February 27, 2025 – Barrell Craft Spirits introduces the latest Black Label limited release. Toasted Vantage is a unique interpretation of their award-winning Vantage Bourbon, which Whisky Advocate ranked #3 on their Top Twenty Whiskies of 2022. Vantage is a blend of straight bourbons finished in three distinct expressions of virgin oak: Mizunara, French, and toasted American oak. This limited-release Toasted Vantage underwent further maturation in Grand Cru Limited Edition American Oak Barrels for 22 months. The resulting blend is a refined and warm bourbon with distinct wood characteristics and enhanced notes of vanilla, tropical fruit, sandalwood and graham cracker.
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Distilled in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee
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Blend of straight bourbons finished in Mizunara, French, and toasted American oak
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Secondary maturation in Grand Cru Limited Edition American Oak Barrels
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Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
Flavor Notes
Barrell Vantage, used as the base blend of for Toasted Vantage, was already kaleidoscopic in its complexity; now further time spent in Grand Cru Limited Edition American Oak barrels has created a delicate balance of honey butter toast, worn leather, roasted cocoa beans and playful herbal notes which can only be earned through a fine, long maturation.
Neat
Appearance: Worn copper with a ruddy core.
Nose: Tempered by a creamy coating of wood — grilled peaches, jellied gooseberries jellied, and banana milkshakes. Considerable rye grain influence in the form of lemon zest, sesame oil, and red pepper jelly. Many facets of oakiness are at play, sweeping individual spice notes of ginger ale and licorice root into broader, compound flavors of warm cola and fernet. The oak is woodsy, too, smelling of walnut shells, coconut husk, and charcoal. The toasted barrels have brought out the richness of coffee ice cream and brown butter.
Palate: Finely balanced. Worn leather, cola, chewed cigar and roasted cocoa beans with a hint of pine resin are the very hallmarks of mature bourbon. The spirit character is led by rye’s distinguishing pumpernickel and paprika and retains some of the freshness of celery seed, cucumber and honey butter toast. Hints of spicy pineapple arrive leading to olive oil and fernet to ooze over the palate bringing chewy tannins that take hold and fill the mouth.
Finish: Piquant and spicy, Szechuan peppercorn and clove are soon joined by allspice and cardamom. As the spices fade, a broad mineral character remains, tasting variously of incense, gunpowder, and eucalyptus.
With a few drops of spring water
An avalanche of fruits rolls forth, from mixed berry cobbler and grenadine syrup to apple cider and even pineapple. Flowers emerge, too: apple blossom, rose, and chamomile. A juicy quality enlivens the palate, with notes of mango nectar, strawberry rhubarb pie, and even pumpkin. A touch of aperitivo-like bitterness inflects the finish as cinchona and anise linger on the tongue.
This is an extremely limited production of 330 bottles priced at $199.99. It will be an online only release.
On Wednesday, March 5th at 10AM EST Barrell Craft Spirits will release 300 bottles. Thirty additional bottles will be available at the facility, 2100 Watterson Trail in Louisville, with the option to have them signed by Joe, Tripp and Nic.
