(LOUISVILLE) This week Barrell Craft Spirits, which launched Barrell Dovetail in 2018, released BCS Gray Label Dovetail, which uses the same award-winning blend and finishing method as Dovetail, but with older and more rare barrels, aged up to 20 years. The new, limited-edition expression was bottled at 131.54 proof and bears an SRP of $249.99.
Key Facts
- Whiskey finished in rum, port, and Dunn Vineyards cabernet barrels
- Distilled in Indiana, Tennessee and Canada
- Aged in the US and Canada
- Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
- 131.54 proof cask strength bottling
Tasting Notes (Brand Provided)
Nose: Green grape, tart apple, and pollen lead into one very vivid note of just-pressed cider. The notes of gooseberry jam, cranberry sauce, and dried apricot are pronounced and defined. Maple walnut ice cream, tahini, and leather provide a subtle, savory undertone.
Palate: Robust and impeccably balanced, with flavors ranging from strawberry rhubarb pie to fennel pollen. Flan and coconut oil provide a rich and creamy texture that balances some light sandy tannin and modest astringency. Depth seems to come mostly from the oldest Canadian whiskeys, in the form of fennel, poppy seed and peppercorn. Allspice, ginger, and cola notes from the French and American oak round it out.
Finish: A burst of licorice candy and molasses gives way to
Earl Grey Tea with honey. The palate is left with a range of dusty mineral notes, among them necco wafers, oyster shell, and squid ink.
With a splash of spring water: Classical notes of crème brulée and funnel cake take the lead. The complexity here is more savory, with shiso, tomato, and tajin. An unexpected burst of lychee on the finish yields to charcoal and paraffin.
The post NEW RELEASE: Barrell Craft Spirits Launches “Gray Label Dovetail” at 131 Proof first appeared on The Bourbon Review.