Barrell Craft Spirits began releasing numbered bourbon batches in 2014, and for the first ten years every bottle carried the same label. Batch 036 changed that — the first new label design in the brand's history, a classy and transparent update that places the batch number prominently on the front and moves the full breakdown of state origins and ages directly to the front label as well. It is a small change with a large statement: this is a company whose founding identity is transparency, and the label now shows that.

What the label reveals: a blend of straight bourbon whiskeys from Kentucky (9 years old), Indiana (7.5, 8, and 10 years old), and Tennessee (8 and 15 years old), with a derived mash bill of 79% corn, 16% rye, and 5% malted barley. Three states. Six distinct age expressions. A derived mash bill that points to Barton (Kentucky), MGP (Indiana), and George Dickel (Tennessee) as the likely underlying sources — the three distilleries whose specific production characters the Barrell Craft Spirits blending team has worked with across years of numbered batches. Bottled at cask strength: 114.44 proof / 57.22% ABV.

Whisky Advocate awarded 92 Points — "caramel corn, apple pie, and powdered sugar-dusted funnel cake leap from the glass of this carnivalesque whiskey — far from one note, summery sweetness balanced by musty leather, oak, and dried citrus." UPROXX called it "one of the best batches of barrel-proof bourbon the brand has ever released." The New York Spirits Competition awarded Gold. Paste Magazine: "a pretty cool profile, one that brings together brighter fruity notes with sweet, aromatic oak and rye spice." Returning after nearly a year's hiatus since Batch 035 — and delivering the consistency of quality that has made the Barrell numbered batch program one of the most reliably excellent barrel-proof bourbon releases in the American market.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Barrell Craft Spirits was founded in 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky by Joe Beatrice — a non-distiller producer whose founding philosophy was more specific and more commercially transparent than any other NDP in the American whiskey market: source the finest available aged whiskey from established distilleries, blend multiple ages and origins into a single cohesive expression, bottle at cask strength, and tell the buyer exactly where every drop came from. The numbered bourbon batch program — now at its 36th release — is the flagship expression of that philosophy.

The Batch 036 blend draws from three states and six age expressions, assembled through the meticulous blending process that Breaking Bourbon identifies as the real value of Barrell Craft Spirits: "the company's ability to blend a wide range of whiskeys together to make something entirely their own." The components:

Kentucky — 9-year-old bourbon (likely Barton 1792, whose mash bill aligns with the derived blend): contributing the earthy, slightly tannic character that Kentucky's mid-sized distilleries produce most specifically at extended ages.

Indiana — 7.5, 8, and 10-year-old bourbon (MGP, likely the 99% corn, 1% malted barley recipe): the MGP high-corn component contributing the bright fruit, sweetness, and tropical character that makes MGP-sourced bourbon so specifically fruit-forward.

Tennessee — 8 and 15-year-old bourbon (George Dickel): whose Lincoln County Process charcoal mellowing and distinctive Dickel house character — particularly the 15-year component — adds the deepest, most specifically aged and most specifically Tennessee-distinct quality in the blend.

Bottled at the natural cask strength of the assembled blend — 114.44 proof / 57.22% ABV — without water addition or chill filtration, in the new label design that Batch 036 specifically inaugurated.

Critics Reviews

Whisky Advocate — 92 Points:
"Caramel corn, apple pie, and powdered sugar-dusted funnel cake leap from the glass of this carnivalesque whiskey. However, it's far from one note: The summery sweetness is balanced by musty leather, oak, and dried citrus aromas. The palate is bold, with sweet heat befitting its proof. Vanilla and hazelnut sweetness are kept in check by pepper and warming allspice. Batch 036 maintains its balance through the finish, where sweetness, spiciness, and oakiness all come together."

New York Spirits Competition — Gold Medal

UPROXX:
"One of the best batches of barrel-proof bourbon the brand has ever released."

Paste Magazine (Jim Vorel):
"On the nose, Batch 036 leads off with a lovely combination of orange citrus and cream, swirled with vanilla. This character is joined by herbal rye, with flashes of grassiness and delicate floral impressions. Candied nuts follow, with a little clove spice, honey toffee and black tea maltiness. All in all, this is a pretty cool profile, one that brings together brighter fruity notes with sweet, aromatic oak and rye spice."

Breaking Bourbon:
"Like the nose, the palate is fruit-forward, but the initial surge of caramel grounds the sip in more traditional territory. Allspice, white pepper, and nutmeg are joined by underlying caramel as the sip fades. Brown sugar and graham cracker soften the spice notes, pushing the finish further into sweeter territory. Batch 036 dials in its fruit notes by comparison. What it lacks in complexity, it makes up for with pure drinkability."

Amongst the Whiskey:
"Nose: cotton candy, vanilla extract, clove, warm cinnamon, thick caramel sauce, buttered pecan ice cream, dark cherries, apricots. Palate: moist pound cake in caramel glaze, cinnamon, sticky bun caramel quality. Finish: cherries, raspberries, apricots, table sugar."

Whiskey Consensus:
Nose: "Yellow cake with caramel icing, orange creamsicle, tropical banana, raisins, and oak."
Palate: "Intense cinnamon, cherry cola, corn syrup, raisins, citrus, dark waffles, walnuts, white pepper, caramel, cocoa, and oak."
Finish: "Cinnamon, white pepper, orange, leather, stone fruit, citrus, and oak."

Bourbon Culture:
"Cherry cola flavors combine with dry wood notes on the finish. Spices linger like cinnamon and black pepper along with a touch of rye spice. The minerality turns into crushed rock and coconut shell."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Dark rich amber with thick, slow-moving legs — the blend's range of aged components producing a color of genuine depth. The nose opens with the most immediately appealing and the most specifically "carnivalesque" quality that the Whisky Advocate identified most memorably: caramel corn, apple pie, and powdered sugar-dusted funnel cake leaping from the glass before anything else — the high-corn MGP Indiana component's most specifically sweet and most specifically fruit-forward aromatic contribution, amplified by the caramelization of extended Tennessee aging. Orange citrus and cream from the Paste Magazine observation follow with vivid brightness. Vanilla from all three state components builds warmth. Herbal rye adds the 16% derived rye mash bill's most specifically savory and the most aromatic secondary dimension. Candied nuts, clove, and honey toffee add the most specifically warm and the most satisfyingly dessert-adjacent secondary aromatics. Dark cherries and apricots add vivid red and stone fruit character — the most specifically fruit-forward secondary quality that the MGP high-corn blend specifically contributes. Cotton candy adds the most whimsical and the most immediately memorable single note across multiple reviewers. The caramel note is persistent throughout.

Palate
Fruit-forward, bold, and grounded by caramel — Breaking Bourbon's most accurate palate sequence confirmed from the first sip. The entry delivers the fruit-forward quality most immediately: yellow cake with caramel icing and orange creamsicle from the Whiskey Consensus note, the summery sweetness that the Whisky Advocate found most notably "carnivalesque" — the MGP high-corn component's most directly fruit-expressive and the most immediately accessible palate quality at 114.44 proof. The initial surge of caramel then grounds the sip in traditional territory — the Dickel Tennessee and Barton Kentucky components asserting their more characterful and more specifically oak-driven secondary presence. Cherry cola, corn syrup, and raisins build through the mid-palate. Intense cinnamon and allspice add baking spice warmth. Walnuts add nutty secondary depth. White pepper adds the rye's structural spice contribution. Hazelnut sweetness from the Whisky Advocate. The mouthfeel is lovely, chewy, and concise — the high-proof blend's most specifically textural contribution in a density that rewards slow sipping.

Finish
Balanced, sweet-to-spicy, and oak-warmed. Sweetness, spiciness, and oakiness all come together in the Whisky Advocate's most accurately observed finish characterization — the three state components converging at the close into something more unified and more harmonious than the nose's individual fruit and caramel registers suggested. Brown sugar and graham cracker soften the spice. Cinnamon and black pepper linger. Cherry cola adds the most vivid and the most specifically memorable secondary note — confirmed by Bourbon Culture as specifically characteristic of this batch. Crushed rock and coconut shell add the most specifically mineral and the most pleasantly unusual finish quality. The empty glass: "sun-warmed fields filled with prairie grasses and flowering purple clover" from the Amongst the Whiskey observation — the most evocative and the most memorably specific empty-glass characterization available for any bourbon in the Blackwell's section.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Neat at room temperature — allow 10 minutes of air for the caramel corn, orange, and cherry aromatics to develop. Water is recommended: a few drops dramatically opens the fruit notes and integrates the 114.44-proof warmth. Outstanding in cocktails that can carry high-proof bourbon — the Old Fashioned and the Boulevardier both benefit from the fruit-forward and caramel-grounded character.

Cocktail Suggestions

Batch 036 Old Fashioned
2 oz Barrell Bourbon Batch 036 · 1 tsp Demerara syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · 1 dash orange bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over large ice. Orange bitters amplify the orange citrus nose — the cherry cola finish finding its most natural cocktail counterpart.

Batch 036 Boulevardier
1.5 oz Barrell Bourbon Batch 036 · 1 oz Campari · 1 oz sweet vermouth · expressed orange peel. Stirred over ice. The fruit-forward caramel and cherry carry through Campari's bitterness in a Boulevardier of unusual fruit depth.