Review #19 - Barrell Armida
Rum Cask Finish Mini-Series: Part 3 of 3
Our last stop in this series, this time a bourbon: Barrell Armida. This one adds a twist to the rum cask finishing as well: here, we also get the influence of Sicilian amaro and pear brandy casks. As per usual with Barrell, this is a blend of sourced whiskies, this specific blend created as 'an experiment, trying to make a dream whiskey come to fruition' according to the brand's website.
What else can we compare this to? Rum casks aren't particularly uncommon in whisky aging these days, and we can find a few examples of whiskies with brandy (sometimes specifically Cognac) aging, but the Sicilian amaro is a real wildcard. Maybe some sweet notes, maybe some spice, maybe a bit effervescent and exotic? Let's find out.
Barrell Armida
USA - Bourbon
Price Paid: USD 93 (2022)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 90 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 56.41% ABV
Cask Makeup: New charred oak, rum, Sicilian amaro, and pear brandy casks
Details: Bottle #6186, distilled in Indiana and Tennessee; Batch 5
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 9 months; bottles at 100%, 60% (blind tasting), and 50% (blind tasting) fill level at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Despite the wild casks, we're starting with some more traditional bourbon notes: it's mellow, decently oaky, quite rich, and has some sweetness from cherry, caramel, and brown sugar; there's a touch of ethanol heat as well, not surprising given the strength. There are plenty of layers of complexity to dig into, though, starting with a lot of dark fruit, plums for sure, as well as some sharp orange. The exotic notes are there, too: a bit of coconut, some pineapple, apple, rich cane sugar, even jalapeno. It's rounded out by vanilla and a hint of chocolate, but at the end of nosing, it feels more like we've been smelling a cocktail, maybe a Boulevardier.
Palate: Lots of spice on the first few sips, it's hot, punchy, there is smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Thick mouthfeel, quite oily. All of that is aided by some heavier oak tannins, though in our various tastings, the oak sometimes showed up heavier than other times. The syrupy sweetness is there, too, flavors like caramel, brown sugar, cherry cough medicine, molasses, and red fruits. Jeez, this just keeps going and going: there are more spices like pepper, cinnamon, and even cayenne, but also some butter and licorice. Sometimes a bit tropical, and later on, a huge Campari aperitif note - these must have been some wet casks before the bourbon was added.
Finish: Long finish, the oils and heat are sticking around for a while. Still rich, full of dry wood notes and barrel spice, warm bread, baking spices and cayenne. In terms of fruit, it's a bit lighter now, stone fruit like sharp peach or some pineapple. The last notes that linger are some of that anise/licorice, and a semi-bitter amaro flavor really sticks out.
Final Note: Wow, this stuff is quite interesting. Good? Yes. Great? Well, the tasting notes are so exotic and all over the place, it's a bit difficult to call this coherent. This is a fun bourbon if you want to take time to explore the unusual notes, but as a casual sipper, it's definitely going to turn a few people off with its heat and one-off flavors. One to explore for the real whisky anoraks out there.
Our Average Rating: 7.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.42
