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Barrell Vantage
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Barrell Vantage Ranks #3

Top 20 Whiskies of 2022

barrell craft spirits

BARRELL CRAFT SPIRITS

Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits is the original, pre-eminent independent blender of unique, aged, cask strength whiskey and rum. Recognized for our blending expertise since 2013, we skillfully design, produce, and launch leading, unique products that surprise and delight whiskey aficionados and novices alike.

As the most innovative, forward-thinking, and progressive whiskey blenders in the nation, we have an unrelenting drive to break the status quo by selecting and blending products that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, and bottle them at cask strength. All blends are not created equal – experience matters. We don’t simply follow a recipe or blend by consensus. Rather, we blend based on years of expertise and experimentation. We personally taste and blend hundreds of products each year and have experimented with thousands of unique blends over the past 10 years. We are passionate perfectionists fueled by curiosity.

As industry trailblazers, we’re passionate about continually pushing the boundaries of blending and exploring opportunities to source and blend outside the box. Our ultimate goal is to elevate barrels of whisky into something greater than the sum of their parts and to showcase the world’s most exciting spirits. In the process, we’re flattered to have inspired many others to begin blending with whiskey. 

We were awarded Best Bourbon twice at the internationally acclaimed San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) - in 2017 and again in 2020. Other SFWSC awards include Best Small Batch Bourbon and Best Overproof Rum, as well as 21 Double Gold medals and 15 Gold medals. We’ve also received high honors at the NY International Spirits Competition, LA Spirits Competition, and Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC), including Chairman’s Trophy for Barrell Dovetail and our Private Release Whiskey. Barrell Craft Spirits is consistently highly rated by Whisky Advocate and was named Best American Whiskey of 2018 in Forbes.

Our award-winning line of products is currently sold in 49 U.S. states as well as in Puerto Rico, Canada, the UK and Australia.

Joe Beatrice, Founder

RECENT NOTABLE PRESS

UPROXX includes Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023 in The Absolute Best Bourbon Whiskeys Between $90-$100, Ranked, calling it "a fun and fresh sipper."

UPROXX ties Batch 034 for first place in this blind tasting of Brand New Bourbon Whiskeys. "Delicious, deep, and thrilling. This whiskey has it all and it’s so damn tasty."

UPROXX includes Vantage in this roundup of The Absolute Best Bourbon Whiskey Between $70-$80, Ranked, saying “Barrell Craft Spirits doesn’t miss.”

UPROXX ranks Batch 034 #1 in "The Absolute Best Bourbon Whiskeys Between $80-$90, Ranked," saying, “This stuff is so good it makes you shake your head."

MEN'S JOURNAL includes Gray Label Seagrass in their list of 10 Extra-special Valentine’s Day Whiskies That Show How Much You Care, calling it "rich, oily, and unforgettably different."

BARRELL CRAFT SPIRITS is pleased to welcome Chris Riesbeck in the newly created role of Chief Commercial Officer

MAXIM includes Batch 033 in "The Best Bourbons of 2022," saying "The crew over at [BCS] are among the most prolific arbiters of great whiskey."

NEWSWEEK calls Vantage "an excellent addition to your liquor cabinet" in the article, "11 Must Try Bourbons, Gins, Tequilas and Canned Cocktails for 2023."

MAXIM includes Vantage in "The Best ‘Second Finish’ American Whiskeys of 2022," saying BCS has mastered the art of three-barrel finishing.

INSIDEHOOK includes Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023 in "The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This January."

MEN'S JOURNAL includes Dovetail in their roundup of 10 Special-Barrel-Finished Whiskeys You Need to Try, saying it's "a memorable whiskey packing flavors of molasses, toasted marshmallows, dried fruits, chocolate, vanilla, and cracked black pepper."

INSIDE HOOK lists Batch 032 in "The 12 Best Bourbons of 2022," calling it an "exceptional release from a whiskey brand that’s redefined the art of blending."

FOOD & WINE includes Gold Label Dovetail in the article, “28 American Whiskies Worth Splurging on This Year.” "The finished product is powerful and so generous, coating the palate with warm honey and suggestions of molasses, steeped golden raisins and brown sugar."

UPROXX includes Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023 in “The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked.”

UPROXX includes Vantage in “The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked,” saying "This is just great whiskey from one of the most interesting blenders working in all of whiskey right now."

UPROXX ranks Gold Label Bourbon #2 in "The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked," saying "This is 21st-century bourbon at its best — perplexing, provocative, and profound."

PASTE MAGAZINE features Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023, saying, "this bourbon feels equal parts familiar and slightly exotic, and the balance between sweetness and tannic dryness is a highlight."

WHISKY ADVOCATE ranks Barrell Vantage #3 in their Top 20: The Most Exciting Whiskies of 2022.

WINE ENTHUSIAST includes Armida and Batch 031 in their roundup of The Best Bourbons for Sipping.

MEN'S JOURNAL features Gold Label Dovetail. "Pineapple and mango emerge as the stars, surfing across a creamy, almost honey-textured mouthfeel."

ROBB REPORT lists Barrell Bourbon as the "Best Blended Bourbon" in the article, "The 12 Best Bourbons to Drink Right Now."

ROBB REPORT lists Barrell Vantage as the "Best Cask Finish Whiskey" on "The 15 Best Whiskey Brands, From Bourbon to Scotch."

MEN'S JOURNAL includes BCS Gray Label Bourbon in the article, "These are the Allocated Whiskies You Should be Looking For."

MEN'S HEALTH includes BCS Gray Label Bourbon in “The 55 Best Gifts for Whiskey Lovers This Holiday Season.”

IMBIBE features Barrell Vantage in their “Drink of the Week” article, describing it as "rich and bold." 

WHISKY ADVOCATE features Barrell Vantage, saying, "Barrell is showcasing both its mastery as a blender and a cask finisher."

ESQUIRE includes Barrell Craft Spirits in their list of The 12 Best Bourbon Whiskey Brands to Drink in 2022.

GEAR PATROL states “Barrell is, at this moment, the best blender of American whiskey there is.” 

GQ lists Barrell as one of the The Best Bourbons to Stock at Home.

WALL STREET JOURNAL features Barrell Craft Spirits' Private Release Program.

2020 SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION names Barrell Bourbon Batch 021 “Best Bourbon.”

FORBES publishes Bourbon’s Rule Breaker: How Barrell Craft Spirits Upblended The Whiskey Industry.

INSTAGRAM

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