Review #37 - Barrell Seagrass
Finished Ryes Mini-Series: Part 2 of 3
Part two of our finished rye series focuses on a sourced whisky: Barrell Seagrass. This is a blend of Canadian and American rye whiskies, with no age statement given. Not particularly remarkable so far, but that's where the normalcy ends.
In addition to the usual new charred oak casks used for aging, this juice has also been in Martinique rum casks, Madeira casks, and finally apricot brandy casks. Some pretty unusual stuff here, so this might be quite a unique bottle; as it's bottled at cask strength, and unlikely to be chill-filtered, there shouldn't be any flavor held back, either.
Barrell Seagrass
USA/Canada - Rye
Price Paid: USD 93 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 85 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: Varies - Tasted at 59.20% and 59.92% ABV
Cask Makeup: New charred oak, Martinique rum, Madeira, and apricot brandy casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 12 months; bottles at 80%, 100%, and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Very tropical and unusual right out of the gate: sweet rum and strong pineapple; light fruits like peach, white grape, golden raisin, and lemon. There is a little bit of heat here, but it's hardly a distraction as the flavors continue to roll in: lots of toasted coconut, brown sugar, a bit of wood spice, some dry vanilla, some bubblegum. We even get oily prunes, and later on, gummy bears and peach ring candies. This is very unique.
Palate: Sweet, and many types of fruit, a ridiculous amount of fruit really; it's a bit all over the place, but it works in a way. Dark fruits like plum, raspberry, and raisin; light fruits like peach, apple, apricot, nectarine, and oversweet pineapple, even concentrated pineapple juice. Honestly, this is so flavorful, it almost feels like a synthetically flavored whisky. Past the fruit, we're finding lots of creamy vanilla, coconut, Samoa Girl Scout cookies, white chocolate, and red wine; in terms of spice, there is a hint of rye kick like mild black pepper, as well as cinnamon, maple brown sugar, and a hint of dry oak. Closer to the end, it's Jello shots, syrupy and oily, before starting to dry out, finishing with a bit of Campari.
Finish: Medium-long finish, in part due to the mild heat, but also tons of oils hanging around from that thick syrupy palate. Still lots of stone fruit, and sweet notes from sugar, cream, and Sour Patch Kids candy, which is balanced by drying notes of clove and mild oak astringency. Finishes out with baking spices or biscuits.
Final Note: Anything but subtle, and a ton of fun along the way. Nothing like your classic rye whisky; at times, it doesn't really taste like whisky at all, as that base nature is coated so heavily in exotic fruit, creamy coconut, and spice from the casks. We first tasted this a year or so ago, and it remains one of the most unique bottles we've found in any whisky category; we would suggest it's worth a try (or a bottle) at least once, just for the experience.
Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 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: 7.04
