“Bulleit Barrel Strength is medium-amber in color, with gentle spiciness and sweet oak aromas. The mid-palate is smooth with tones of maple, oak and nutmeg. The finish is long, dry, and satiny with light toffee flavors, and deepened oak notes.”
Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength Info
Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength Review
EYE
Dark amber
NOSE
Sweet rustic; toffee, rye spice, oak, leather, vanilla, dark fruit, pepper and a bit of citrus and biscuits. Nice
PALATE
Chocolate Oak; toffee, rye spice, citrus, oak, cocoa, cinnamon, leather, dark fruit, nuts and a touch of vanilla and biscuits. Awesome
FINISH
Long -> Oak, toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, nuts and biscuits.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great sense of balance, round full body and a warm feel that’s a touch acidic.
OVERALL
Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength is good, no scratch that, it’s great stuff. This is the type of bourbon I want to drink all the time and I think that someone, cough Beam cough, really dropped the ball here. Whoever distilled this excellent high rye whiskey could have made a mint releasing this cask strength offering themselves. This is good stuff.
It’s absolutely true that Bulleit (Diageo) could be sourcing from multiple sources to make their bourbon and if that’s true then I feel like a significant portion has to be from Beam. I get so many similarities in this and the current Bulleit release to OGD that it has to be more than mere coincidence. Partner this “coincidence” with the fact that Beam has been reducing their public output of OGD and too many things line up for it be a mere coincidence. Regardless, this is good whiskey and should you get the chance, try it.
SCORE: 90/100 (A-)
*Disclosure: This Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength sample was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength Review - Score Breakdown
Summary
Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength is great whiskey. Get it!
Overall
- Nose - 90
- Palate - 90
- Finish - 89
- Balance, Body & Feel - 90
Great review, Josh! I picked up a bottle of this just a few days ago, and I am absolutely loving it!… just incredible stuff…. big…bold…brash….just what I’m looking for in a barrel strength bourbon…
Awesome, glad you’re loving it. Cheers Jason!
You think Bulleit is still using the OGD mash for this? My father in law recently got a bottle of this and I tried it last weekend, I was not a fan at all! But OGD 114 is a staple in my cabinet and I didn’t notice any similarity… Of course could’ve just been me, I’d just driven 11 hours that day… haha
Any chance of a review of the current Bulleit? I pick up a bottle and enjoy it. I never tried the Four Roses iteration so I have no basis for comparison. I’ve had Old Grandad 114 but not the standard~ it doe’s seem like the OG flavor profile to me.
I plan on doing an update to it at some point, just haven’t gotten around to picking up a new bottle yet :/
Josh you have it rough some days. but not this day. So was it fine neat or did it need a splash? I just got my glencairns in and had some bargain priced OGD 114 to celebrate my 2nd grandsons birth today. So I checked the page for some whisky porn. Nice review!
Haha, cheers Marvin, thanks. OGD 114, especially now that it’s been discontinued, is a great celebratory dram. And congrats on the grandson!
Thanks Josh. I have read conflicting info in regards to OGD and the 114’s Fate. The most recent info I had is Beam Suntory was going to release a 2nd bottling of 114 late this year but I can’t confirm that. I recently purchased 6 bottles for just a bit over $23 each with Tax.
At that price point I am wondering if I should get a few more. It’s my wife’s favorite and she takes it neat. The Glencairn Glasses (with lids) were a nice addition to our whisky experience. My question in the first comment was missed though. Was the Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength from this review fine neat or did it need a splash? Just curious but I am never having any over ice and rarely with a splash. Neat or an occasional cocktail.
From what I can tell they’re doing it as allocated releases now. They first released a statement that it was gone and not coming back, but they’re putting out small releases now.
Bulleit is distilling, but gets there Bourbon from four roses. And their rye from MGP.
Bulleit is distilling, but it won’t be until 2020 when it’ll starts showing up on the shelves and the Four Roses contract ended a couple years ago. That stock is long gone :)