Review: Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength
Review: Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength
It’s probably long overdue, but one of the biggest success stories in bourbon is finally coming out with a barrel strength release.
Bulleit Barrel Strength is made from the same high-rye mashbill as its primary expression (roughly 1/3 rye), with no age statement provided. Batches will vary in alcohol content, but will hover around 60% abv.
We got a first look at the new edition. Thoughts follow.
As with any cask strength offering, this is initially a bit of a blazer on the nose and tongue. When the alcohol blows off, notes of butterscotch, honey, and cinnamon emerge — all classic components showcased here with impressive balance. On the tongue, give it time to settle down a bit to reveal red pepper, some barrel char notes, more cinnamon, and a sweet but spicy finish. This is a big bourbon, full of fire to be sure but approachable enough for anyone with any level of experience with cask strength bourbons.
Tempering with water brings more of the wood components to the forefront — which takes it closer to the classic, somewhat rustic Bulleit “frontier” character. At full strength, the whiskey is a bit sweeter and more dessert-like than the standard bottling, which is a bit of a surprise. That aside, I like the new release quite a bit — both at the full force of cask strength and in its tempered form with some water added.
119.2 proof as reviewed.
A- / $50 / bulleit.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength
$50
The only question is – where are they sourcing the whiskey? Four Roses or elsewhere?
Diageo has said in the past that Bulleit comes from Four Roses, but that may have changed in more recent years. What’s in bottles now is almost surely from 4R.