Barrell Foundation Bourbon Review

How should I begin a review for Barrell Foundation? There are so many thoughts on this bottle swirling around in my mind. I know other reviewers have concentrated on things like the reduced price point or the fact that it’s Barrell’s first non-cask strength offering. But I don’t think that anyone has attempted to put together an explanation as to why this product even exists. I say that because it seems to break every one of their touchstones.

And so, in typical “me” form, I’m going to offer a few opinions on how we got here before diving into how it tastes. Let’s go!

Barrell’s period of massive change

The worldwide pandemic made a lot of people do some crazy things they never thought they’d do. I think that applies to businesses, too. Barrell Craft Spirits seems to have thrown caution to the wind and began to experiment with anything and everything as they embraced large changes during this time. The main change was how large they wanted to (and eventually did) grow.

With that growth came many new whiskies. One of the biggest of these was an entirely new line called “Stellum.” The future of that line wasn’t always a given and it has been virtually extinguished in 2024. During its short life, it struggled with name recognition and consumer confidence. No matter how much enthusiasts enjoyed the product, it wasn’t as successful as Barrell thought it would be.

The brand also decided they could attract new buyers by introducing more premium products to their lineup. So Gray Label versions increased and a new Gold Label lineup was also introduced. All of these would be a brief flash in the pan as those bottles struggled to move off the shelf.

Barrell sees an opening at a lower price point

Barrell seemed capped to move higher in the marketspace, so they looked at moving lower. Stellum had already demonstrated that there was a market for $50 bottles, but with no name recognition it was a tough sell. So Joe Beatrice (Barrell’s Founder) decided that consumers would probably embrace a lower-priced bottle if it came in the familiar Barrell bottle.

The issue involved how exactly to lower the price. Barrell typically never budged on their pricing in the past, so that meant they’d have to sacrifice the product’s age or proof. Joe and his team made the decision to lower the proof. This was going to be a first for Barrell because the hallmark of their products was to always be bottled at cask strength.

The list of bourbons that Barrell chose to blend with in this new product weren’t too different from what they offer in a standard batch. Here’s the breakdown:

5, 6 & 9-year-old bourbon from Indiana (MGP)
5 & 6 year-old bourbon from Maryland (Sagamore)
8 year-old bourbon from Tennessee (Dickel)
8 year-old bourbon from Kentucky (probably Barton)

The derived mash bill for this blend of bourbons is listed as 73% Corn, 23% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley. While many ignore this, it actually gives us an interesting clue about the makeup of the blend. Since we know that Dickel and Barton’s Mash Bill’s both contain 8% malted barley, the only way to have a derived (average) mash bill with 4% malted barley is to have another mash bill with a very low amount of it. Therefore, it can be deduced that MGP’s 99% corn, 1% malted barley bourbon recipe makes up the 5, 6 and 9-year-old Indiana bourbons.

This is fine because the mash bill was invented primarily for stretching blends, but it’s a little disappointing to those who like the higher-rye versions that MGP makes. It also shows us a cost-cutting measure Barrell used in the blend since that bourbon is one of the cheapest new-make barrels you can buy from MGP.

Anyway, now that we know the makeup of Foundation, let’s get into tasting it. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: There are a lot of scents that rush to your nose immediately upon the first sniff. I find fruit notes of strawberries, cherries and chocolate-covered banana. Sweet notes of caramel, marshmallow fluff and brittle follow. There is a little hint of espresso in the background that pairs with the notes of crushed-up Flintstone vitamins. I don’t find much in the way of tannins like oak or leather, but day-old campfire ashes is the scent that I am able to detect. Overall, Foundation has a very wide array of scents to explore.

Palate: The sensation is just as flavorful as a typical batch of Barrell Bourbon. However, the intensity is cut back just a bit. Oak spice finally shows itself while an accompanying bitter coffee note lurks behind it. Speaking of tannins, leather also shows up. Spices include peppercorns and a bit of cinnamon. Honey and vanilla lighten everything up. Slightly burnt caramel sweetens things up. Fruits are mostly subdued but include a sort of citrus meringue and cherries. The most interesting parts of the palate have to do with the flavors of sage, mint and eucalyptus I find. It’s an interesting mix that keeps your attention and keeps you coming back for more.

Finish: Lingering notes of dates and caramel slowly give way to a much drier finish of oak, tobacco, bitter, dry leaves and tree bark. Much like the nose, there are not as many fruit notes to be found.

Score: 7/10

I got the impression that this was a flavorful and balanced bourbon throughout the session up until I got to the finish. Then, dry and bitter notes began to creep in which brought the score down to a 7. Still, for a $60 bourbon, this is pretty respectable. There is still a lot to enjoy about Foundation and I would argue that it’s a more complete bourbon in terms of taste than most other 100 proof bourbons around this age.

Final Thoughts

That brings me to my final thoughts. While this is a very good bourbon at a very good proof, it’s still about $10 more than most of its immediate competitors. I’m talking about Bottled-in-Bond Bourbons that have a roughly 7-year-old profile to them. I’m talking about Heaven Hill BiB 7 Year, Old Forester 1897, Four Roses Single Barrel and maybe Knob Creek Small Batch. What I’m trying to say is that it’s going to come down to what your preferences and budget are because there are a lot of options.

If you are looking to try something new, this isn’t a bad place to start. But after trying it, I can’t think of much need for buying a second. That’s tough to say about a product from a company I like, but it’s true. It’s 2024 and people are cutting back on what they’re buying – especially if they see certain bottles as redundant. Most people are looking to have an experience they’ve never had before. Barrell Foundation might not deliver enough of that hype because it still tastes like a regular, proofed-down batch of Barrell Bourbon. It’s an unfortunate reality in today’s market.