you could still see a lot of similarities between the three. The ratings were generally close, but Infinite III jived with me the most on the nose and palate, however, it just had a weak finish versus the other two that held it back overall. That weaker finish was enough to give the overall best Barrell Infinite award to Infinite II for me.
As far as value goes, I give an extra boost to these because of how unique they were and how interesting the overall Barrell Infinite program was. I’m convinced that if you’re purely looking for value, you’ll never find it in a whiskey over $100 per bottle. But the originality of these three expressions is something that I personally value and think what was done here was very cool and made for a great tasting of all three side by side.
1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level
2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage
3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28
4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select
5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated
6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare
7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, WhistlePig PiggyBack SiB, 1792 BiB
8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11
9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ
10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08
As far as value goes, I give an extra boost to these because of how unique they were and how interesting the overall Barrell Infinite program was. I’m convinced that if you’re purely looking for value, you’ll never find it in a whiskey over $100 per bottle. But the originality of these three expressions is something that I personally value and think what was done here was very cool and made for a great tasting of all three side by side.
1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level
2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage
3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28
4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select
5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated
6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare
7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, WhistlePig PiggyBack SiB, 1792 BiB
8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11
9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ
10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08
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