Untitled Woodman's Private Barrel Selection 10-Year Calvados Finished Bourbon

VITALS:

- $80

- 121.2 Proof

- 10 years

- Barrel 1012

- Indiana

It seems as though for a short while there was a sort of flood of these Untitled barrel picks. I had picked one up at Binny's, had seen a few on shelves of other smaller liquor stores near me that appeared to be distributor picks, as well as this one from Woodman's (which I understand was one of at least two picks that Woodman's got in). 

There are a lot of positives about this bottle just going on face value, before even trying the whiskey inside. First, it's MGP bourbon. So that's a good start. Second, it's a 10-year old bourbon, so it's got some decent age to it. Third, it's a single barrel (which doesn't mean a whole lot, but people seem to favor those). Fourth, it's bottled at cask strength. And fifth, it's finished in Calvados barrels, something that appeals immensely to me! This bottle certainly had a lot going for it, so the price tag of $80 didn't actually seem all that prohibitive.

The most notable thing about this whiskey is that it is bold! This was apparent even from the nose. The aroma was strong, making its presence known a few feet away from the glass.  I was getting great, rich notes of peach and amaretto. It had a light oakiness to it, as well as a light peanut note as well. It even had a bit of the saltiness that comes with the peanut note. I also got a sort of a black tea note.

The flavor was likewise super rich. Right up front I got a ton of amaretto liqueur, as well as rich, dark fruit notes like fig and plum. It had a molasses type sweetness to it as well.  There as a bit of an oakiness in the flavor, just as in the nose, and that provided some tannic bitterness that kept the molasses sweetness from going too far.

I certainly got wine notes, something along the lines of a rich (I find myself using that word a lot here) Cabernet Sauvignon. I really got this on the finish, which was full of wine and black pepper spice. The finish was also fairly boozy, providing a good amount of heat as well as a sweet but charred burnt sugar note.

Everything about this was rich and full of flavor that absolutely smacked me in the mouth with each sip. However, the one knock I'd have on it is that the finish was so overpowering that the bourbon wasn't really allowed to shine through.  This was more like a syrupy, cask strength Calvados than it was a bourbon that received some influence from a Calvados barrel. That said, for what it was it was still really good!

Grade: B+

High West Woodman's Barrel Select Double Rye! Finished in Bourbon Barrels

VITALS:
- $45

- 102.2 Proof

- NAS

- Barrel No. 10900

- Finished 1 yr, 4 mos.

- Utah

I feel like it's been quite some time since I've seen the High West Barrel Selects on the shelves. There once was a time that it was a somewhat regular occurrence and shops would get multiple barrels with a variety of finishes. But I feel like it's been well over a year since the last time I saw one on a shelf, maybe longer.

In fact, I didn't even see this one on the shelf. Rather, a buddy of mine found it for me when he was in Wisconsin and he graciously agreed to mule it back for me. Since then I've noticed on social media that some stores have gotten in new picks, and they now have a fancy new black label that really does look awesome. But I haven't seen any of those either. So, I was thrilled to get my hands on this one, and popped it open at the first opportunity.

When I sniffed my glass, my first impression was pecan pie. It was nutty, though perhaps a bit more peanut than pecan. But it also had notes of maple syrup and burnt sugar.  There was even a bit of graham cracker pie crust on the nose to create the full effect.  There was also a tangy side to it as well, with a slightly bitter but bright orange peel note and even a hit of anise.

The flavor wasn't nearly as sweet as the nose was, though. I didn't get the sweet pecan pie flavor that I was expecting. The orange peel actually came through more in the flavor than it did on the nose, with a light brown sugar sweetness to offer any of the bitter notes. The anise also seemed to come through more, as well as a distinct cloves note to add a bit of spice.

The finish was probably my favorite thing about this whiskey. It came across as buttery, both in flavor and texture, but it also had quite a bit of oak to it. With that oak was a light, bitter tannic note, but all of it was kind of balanced out by a cinnamon bread-type baked goods note. The finish was really interesting, full of flavors, and very complex  

From the nose, to the palate to the finish, this was almost three different whiskeys. Luckily, though, when it's the finish that I like best, it's really easy to keep diving right back in for that next sip. Plus, this really had minimal alcohol burn given the proof, also making it very easy to enjoy pour after pour. 

Grade: B