Stewed cherry | Blueberry pie | Oak | Dried tobacco leaf | Brown sugar | Baking spices | Faint red fruits | Cigar box

Stewed red fruits | Syrup | Baking spices | Rye spice | Dried oak | Cinnamon stick | Tobacco | Mixed berry jam | Leather | Cherry

Dried oak | Tobacco leaf | Cigar box | Faint brown sugar | Black peppercorn | Clove | Baking spices | Complex

Barrell Craft Spirits is known for their blending prowess; however, up until this point, they’ve never taken on creating a cigar blend bourbon. Cigar blend bourbons have continued to increase in popularity over the years. What was once a niche of the bourbon world just 10 years ago, when Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend was introduced and started to gain popularity, has now exploded into non-stop entries of cigar blend bourbons. Since there’s no legal definition of what a cigar blend bourbon is, each company that releases one gets to put their own unique spin on how they interpret the category. For this release, Barrell Craft Spirits chose to focus on finishing bourbons from three different states, in four different finishing barrels.

The whiskey opens with a rich aroma that oscillates between fruit, fried oak, and tobacco leaf, along with scents of baking spices. The midpoint pulls in more fruit notes in the form of stewed red fruits, mixed berry jam, and cherry, along with rich dried oak, tobacco, and leather. Spice is present thanks to notes of rye spice and cinnamon stick; however, these pull back as you transition to the finish. A complex ending of familiar notes from the beginning of the sip appear, along with faint brown sugar, black peppercorn, and clove.

For their first foray into the world of cigar blend bourbons, Barrell Craft Spirits selected great finishing barrels to bring their vision to life. The Madeira and rum barrels highlight sweeter flavors, while the Armagnac and Hungarian oak barrels bring out spice and drier notes. This can easily be enjoyed with a cigar as the notes complement the experience well, while also holding up on their own fortitude without any help. Once again, Barrell Craft Spirits shows their prowess when it comes to blending, and consumers who get their hands on a bottle will be greatly pleased with the end result.