It’s a new year and that means it’s time for new bourbon. This year, Uproxx is entering the fray with a special single-barrel barrel pick from industry superstar Nashville Barrel Company. And since I (Zach Johnston, UPROXX’s Drinks Editor) picked this barrel, I’m going to give you my tasting notes of what’s in the bottle.
Before we get to all of that, this whiskey comes from Indiana’s famed MGP — the distillery behind some of the biggest names in whiskey in America — by way of Music City USA. I have a long relationship with Nashville Barrel Company (NBC), so when it came to doing Uproxx’s first barrel pick, it was an easy fit for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that NBC pulls in some of the best barrels of whiskey from MGP and then ages them in Tennessee. So yes, this is MGP, but it’s also aged in Tennessee which makes it something more, something special, and something unique.
When it came to me picking the barrel, I’ve done this enough to know how to balance expectations. That comes with knowing what NBC whiskeys tend to lean into — bold single barrel bourbons and ryes that come at cask strength. Their whiskey doesn’t hide behind proofing and tends to turn flavor profiles up far beyond eleven. I wanted to capture the essence of that NBC ethos while adding my fingerprint for Uproxx to the mix. In that case, I leaned toward a classic flavor profile that went beyond the ordinary while not going crazy with the proof.
That makes this whiskey both approachable and one that’ll take you on a journey when you give it time to do so. You feel it in your bones and it’ll put a smile on your face.
Okay, that’s enough background! Let’s get into what’s actually in the bottle. And hey, if it sounds like something you’d like to try, click that price link (or right here!) to give it a shot!
Nashville Barrel Company UPROXX Single Barrel 6 Years Old January 2023 Barrel
ABV: 59.08%
Buy Here: $119
The Whiskey:
The barrel was chosen and bottled at the tail end of 2022 on a visit to Nashville Barrel Company. The whiskey in the bottle is a 6-year-and-two-month-old bourbon from MGP of Indiana. The high rye mash bourbon (75/21/4 corn/rye/malted barley) aged for five years in Indiana before moving to Nashville for an additional 14 months of resting. The bourbon went in the bottle at cask strength straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with toffee, mild leather, orchard barks, blood orange, soft sweet grains, cinnamon sticks, cherry tobacco, plum, and a whisper of old pine accented by a touch of thyme.
Palate: The taste meanders through salted caramel, dates, cinnamon bark, cardamon pods, clove buds, and soft vanilla cake before leaning slowly into a spiced warmth.
Finish: The end arrives with sweet and chewy pipe tobacco, orange bitters, rock candy, and very light yet creamy cacao lushness next to hazelnut Manner Neapolitan Wafers and dry oak.
Bottom Line:
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Trust me, it is. While I’ve been sampling and tasting this neat and with a little water mostly, it also makes one hell of a Manhattan. Just add a little sweet vermouth, a dash of Angostura, and some orange oils and you’ll be in for the perfect cocktail treat this evening.
