LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Barrell Craft Spirits has introduced a 12-year French Toast(ed) Bourbon Whiskey, blending bourbons from four states and finishing them in French oak casks to develop flavors that inspired the release’s breakfast-themed name.
The Louisville-based independent blender’s latest expression joins its Red Label Series, which features age-stated whiskeys and uses finishing casks to give blends a different character. The series offers variations on Barrell’s established releases while paying tribute to the company’s origins and favorite products.
French Toast(ed) combines straight bourbon whiskeys distilled in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wyoming. The component whiskeys range from 12 to 17 years old, with the youngest determining the bottle’s 12-year age statement.
The blend was finished in multiple types of French oak casks with varying toast levels, emphasizing Grand Chauffe barrels to develop deeper, more complex flavors. It is bottled at 107.24 proof, or 53.62% alcohol by volume.
According to Barrell, the finishing process produced layers of toasted brioche, vanilla custard, roasted nuts, cinnamon, clove and crème brûlée. Those French toast-inspired flavors emerged naturally from the blend, complementing the mature bourbon and giving the expression its name.
“This is our second release of a 12-year bourbon finished in French Oak,” said Barrell Craft Spirits founder Joe Beatrice. “While this bourbon whiskey shares the same foundation as our first release, we take a vintage-like approach with each batch, allowing every expression to develop its own distinct character.”
That approach allows successive releases to share a foundation while reflecting differences in the whiskeys and finishing casks used for each blend.
Barrell 12-Year French Toast(ed) is available through the company’s website, barrellbourbon.com, and at select retailers. The suggested retail price is $159.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.
Founded in Louisville in 2013, Barrell Craft Spirits specializes in blending aged, cask-strength whiskey. The company selects whiskeys produced through different distillation methods and matured in different barrels and aging environments, using its inventory of casks to develop blends that highlight the characteristics of their components.
The French Toast(ed) release continues that focus on mature whiskey and creative finishing, bringing together bourbon from Kentucky and three other states in a French oak-finished expression.
Barrell Craft Spirits®
Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits® is the original, pre-eminent independent blender of unique, aged, cask strength whiskey and rum. Recognized for our blending expertise since 2013, we skillfully design, produce, and launch leading, unique products that surprise and delight whiskey aficionados and novices alike. Our cask-strength small-batch and single-barrel releases have quickly become an influencing force in American whiskey, winning awards from the world’s most prestigious distilled spirits publications and competitions. Barrell Craft Spirits®, Barrell®, Barrell Bourbon® and Barrell Rye® are registered trademarks owned by Barrell Craft Spirits LLC.
