Barterhouse 20 Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Bourbon Review #21: Barterhouse 20 Year-Old KY Straight Bourbon

Category: “Boutique”

Price: $88

Availability: Limited (Spring 2014) Release        

Proof: 90.2, 45.1%abv  

Age: 20 Years-Old

Mashbill: 86% Corn, 6% Rye, 8% Malted Barley

Distillery: Distilled at New Bernheim Distillery (post 1992). Aged at Stitzel Weller, Bottled at the George Dickel’s distillery in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

     Season’s greetings! This will be my last bourbon review in 2014.  However, I do plan on shooting one more episode before the close of the year. This final episode will not be a bourbon review. Instead, it will be a celebration of Exquisite Libations, as the show is turning one year old!! It will also serve to be a look back at some of our favorite moments on the show over the last year. I will also address the future of Exquisite Libations for 2015, and beyond!

     This post however will focus on Barterhouse 20 year-old, Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Lets start at the top by discussing the company that owns this label. Diageo is a British multinational alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, England. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine.

     Diageo's brands include Smirnoff (the world's best-selling vodka), Johnnie Walker (the world's best-selling blended Scotch whisky), Baileys (the world's best-selling liqueur), and Guinness (the world's best-selling stout). It also owns 34% of Moët Hennessy, which owns brands including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Hennessy. It sells its products in over 180 countries and has offices in around 80 countries. So, as you might imagine, Diageo has plenty of capital muscle to flex!

     Diageo has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It had a market capitalization of approximately £48.9 billion as of May, 7th 2013, making it the 8th-largest company on the London Stock Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

     Diageo has been involved with American whiskeys for some time. The most popular KY Straight Bourbon that they own is Bullet. Up until recently, Diageo has not owned a distillery in Kentucky. If you look at a bottle of Bullet bourbon or rye, it will say, “Distilled, aged and bottled by the Bullet Distilling Co.” You might find it interesting to know that there is no such distillery! How then can they print this info on their bottles? Although misleading, those two little letters “Co.” make it legitimate. They are, after all a company. Bullet bourbons have been distilled (sourced) out of Four Roses distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY for some time. Diageo sources its rye whiskeys out of MGP in Indiana.

     It goes without saying that Diageo is one of those companies that I often talk about, with a reputation of being less than transparent. Basically, everyone these days, who has their hand in American Spirits, is jumping on the premium whiskey train. Diageo is no exception. Enter, the Orphan Barrel Collection.

     In 1992, Diageo purchased the Stitzel Weller Distillery. Although, they never intended to resurrect the distillery, they have, and continue to use the rick-houses to age whiskeys. Recently, they refurbished the old office buildings in order to put them on the Bourbon Trail. Now tourist can see the very spot where Pappy came to work each day.

     In an interview conducted in the spring of 2014, a Diageo/Stitzel-Weller representative made it clear that they (Diageo) have a pretty good idea about what is currently aging on the property. This would only make sense from a business prospective. However, when the first Orphan Barrel Collection (Barterhouse) was released, the supporting literature really played it up to be like a scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark!

     Also, the marketing was a little strange, because of the lack of information regarding where Barterhouse was distilled. Early into the release, they were forthcoming about where it was aged. Although they would later deny it, this was a strategic decision on the part of Diageo to focus on the hype of Stitzel-Weller’s affiliation with Barterhouse. In later interviews it came out that Barterhouse had been distilled at New Bernheim. Nether the source distillery, or the aging distillery is listed on the bottle. However, the bottling distillery is listed. Diageo made the decision to bottle Barterhouse in Tullahoma, TN at the George Dickel’s distillery.

     Diageo went on to release other Orphan Barrel Collection offerings (Old Blow Hard, Rhetoric, Lost Prophet). Each of them has a different age statement, mashbill, and claims to be “rescued” from a defunct distillery/co./operation.

     The reviews on these products have been mixed, however the general consensus is that Barterhouse is a bit understated, Rhetoric is a bit over oaked and Old Blowhard is overpriced. The fourth and newest release, Lost Prophet seems to have the balance down, and therefore it’s getting the best reviews, compared to the other products.

     Diageo is currently building a massive $115 million dollar distillery in Shelby County, Kentucky. Once operational, it will be the home for all the Bullet labels, as well as their other KY straight whiskeys. In fact, the distillery will be called the “Bullet Distilling Co.” I view this as a positive development, as it will create local jobs, and clear up the ambiguity associated with their sourcing issues. The distillery is anticipated to open in late 2016.

     Despite the hype, controversy, strange marketing, and lack of transparency, I plan on reviewing Barterhouse as objectively as I possibly can.

     

     Overall: This is a solid, classic bourbon. If I were blindfolded, I would not guess this to be a 20 year-old product. It lacks the oak to be that old. I believe that the old age/low oak was accomplished through Barterhouse’s high corn/low rye mashbill. The positive side is that it’s very smooth. The negative side is that it’s a little boring.

     For me, the most enjoyable part of Barterhouse is the nose and forward pallet notes. It’s very floral, bright and fragrant, with a balanced melding of citrus and soft vanilla. Mid pallet and onto the finish, it decipitates rapidly, leaving you with a faint trace of caramel and cinnamon.  The oak is under these notes and equally deteriorates along side them. This is a very good bourbon, but nothing to write home about. I would give it a 7 out of 10.