The bourbon circles were really surprised several months ago when news of an 8 year old wheated Bourbon from Barton emerged. Like most of the current whiskey crowd, I’m a fan of wheaters so I was really looking forward to something different and a little older than the other wheated products that regularly stock the shelves. Unfortunately what I thought would be an easy to find bottle ended up being the total opposite in my local market. Of my two preferred locals, one got shut out completely and the other store got a single bottle which I am reviewing here today.
No Age Statement (press release claimed 8 years); 45.6% ABV; $35; Distilled by Barton
I’m not one to usually care about packaging but I’d like to give a nod to Barton on their current label and bottle design. I really dig the retro modern look of this product.
Nose: Woody, dark fruits, a little spice zip, and some tannic bitter tea. Smells about right for 8 years. Alcohol is well tamed, smells spot on for the proof.
Taste: Nice but simple balance of sweet to oak. Finish tapers off with some darker tannic notes and less sweetness. Not complex beyond that at all but it really doesn’t need to be. Again like the nose I think it tastes its age or a little older as the oak notes have some complexity to them. I’m only getting a little bit of the standard wheater vibe from this one - there is minimal cinnamon that I am used to in the Buffalo Trace or Maker’s Mark library of wheated products. Honestly if I had this blind I would have a hard time guessing it’s a wheated bourbon which really makes me wonder about the mashbill here.
Thoughts: Good but nothing super memorable. In my hierarchy of wheated bourbons I would rank this above standard Maker’s Mark, around the same as standard Old Weller Antique and Weller 12, but below Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. The profile is completely different than all those other products which is helping it in the uniqueness category. I really hope availability increases as it is something I could go back to if it were easy to find.
Rating: B-
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