Today I’m tasting Barrell Craft Spirits’ newest Bourbon blend. Barrell Vantage is a blend of three straight Bourbon whiskeys, one finished in Japanese mizunara oak. One in a charred and toasted French oak, and the last in a toasted American oak.

A blend of bourbons from Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, this release is clocking in at 57.22% ABV or 114.44 proof. As with most products from Barrell, Vantage does not carry an age statement. However, unlike most products for Barrel this is what they call an “evergreen” selection, which means that this is not a one-off release, this is a new addition to the core BCS portfolio.

One bit of housekeeping before we move on: I received a sample compliments of Barrell Craft Spirits and their PR agency in exchange for my honest feedback and review. While life would be much easier if I was on the take like a dirty cop, I’m not, and all my reviews are honest. The presence or absence of a media sample never affects the outcome. That said, I need a drink…

On the nose: lots of candy bourbon, a touch of wheat, cinnamon sticks, and honey sticks. A surprising lack of mizunara influence.

On the palate: very oaky on the front, specifically that toasted American oak. There are some subtle notes of the French oak coming through with a lot of that vanilla and spice. The toasted American oak gives a lot of caramel and tannic vanilla oaky lactones.

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I had been really looking forward to this release because I absolutely love mizunara. It is, however, a very difficult oak to work with. It’s a very subtle oak, and here I think it got lost in the French and American oaks. So I’ve got to say for the first time, I’m disappointed in a Barrell release. Barrell, I hope that a future batch will have more mizunara influence.