Review #193: Barrell Batch 037

MASH BILL: 78% corn, 18% rye, 4% malted barley (derived) 

AGE: Blend of the following bourbon:

• 8, 11, and 12 yr old Indiana
• 10 yr old Kentucky
• 13, 14, and 15 yr old Tennessee

PROOF: 111.38 

COST: $85 for 750mL bottle (I’m reviewing a sample)

Barrell Craft Spirits batch releases are referred to as the “hallmark” of the company’s dedication to crafting and blending exceptional whiskey. In the earlier days, they were releasing batch releases up to 4 a year. But in recent years, this has slowed down to only 1 or 2 releases a year. In June of 2025, Barrell Batch 037 was released. I have not experienced any of the Barrell Batch releases in the past, so this is a first for me. Let’s check it out.

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Reddish honey (1.5), oily, with fat but fast legs and lots of them. 

NOSE: Brown sugar and a tangy fruit sweetness at first. A nice layer of spices with black pepper, cinnamon, and clove. Between the tangy fruit and the spices, I get a baked spiced Grany Smith apple vibe. There’s a nutty earthiness on the tail end of the aroma along with a cedar note.

PALATE: Mouthfeel like a thin simple syrup. Quite spicy right away with ginger, lemon extract, and black licorice. As it mellows out, I find a medicinal cherry note and a kinda fruity vitamin note right away. (I’m not particularly sensitive to the minerality everyone talks about in Dickel, but I’m thinking I’m picking that up in this blend.) Notes of butterscotch and toasted vanilla come in towards the end, but it’s the spicier notes that steal the show.

FINISH: Long finish. Toasted cherry wood, caramelized sugar, and a little of that earthy mineral note lingers. A slight dark chocolate note appears towards the end along with pipe tobacco, but the toasted cherry wood note outlasts the rest and makes for a nice ending to an otherwise spicy sip.

RATING: 7.2/10

OVERALL: This was rather spicy on the palate, but had a lot of sweeter, candy like notes as well. The finish was the best part of this sip to me with it being rather mellow. The nose and palate were bright, spicy, and tangy – much more in your face than the sweeter, mellower finish. My last review looked at Barrell Foundation Double Barrel and I found it to be a bit boring, but a good all-around sipper. This is much more unique and would be a pour for when you’re really wanting to dig into tasting notes. It did run a bit spicy and the minerality contrasted with the rest that was going on and seemed a bit out of place. It drinks very easy for being 111+ proof.

 

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, Hillrock Estate Sauternes CS

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, Maker's Mark Wood Finishing releases, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 121.2, BBCo Disco #7 and #13, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08, RR15