Broken Barrel The Cask of Amontillado Review

Broken Barrel Whiskey Co
(Infuse Spirits)
The Cask of Amontillado
A Collection of American Whiskeys
Finished with Amontillado Cask Staves

Broken Barrel Whiskey Co has an unusual method of finishing whiskey. Instead of putting the whiskey in a second barrel, they put pieces of broken barrels in the whiskey. Their flagship releases are Heresy Rye, Bourbon and Cask Strength Bourbon. The Cask of Amontillado is one of three whiskeys in Broken Barrel’s limited Single Oak Series. The other two are Isle of Peat and Mizunara. Only 6600 bottles of each were released. Each is a different blend of whiskeys finished with different broken barrels.

As the name implies, the barrel staves used in the Amontillado are from used sherry casks. The whiskey is a blend of 12 year old light whiskey (I believe it is MGP) and 5 year old Kentucky Corn Whiskey. It is bottled at 110 proof.

Immediately, a few questions come to mind:

Light Whiskey

What is light whiskey? Whiskey produced in the U.S. at more than 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) [but less than 95% alcohol by volume (190 proof)] and stored in used or uncharred new oak containers (Source: TTB Beverage Alcohol Manual Ch 4)

Corn Whiskey

What is corn whiskey? Whisky produced at not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) from a fermented mash of not less than 80 percent corn and if stored in oak containers stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in used or uncharred new oak containers and not subjected in any manner to treatment with charred wood (Source: TTB Beverage Alcohol Manual Ch 4)

Cask of Amontillado

What is The Cask of Amontillado? It is the title of a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. According to Wikipedia (because I know way more about bourbon than literature…??‍♂️), it was published in 1846 and is about a man taking revenge on a friend who he believes has insulted him, by entombing him while still alive. The victim was lured to his final resting place thinking he was going to sample some rare Amontillado.

Tasting Notes

So, how is it?

Let me begin by saying that I am generally not a huge finished whiskey fan. However, those that I have really liked have been finished in some sort of sherry cask or in brandy casks. So this definitely piqued my interest. That and the light whiskey. That’s something we don’t see all that much of, especially at 12 years old.

👉Nose: Deep dark stone fruits, like dark cherries and plums. There’s some alcohol on the nose, but it blends nicely with the fruit. There’s also sweet corn and caramel, and a pinch of baking spices, too

👉Taste: A full-bodied mouthfeel with sweetness, corn, and oak. Did I mention it’s sweet?

👉Finish: It’s still sweet. There’s also oak, light cinnamon and toast that lasts a moderately long time and has a mild burn.

Summary

The Cask of Amontillado is a very enjoyable, easy to drink whiskey. This is the first I have had from Broken Barrel, but definitely not my last. Stay safe you all. Cheers!🥃

Would you like to read a review about another finished whiskey? Check out our review of the Peerless Absinthe Barrel Finished Rye.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!