Barrell Craft Spirits “T8ke Grey Label Infinite” 17 Year Whiskey
Our first release with Barrell this year in a custom bottling, this is the first release of Grey Label Infinite to exist on the market. It also bears an age statement. The youngest component of this whiskey is 17 years old, and it represents one of the most exciting bottlings I’ve have the privilege of working on with the Barrell Craft Spirits team. My hat goes off to Nic Christiansen who was the driving force behind this final blend and it is a masterpiece. It’s a privilege to work with Barrell on these releases, and I’m excited to unveil our most daring release yet, exclusively for us. This project started in May of 2023, so it’s a long time coming.
With last year’s T8ke Private Bourbon blend and the 10th Anniversary blend, I was encouraged by reception and committed to think bigger, and to put more time and effort into creating a couple pillared releases that are true exclusives to our group. Barrell shares that vision and our first question was: “but how do we go bigger than last year?” It wasn’t long before we were discussing the first grey label private release for a group. At this tier in their production, nothing was off limits.
If you’ve never seen packaging like this before, it’s because it’s the first time it’s hitting shelves.
The components for this blend are insane. And, yet, we were able to be very aggressive with the pricing. This will come in under last year’s promotional Seagrass Grey Label pricing and our first release yielded 1,005 bottles. I say first, because this is merely the first chapter of a story we’re telling all year long. There will be additional chapters released throughout 2024.
This release is bottled in true Grey Label fashion. Gold foiled labels, display box with gold foiling, and that weaponized metal/rubber cork.
Blend Components:
- Tennessee Bourbon: 17 Years
- Indiana Bourbon: 17 Years
- Canadian Rye: 17 Years
- Canadian Whiskey: 17 Years
- Scottish Whiskey: 22 Years
- Canadian Whiskey: 24 Years
This blend was composed and married, before a portion was pulled for finishing in Barbados rum casks. That portion comprises the first chapter of 2024’s Grey Label Infinite project for r/Bourbon. It is avant-garde, it is unique and it is unlike any other whiskey you’ll try. Future chapters will continue to add and build upon this foundation. There are clues out there if you look hard enough.
- Distilled: Various
- Aged In: Various
- Bottled: Kentucky, USA (Barrell Craft Spirits)
- Details: Cask Strength, No Coloring, No Additives, No Filtering
- ABV: 60.82% ABV
- Age: 17 Years
- Yield: 1,005 Bottles minus safety case holdbacks.
- T8ke’s Tasting Notes: Gorgeous, powerful nose, loaded with honey, apricot, sweet cream, a touch of tobacco and pleasant orange peel, barrel char, baking spice and cinnamon. Faint apple bake and pear note, it jumps alive with fresh baked pastry, sweet honey and oak. The palate is viscous and layered, immediately opens with honey, berries, sweet cream and layers and layers of apple, tobacco, brioche, champagne and brulee. The finish is packed with slivered almond, brioche, brulee, sweet cream, a hint of maple and brown sugar and sweet oak. Reminiscent in many places to FN-T8ke-01 Smokeless, the finish is similar with bolder oak, decadent sweetness, a pinch of rye spice and candied ginger. Overall, this pour is a complexity all its own, rye spice balances the decadent sweetness, the bourbon contributes satisfactory oak that lends complexity and makes for a stellar pour. Luxardo and baked apple trail on the finish. Masterpiece.