Barrell Bourbon Showdown: New Year 2025 vs. 15-Year Cask Strength
🎥 Click here to watch the full tasting
Hoppy Wednesday brings the heat with two cask strength titans from Barrell Craft Spirits—New Year 2025 and the legendary 15-Year Cask Strength. Who wins this flavor-packed face-off? Let’s pour one and find out.
Welcome to the Cask Strength Coliseum
Every so often, we get a matchup that demands attention—like a heavyweight boxing title fight, but with more leather and spice (and fewer concussions). In this week’s Hoppy Wednesday episode of Tortured Bourbon, Heather and B step into the high-proof arena with two knockout bourbons from Barrell Craft Spirits.
On one side: Barrell Bourbon 15-Year Cask Strength—a slow-sipping, oak-drenched behemoth with a pedigree of age and complexity.
On the other: Barrell Bourbon New Year 2025—a celebratory, multi-state blend that reflects the vibrancy of a new beginning in every sip.
And thanks to our eternal enablers and bourbon gurus at Hoppy Endings Bar in Raleigh, we had the chance to try both, side-by-side. So buckle up. Or don’t. It’s bourbon, not NASCAR.
Meet the Contenders
🥊 Barrell Bourbon 15-Year Cask Strength
Proof: 104.9 (52.45% ABV)
Age: 15 years
Origin: Sourced from Kentucky & Indiana
Mash Bill: Undisclosed, but likely high-corn with rye and malted barley
MSRP: ~$250
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leather, tobacco, burnt caramel, and dried cherry
Palate: Dark fruit (plum, cherry), vanilla bean, baking spice
Finish: Long and leathery with pipe tobacco and dark chocolate
This is a bourbon that walks into the room wearing a tweed jacket and carrying a leather-bound copy of Moby Dick. It’s serious, it’s rich, and it demands your attention—and your time. Not a background pour. This is the whole event.
🎉 Barrell Bourbon New Year 2025
Proof: 116.34 (58.17% ABV)
Blend: Bourbons aged 5–15 years from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Wyoming, and Texas
Mash Bills: Varying high-corn recipes with rye and malted barley
MSRP: ~$90
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pear, orange zest, honeysuckle, and caramel
Palate: Orange peel, lemon zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg
Finish: Warm baking spice, vanilla, and a touch of pipe smoke
The New Year release is Barrell’s version of a firework finale—it’s bright, layered, and full of surprises. Think less mahogany library, more rooftop party.
The Tasting: Heather vs. B (and Flavor vs. Feeling)
Barrell Bourbon 15-Year: Heather’s Take
“This bourbon has presence. It’s rich, leathery, and sophisticated. Like sitting by the fire with Miles Davis playing in the background. Or at least pretending you know who Miles Davis is.”
Barrell Bourbon 15-Year: B’s Take
“It’s like drinking history. Layers of oak, tobacco, dark fruit—it’s contemplative, borderline brooding. And that finish? It just keeps going. You’ll taste it next Tuesday.”
Barrell New Year 2025: Heather’s Take
“Brighter and punchier. Citrus, spice, and a hint of sweetness that makes you want to sip faster than you probably should. If the 15-year is a conversation, this is the party before it.”
Barrell New Year 2025: B’s Take
“It’s alive! The nose alone is like walking through a fruit stand. But then the palate kicks in with cinnamon and orange peel and a little zing. It’s complex, but it moves fast. Like bourbon jazz.”
Final Verdict: Which Barrell Bourbon Wins?
Let’s get philosophical (but only for a second, we promise).
Want something to nurse while journaling, pondering the state of the world, or just flexing your bourbon geekdom? Go with the 15-Year Cask Strength.
Looking for complexity with a wild side? Something to pour when you’re toasting the next big thing or impressing your whiskey club? The New Year 2025 has your back.
And yes, both scored high on the Tortured Bourbon Scale—but we won’t spoil those details here. You’ll have to watch the episode to see which pour reached Cock of the Walk status.
A Toast to Hoppy Endings
This episode wouldn’t have happened without the amazing folks at Hoppy Endings Bourbon Bar in Raleigh. Lydia and Damian have been with us since the early days—back when our only subscriber was B’s mom and our palate was… let’s just say “under construction.”
Hoppy Endings is more than just a bourbon bar—it’s a community. If you’re local (or even if you’re not), swing by 8320 Litchford Rd., Suite 106 and tell them Heather and B sent you.
Watch the Full Episode
🎥 Click here to watch the full tasting
Expect sass, serious tasting notes, occasional yelling, and at least one joke about losing a shoe on New Year’s Eve.
Cheers, Y’all
Whether you’re into deep, oak-forward monsters or bright, fruit-packed blends, this episode has something for every cask strength lover. Thanks for joining us for another Hoppy Wednesday—we’ll see you next pour.
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the love—because we do this for you. And for the bourbon. But mostly for the bourbon.
