Barterhouse has probably been proofed down too much. That’s a much better price point in my opinion. I wouldn’t pay $100 for it but I have seen it packed on to shelves around the $70 mark. There is some good flavor but not intense flavor. This would be like an all day IPA of bourbon. The taste is fairly light with a little bit of caramel, orange peel and spice.
Review: The nose is full of honey and orange with a surprising absence of wood. Source: New Bernheim in Louisville, KY ( Now a part of Heaven Hill) Old Blowhard was a sample from a friend ( Thanks Jason! Follow him on Instagram) but all other bottles I purchased myself. It didn’t affect my opinion but some people appreciate this information. Is the bourbon good? There are plenty of people that think the Orphan bourbons are swill but are they rating the bourbon or the brand (see the halo effect)? Before reading the reviews I need to mention that the Forged Oak was a sample from Diageo but I’ve since bought my own bottle. High prices and crazy stories are basically the norm in today’s in bourbon market. Is it Good?įorget about the price and marketing. Oh, and every bottle was around the $100 mark. It was downhill after that and rumors began to fly. How do you lose and then find thousands of barrels? After being pressed on the bourbons source Diageo admitted that these bottles weren’t distilled at Stitzel-Weller but just aged there. When bottles of Barterhouse started popping up every where, some with bottle numbers in 80k range, Bourbonr’s took notice. Diageo tried to use every buzzword possible (rare, Stitzel-Weller, Limited Edition, etc.). The bottles were over-marketed and Diageo lied about or withheld info from the consumers. Our goal is to bottle these rare, small offerings for the world to try. Stories of these lost whiskeys have become the stuff of legend. The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Company was started to share barrels of rare and delicious whiskey, hidden away and nearly forgotten in the back of rickhouses and distilleries. Also, check out Chuck Cowdery’s post for more information about the history of these barrels. In late 2013 Diageo announced their new “Orphan Barrel Project”. Diageo is the world’s largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine. If you’re not familiar, here’s what happened.
Yes, I do believe there are several good – great bourbons in the Orphan barrel line.
I want to focus on the taste in the Oprhan barrel line up. I understand, for some bourbon enthusiast defending Diageo’s Orphan Barrel Project is like rooting for Ivan Drago in Rocky 4 or wearing an Iceland jersey in Mighty Ducks 2. A D is one star and a D- one-half of a star.Before you grab your pitch forks, let me explain. A C- is two stars.ĭ+ to D-: Below average whiskey. A B- is three stars.Ĭ+ to C-: Average whiskey. The best of the mass market whiskeys fit in this category, as do the bulk of the premium brands. Five stars.Ī-: A fine bottle of whiskey, representing the top end of the conventional, premium range.ī and B-: Good and above average. Above five stars.Ī: An outstanding bottle of whiskey, but lacking that special something which makes for a true masterpiece. A+: A masterpiece and one of the ten best whiskeys of its type. Some "premium" whiskeys really are quite terrible, while some mass market products are good enough to pour into a decanter and serve to the Duke of Edinburgh. The following indicators should be taken as only a guide and not a set of hard and fast rules. The Whiskey Reviewer uses a letter-based rating system, instead of the numerical 100-grade rating system.