Tasting notes

nose

blackberry, dark grape and dried apricot, then tobacco leaf and birch oil, peppermint and lemon verbena, with a nutty depth of cashew and tahini

palate

grape soda and dark maple syrup, burnt marshmallow and espresso, black licorice, then savory leather, black olive and grilled onion with clove and pine

finish

long; a flash of rosewater and grape brandy, then the chili heat of mole and black pepper, fading to juniper, thyme and wormwood

Mash bill

89% rye, 7% corn, 4% malted barley. Barrell derives that figure from the ryes in the batch: 10-year-old Indiana rye at the core, younger 5- and 6-year-old barrels from Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky, and a 14-year-old Canadian rye. The older Indiana barrels bring brown sugar and a touch of smoke, the younger ones fruit and spice, and the Canadian rye dry herbal notes.

Why it's craft

Rye Batch 004 is built around 10-year-old Indiana rye, layered with younger barrels from three states and a 14-year-old Canadian rye for its dry herbal edge, and Barrell lists the origin and age of every component. Barrell Craft Spirits does not distill: Joe Beatrice founded it in Louisville in 2013 to select and blend barrels from established producers, and its ryes, like its bourbons, are bottled at cask strength without chill filtration.