Barrell Craft Spirits BCS Dovetail Cask Strength American Whiskey (750ml)

Tasting notes: A blend of ten year old Indiana whiskey, finished in Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels and combined with an eleven year old Tennessee bourbon finished in black strap rum casks and LBV Port Pipes. Well beyond basic Bourbon, this is nuanced with notes of incense, fresh-cut cedar, 'lady's handbag', muddled mint and dill, as well as flashes of maple syrup and port soaked tobacco. It's bold, but also structured and rounded like a well-aged single malt; by the finish it's Bourbon-like, chewy and leathery with sweet vanillan oak and dark chocolate complemented by a balanced surge of spices. Mint chocolate carries the aftertaste. Easily one of the finest American blends to date. 61.45% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... Barrell Craft Spirits continues to impress with a whiskey release layered in flavors that’s as satisfying as it is unique. Finished whiskeys can be some of the most polarizing on the market, and that’s always the risk with trying something different. Barrell succeeds with Dovetail, delivering a unique tasting whiskey that’s not too far off the standard whiskey flavor spectrum that it turns people away. While the talk lately has been focused on Barrell’s new high end BCS line, which is fantastic by the way, I’d argue that Dovetail is just as good in its own right and much more accessible. If you’re a Barrell fan interested in exploring something a little different, then this is one to definitely seek out. - breakingbourbon.com

CHAIRMAN'S TROPHY at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge - 2020

TOP 100 SPIRITS (97 POINTS) at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge - 2020

Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition - 2019

Gold (Whiskey: Barrel Finished category) at Whiskies of the World - 2019

...There’s personality galore in this blend... Caramel, honeycomb candy, See’s molasses chips, peanuts, graham crackers, cola, mature oak, and a little dill on the nose. The palate is chewy, with dried cherries, grape soda, root beer candy, roasted walnuts, dark chocolate, black pepper, ginger, graham cracker, cinnamon cookie, and lush leathery oak. Good development, if you have the patience to linger.
90 points whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Spring 2019)