Barrell Craft French Oak Finished Bourbon Is Stellar

Welcome to Taste Test, where every week our critic Jonah Flicker explores the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Sunday for his latest whiskey review.

Not to sound like a broken record, but there are a lot of cask-finished bourbons out there. And I mean a lot—you got your bourbon finished in mizunara, new charred oak, sherry casks, Cognac barrels, even honey or maple barrels, and once in a while (which is once too often) in amburana, just to name a few. Louisville’s Barrell Craft Spirits is responsible for a fair share of these, and some of them are intricate secondary maturations that involve several different types of wood. Turns out that sometimes less is more, because this blend of bourbons finished in just French oak is pretty simple, and one of its very best.

French oak is commonly used to mature Cognac and wine, but it is also used to finish American whiskey to bring particular aromas and notes of baking spice to the palate. As per usual, BCS has compiled a blend of bourbons from different distilleries across four states—Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wyoming (the sources are not revealed, but some of them seem pretty obvious—like MGP in Indiana). According to Tripp Stimson, who holds the dual titles of chief of distillery operations and chief whiskey scientist, certain components were finished in French oak casks with specific levels of toasting for between three and 26 months. That’s a pretty wide range, and presumably each whiskey was monitored to see how it reacted to the finish until it was deemed ready. The final blend was bottled with a 12-year age statement at 108.5 proof.

This is a fantastic bourbon, and while I don’t always love a French oak finish, it’s done absolutely right here. The first thing you might notice as you sip are some really bright citrus notes, which kind of came as a surprise to me—albeit a welcome one. After that, other flavors quickly develop, like dried and fresh fruit, vanilla, maple, honey, and healthy amount of baking spice. And I mean a whole cabinet’s worth, with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a bit of coriander popping up. The blend is very well balanced, and the high proof provides some heat without burning you out. Sip this bourbon neat, but don’t shy away from making a cocktail with it either—I used it in a Manhattan, and it was delicious.

The news arrived earlier this week that BCS was selling its blending facility in Jeffersontown, Ky. to American Craft Bottling, and will be consolidating operations at its original site in Gilmore. You can’t read this news and not assume the current state of the whiskey market had something to do with it, so I reached out to founder Joe Beatrice to get his take. He said that when they purchased the Jeffersontown site, consumer demand for whiskey was at an all-time high, but things have changed. He pointed to shifts in consumer habits shaped by “GLP-1 drugs, THC, and reduced disposable income as inflation and tariffs increase everyday costs,” he told me. “In light of these changes, and after receiving a compelling offer for the facility, we determined that selling was the right decision.” The plan now is to shift production back to the Gilmore site, which will be getting some much needed upgrades, he is confident that this sale is the right decision at the right time.

Whatever happens, let’s hope BCS continues to release high-quality blends like this French oak finish. $160 for a bottle could be considered a splurge, although it depends on what you are comparing it to: Michter’s 10 Year, or Knob Creek 12? If you do pick up a bottle, you will not be disappointed, and this bourbon further cements BCS’s reputation as a leader in blending and cask finishing American whiskey.

Score: 97

See Also

Fettercairn’s New Whisky Is Now Available in the U.S.