GRAY LABEL BOURBON
The barrels harvested for this limited release were selected for their refined properties and extraordinary flavor profile. This complex blend, created with hand selected barrels ranging from 13 to 19 years-old, is an opulent bourbon with notes of dark chocolate, Amarena cherry, vanilla and brûléed orange.
Gray Label Bourbon Release 6
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A blend of straight bourbon whiskeys matured in select cooperage
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Distilled and aged in TN, KY, IN, & WY
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Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
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110.12 proof cask strength bottling
FLAVOR NOTES
Every facet of this bourbon is bathed in freshly scraped vanilla bean. A minty fresh and woodsy nose nevertheless retains its foundational cereal note of cinnamon raisin bagel. On the palate one is greeted by a sweet and oily mouthfeel that brings with it notes of demerara rum and apple pie spice. Water unleashes chocolate and coconut and reveals a complex earthiness to the aroma.
Neat
Appearance: Maroon, with tones ranging from rust to baker’s chocolate.
Nose: Pungent vanilla bean is first out of the gate, woven through with goldenrod as you just approach the glass. They add lift to a treacly nose that ranges from dark brown sugar to woodsy sugarcane. The original grain character is well preserved, but advanced age has evolved it into tres leches cake, granola, and macadamia nut. Sage, tonka bean, and menthol play the herbal register here. Plump raisins and fig newtons round it out.
Palate: S’mores, amoretti, and oatmeal raisin cookie depict a palate balanced between biscuit-y and sweet. A marked spiciness shoulders its way in with notes of crystallized ginger, peppermint, and black peppercorn. Oak tannins give a bit of chew to a body that’s oily and rich with sugars. Meanwhile gentian root, sesame seeds, and apple peels comprise the humus layer.
Finish: Fresh ginger, fennel seed, and cardamom rush up through the exhale. The tongue is left with a pronounced bitterness that inspires thoughts of cocoa powder and grapefruit peel. Gradually, a gentle sweet vermouth takes over; later joined by a grainy signature of skillet cornbread.
With a few drops of spring water
Everything becomes coated in gooey chocolate ganache. All throughout there are various forms of coconut – macaroon, -oil, -water. Demerara rum takes over the palate, accompanied by nutmeg, and lime zest. The finish simplifies into apricot and cherry eaux-de-vie.
Previous Gray Label Bourbon Releases
RELEASE 5
A blend of straight bourbon whiskeys matured in select cooperage
Distilled and aged in TN, KY and IN
Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
100.58 proof cask strength bottling
AWARDS
Whisky Advocate Rating of 94
Barrell Craft Spirits has spent five years developing the blend techniques and processes used in the latest release of Gray Label Bourbon. This blending and marrying process is slow, labor-intensive, and costly, but we feel our patience pays off with this truly special offering. This release of Gray Label Bourbon is constructed from bourbons of varying ages made from five different mash bills. After marrying, the blend goes into casks made using 36-month air-dried staves that previously held Gray Label Bourbon, to rest and further mature.
FLAVOR NOTES
Barrels made from 36-month air-dried staves are not often used in bourbon production, in part because they are much more expensive than casks made with kiln-dried staves. We view them, however, as a key component for achieving long, complex flavors and a rich mouth feel. The result of mingling in these unique casks is a mellow, sophisticated spirit that concentrates the flavor of a higher-proof bourbon into a lower-proof blend, with a gentle oxidative character and deep dried fruit notes. This is a bourbon with the complexity and density of age, without over-oaked chalkiness.
Neat
Appearance: Wildflower honey
Nose: Opens with some simple, bright fruit notes – dry cider, tart green plum, and banana pudding. These accompany the expected caramelized sugar notes of cinnamon donut and pecan pie. The tropical side slowly unfolds, revealing pineapple, passionfruit, and coconut milk. Peach cobbler and strawberry cheesecake reflect the fruitiness taking on a more cooked character.
Palate: Honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon make for fun and seldom-seen flavors in a bourbon. Mary Jane candies and dark chocolate ganache offer an earthy contrast. There is a gentle undercurrent of minerals such as celery salt, and snuffed beeswax candle.
Finish: Mouthwatering and refined with an initial burst of sweet tea and Meyer lemon. Rose jelly, raspberry pastilles and chardonnay provide a sophisticated floral signature.
With a few drops of spring water
The whiskey grows a notch richer and creamier as white chocolate and cappuccino jockey to the fore. Water also liberates some savory notes of spoonbread, alpine breeze, and caramelized onion.
RELEASE 4
Matured for 15 years
Distilled and aged in IN, KY and TN
Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
100.4 proof cask strength bottling
FLAVOR NOTES
A bourbon characterized by evolution – where some whiskeys display their complexity all at once, here the flavors remain focused yet ephemeral. A gentle minerality yields to candied scents and then savory earthy ones, fruity aromas, and finally herbs and spices. The palate, meanwhile, is bright and sweet and tastes of cola.
Neat
Appearance: Bronze.
Nose: Starts with a puff of chalk dust and wood smoke. Underneath are notes of toasted marshmallow, warm honeycomb, and chocolate babka straight from the oven. Soon nubuck leather and sunflower seed jostle to the fore. Fruits emerge next, from Ginger Gold apples through roasted banana to strawberry jam, ending with chamomile and eucalyptus.
Palate: A syrupy and sweet arrival is kept in check by moderate heat and some light but gritty tannin. A vivid cola note dominates at first, then allspice, fennel seed, and peppermint lead the wave of oak spice. A little fruity spirit peeks through with pops of green grape, strawberry meringue, and jasmine.
Finish: The sugar washes away quickly, leaving a surprisingly dry, oily, palate with more noticeable tannin. The character correspondingly shifts to drier notes of pipe tobacco, walnut and iced coffee. As they fade a little more fruit emerges, around rhubarb jam and sumac.
With a few drops of spring water
The nose becomes incredibly fruity, showing crabapple, lychee, and blackberry tart. The palate grows fruitier as well, here on watermelon and earl grey tea. But it also develops an earthy spiciness, along gingerbread, radish, and nasturtium.
RELEASE 3
Matured for 15 years
Distilled and aged in IN, KY and TN
Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
104.9 proof cask strength bottling
AWARDS
Whisky Advocate Rating of 93
FLAVOR NOTES
An ephemeral bouquet shifts between heady minerals, tart fruits, woodsy spices, and rich nutty notes; with a delicacy that belies the explosion of oak on the palate. Water brings out a creaminess which transforms the nose into a lush and tropical experience reminiscent of a hazy IPA.
Neat
Appearance: Sugar just beginning to caramelize.
Nose: Heady and intense, with a first impression of summer rain, sea salt, and slate. This bourbon quickly opens to pineapple, cranberry, and crushed apple. Cumin, caraway and grains of paradise announce the presence of woodsy oak spice. As the senses are acclimated, a richer bouquet is revealed, with tahini, macadamia nut, leather, and roast pork.
Palate: Where the nose only hinted at oak, the palate explodes with it. There is gripping tannin, manuka honey, and the herbaceous complexity of an old world digestif. As a sip is held, it grows sweeter and mellower, tasting of French vanilla ice cream and coffee liqueur.
Finish: The fruits return as fassionola syrup, and Italian stone fruit, rounded out with roasted chestnut. It fades on hickory smoke and black pepper.
With a few drops of spring water
The nose gets creamier: banana, candied lemon and jammy apricot joining the pineapple to create a tropical fruit smoothie. A touch of juiced wheatgrass lends a hoppy vibe. The palate grows spicier, with fiery cinnamon joined by juniper berry and catnip before fading on chewing tobacco.
RELEASE 2
15-year-old bourbon whiskey
Distilled and aged in TN, KY and IN
Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
106.52 proof cask strength bottling
Mash bill: corn, rye and malted barley
FLAVOR NOTES
The barrels harvested for this limited release were selected for their refined properties and extraordinary flavor profile. This complex 15-year-old bourbon was blended and bottled at peak maturity so you can experience its true flavor. It is a perfect union of grain and barrel, with an old, oaky nose and a deep, honey- maple palate that reveals the lushness of the grain.
Neat
Appearance: Warm, autumnal resins, blending together from afar.
Nose: The central theme is of pie, notably Boston cream and pecan. Armagnac, and fig jam lend a dense, dark fruitiness. Herbal notes constantly pop to the fore and then gently ebb, cycling through spearmint, ginger ale and pandan leaf. The bottom register ranges between sweet and savory; from maple syrup on one side through halva and soufflé, to gorgonzola on the other.
Palate: Medium bodied with relatively fine tannin. The oak makes its presence known first, tasting woodsy and also bringing along oak-derived notes of coconut meat and vanilla. Sweeter elements include chocolate, honeycomb, maple syrup and beet reduction. These are tempered by the dry spice of Ramazzotti amaro, black coffee and spearmint.
Finish: Quite intense, on bold notes of campfire, black coffee and cocoa powder. Grows gentler as it fades, revealing s’mores, ground clove, and fruity bursts of maraschino liqueur, black cherry and nicoise olive.
With a few drops of spring water
Water brightens the fruit, bringing out chocolate dipped, candied grapefruit peel. The palate grows rich and creamy, tasting of roasted chestnut and rice pudding.
RELEASE 1
15-year-old bourbon whiskey
Distilled and aged in TN, KY and IN
Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
105.1 proof cask strength bottling
Mash bill: corn, rye and malted barley
AWARDS
Whisky Advocate rating of 90
Named Best American Whiskey of 2018 by Fred Minnick in Forbes
FLAVOR NOTES
This complex 15-year-old bourbon was blended and bottled at peak maturity so you can experience its true flavor. It is a perfect union of grain and barrel, with an old, oaky nose and a deep, honey- maple palate that reveals the lushness of the grain.
Neat
Appearance: Worn leather.
Nose: Incredibly fruity, the nose opens with strawberry salt-water taffy, Bing cherry, and raspberry but more exotic fruits lurk in the depths: prickly pear, lychee, blood orange, grapefruit marmalade, damson plum, even tomato. The fruits nearly overpower subtle herbaceous notes of pizzelle, Maraschino liqueur, Cynar, and pipe tobacco. Its sweetness is kept in check by a hint of paraffin and scorched earth.
Palate: As fruity as the nose, exhibiting strawberry and rose jam, lychee, Maraschino liqueur, and calvados, balanced by très leches cake, hibiscus, and angelica.
Finish: The theme continues on slowly evolving fruit: guava, watermelon, Pink Lady apples; they’re joined by a touch of paraffin from the nose and a spicy signature of candied chili pepper.
With a few drops of spring water
Those nose grows beguilingly perfumed, notes of apple blossom, hyacinth, applewood smoke and mulled cider released from the overbearing fruitiness, which has developed a more tropical character in the form of pineapple, mango and papaya. The palate becomes fuller and brighter, notes of mango and peach nectar overlay fresh ginger. Almond milk and white chocolate on the finish are given lift by spearmint.