Tasting notes: The nose is a teetering balance between deep caramels, deeply charred sugar notes, and a long, persistent sweet smoke. Diving further, you find peach cobbler, candied apple, torched plums, and brown sugar–glazed ham, all tied together by sweet oak.

The palate mimics much of the nose, with a proof that seems to blanket rather than overtake the sip. Big waves of sweet smoke lay over singed citrus and heavily torched crème brûlée notes, and each sip seems to highlight a slightly different direction first.

The finish continues to mirror those earlier notes, but draws more focus on heavy caramels and bold smoked vanilla richness, as touches of salted fig and smoked peaches-and-cream linger through a long finish.

This remarkable 18-year American whiskey represents the outer edge of Barrell Craft Spirits’ Private Barrel Program—where time, intensity, and precision converge. After spending more than a decade developing deep structure and maturity in American oak, this whiskey underwent an extended six-year secondary maturation in Islay Scotch barrels, layering one of the world’s most unmistakable whisky traditions onto a distinctly American foundation.

Bottled as a true single barrel at its natural cask strength of 146.8 proof, this release is not blended, proofed down, or adjusted in any way. It stands alone—unfiltered, uncompromised, and expressive of the exact barrel from which it came. The long Islay finish contributes a commanding interplay of maritime smoke, smoldering peat, and briny minerality, woven into a core of dense oak, dark caramel, charred sugar, and aged grain sweetness developed over nearly two decades.

As with all Barrell Craft Spirits Private Barrels, this expression is a custom creation, shaped by countless variables and guided by meticulous barrel selection. The result is a whiskey that delivers both power and nuance—where American whiskey richness collides with Old World smoke in a way that is bold, cerebral, and unmistakably rare.

This is not simply an aged whiskey; it is a study in patience, intensity, and deliberate craftsmanship—built for seasoned enthusiasts seeking something genuinely singular.