Barrell Craft 10th Anniversay Bourbon Blend (Photo by the brand)

10th Anniversary Blend

Blending is (still) trending. Fresh off a high-profile ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits refuses to rest on its highly acclaimed laurels. An industry leader regarded for its blending expertise and growing portfolio of blended products, the company plans to put its sleek new Jeffersontown facility to good use, upping its production capacity to the next level with a set of massive blending tanks and two bottling/labeling lines. The new digs also show off upscale offices, a retail shop, an event space, and a handsome speakeasy-style bar room.

Collectors have made it a habit to grab new batches the instant they come out to compare and contrast each innovative new offering from founder Joe Beatrice and the Barrell Craft team. To complement a bourbon lineup quickly closing in on three dozen releases, they’ve offered a special 10th-anniversary blend to toast the ceremony last week, with bottles available for purchase online and onsite.

Cask Strength

Like all Barrell Craft creations, this one’s bottled at cask strength to allow the bourbon’s full impact to shine through. And wow, does it punch hard! This 8-year-old, 112-proof comingling of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana whiskeys lights up the entire palate with heat and honey at first sip, sliding down with a slow burn and plenty of melted caramel sweetness. Best of luck getting your hands on a bottle; I have a feeling this stuff will be gone in a flash.

It may be easier to locate other recent Barrell Craft releases like Bourbon Batch #35 (117.5 proof), a fruity, almost tropical rye-forward sipper with spicy cinnamon notes, and Rye #4 (115 proof), bold and smoky like a good rye should be with heady suggestions of burnt sugar, earthy tobacco and clove.

Cask Finish Series

I haven’t had a chance yet to sample the new Cask Finish Series, an effort to introduce a new pair of new releases annually. Look for the first two — an Amburana bourbon matured in sustainable Brazilian oak and “A Tale of Two Islands” Jamaican Rum rested in peaty Islay single-malt whiskey casks — to hit shelves this fall. In the meantime, happy birthday to you, Barrell Craft. With so much going on, fans can’t wait to see what your next decade might bring.