Barrell Dovetail features woody bourbon finished in Dunn Vineyards Cabernet casks, Late Bottled Vintage Port pipes, and blackstrap molasses rum casks. Each release is blended to taste and bottled at true cask strength, resulting in subtle proof variations between blends. Barrell Dovetail is a whiskey as unique as it is delicious, its interlocking components both visible and seamlessly merged — just like a perfect dovetail joint in a handmade cabinet.
Woodworkers spend years perfecting their dovetail joints. The best are painstakingly cut by hand, ensuring that each interlocking piece fits together perfectly. Done well, a dovetail joint is both beautiful and strong, transcending utilitarian carpentry and approaching the realm of art. No wonder they’re almost never hidden, but instead proudly displayed on the front edges of drawers and tops of chests as the hallmark of a life dedicated to craft.
Whiskey making, of course, is another type of woodworking — only our medium is oak barrels, not cherry or walnut boards. We spent almost a year perfecting the blend for Barrell Dovetail, honing the interplay between the various components in much the same way a cabinetmaker fine-tunes the fit between pin and tail.
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Rose gold with highlights of worn copper.
Nose: Opens with mature aromas both sweet (canelé, panna cotta, crème de noyaux) and savory (walnut oil, leather). This is followed quickly by a vast array of fruit derived both from the spirit (smoked apricot, grapefruit peel) as well as the cask treatment (sloe gin, damson jam). The aroma is high toned, pungently floral and herbaceous, with subtle, balancing pops of minerality.
Palate: Darker (cocoa, molasses, burnt marshmallow) and spicier (cola, nutmeg, Tellicherry peppercorn) than the nose, an effect well-complemented by the cask treatment and rendered more complex by the savory and herbaceous themes running throughout.
Finish: A sweet and elegant signature of rose jelly, chestnut honey, and Pineau des Charentes that also features hazelnut, eucalyptus, and Corsican mint.
"There's personality galore in this blend of 10 year old Indiana whiskey finished in cabernet sauvignon casks and 11 year old Tennessee bourbon finished in rum casks and port pipes. Caramel, honeycomb candy, See's molasses chips, peanuts, graham crackers, cola, mature oak, and a little dill on the nose. The palate is chewy, with dried cherries, grape soda, root beer candy, roasted walnuts, dark chocolate, black pepper, ginger, graham cracker, cinnamon cookie, and lush leathery oak. Good development, if you have the patience to linger." - Susannah Skiver Barton, Whisky Advocate
