A little background

Barterhouse 20 year comes from old barrels that had been stored in the Old Stitzel Weller Distillery and were sourced by Diego. Diageo decided to turn these barrels into the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Project of which Barterhouse 20 was the 1st release. There is a lot of unknown when it comes to these barrels, but we do know that there were around 25,000 bottles released in each of the 1st two releases. Eventually this stock will run out as these are simply old sourced barrels. The bourbon is branded under Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co. where it is bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The mash bill is 86% corn, 8% malted barley, and 6% rye with a price of around $85. Barterhouse 20 year bourbon is bottled at 90.2 proof.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Golden Amber

Nose

The palate is very pleasant with notes of stone fruit, apple, apricot, and pear. There are also notes of oak and vanilla, but overall, the nose is very subtle and sweet for a 20 year old bourbon.

Palate

The bourbon is a medium viscosity and is full of vanilla, cinnamon, oak, and barrel char with subtle notes of stone fruit in the background. The vanilla and oak really shine through.

Finish

The bourbon has a medium length finish and is full of barrel char, cinnamon and vanilla that just keeps on going.

In closing

This is a bourbon that I would pick up if I saw it on the shelf for $85, but unfortunately it is difficult to find and typically marked up. This is a complex bourbon with some very nice notes of vanilla and barrel char. This would be a nice bottle to have on the bar and bring out when your whiskey friends come over. I don’t like that the story behind the bourbon is so vague and has so many unknowns.