Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Diageo's Orphan Barrel: Barterhouse 20
I've steered clear of Diageo's Orphan Barrel series since it didn't hold much appeal for me, but I recently sampled the second Orphan release, the 20 year old Barterhouse. This release is so limited that I saw it for sale at my local Walgreen's for $64.
Barterhouse comes from the Bernheim Distillery which means it was likely bourbon that was intended for IW Harper or Old Charter (See my older posts for more information on the Old Bernheim and New Bernheim Distilleries).
Barterhouse, 20 year old, 45.1% abv ($64)
The nose on this is delightful with lots of oak and wood polish. The palate is minerally, woody and very, very dry. It's a bit flat toward the end. The finish has big mineral notes.
The Orphan Barrel releases have been criticized for both cynical marketing and subpar, over oaked whiskey, but I liked this one. It's unusually dry and oaky, but I thought that made it interesting. Certainly, though, if you like your bourbon sweet, this one isn't for you. Hmm, maybe I'll go back and try some of those other orphans.
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6 comments:
Your read on this one mirrors mine. What a nose! The dryness is tolerable but I wish it were released with a slightly higher ABV. Then again, I wonder what the dryness would have been like at a higher ABV. Maybe intolerable?
Looking forward to your notes for Lost Prophet, Sku! That looks like the potential winner in this Orphan series.
-Humchan2k
Spot on, Sku!
Speaking of Harper. I have a couple of I.W. Harpers President's Reserve and a 15 y/o. I wonder how collectible they are. The Reserve's I found at duty-free shop on the Texas/Mexico border nearly 10 years ago. Any insight anyone? Thanks.
As a relative newb to the whole whiskey game, I actually really appreciated this release because it's so widely available that I finally understand what people mean when they say that older bourbons tend to be over-oaked. Rhetoric seems to be even more oaky. Not my favorite bourbons, but I'm glad I got to try something in this age range, even if it's not the best example...
I liked Barterhouse enough that I'd make a significant effort to get a bottle at $64. Too bad we're not buddies, or I'd ask you to do me a solid.
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