Review #716 - Barrell Seagrass 20 Year Gold Label
Seagrass, a finished rye from Barrell Craft Spirits, first made waves on the whisky market a few years ago - it was one of the core bottles that established Barrell as a premier American blender, and it was part of a new trend of finishing bourbons or ryes in unusual cask types. Seagrass is made from combination of American and Canadian rye whiskies, and after initial maturation, it spends time in an exotic combination of Martinique rum, Madeira, and apricot brandy casks.
Barrell also produces higher-age versions of some of their blends, which are often adorned with grey or gold labels. While the original Barrell Seagrass doesn't carry an age statement, this Gold Label version has a minimum age of 20 years. The finishing cask regimen stays the same, but this older version of Seagrass drops the American rye component - it's entirely Canadian rye whisky.
This Gold Label Seagrass seems to be all about big numbers: on top of the 20 year age statement, these batches are bottled a high strength, specifically 63.61% ABV (127.22 proof) for this 2022 batch. The price is also high: $340, at least in our city.
Barrell Seagrass 20 Year Gold Label
USA - Rye
Price: USD 340 (2025)
Age Statement: 20 Years
Strength: 63.61% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in Martinique rum, Madeira, and apricot brandy casks
Details: Bottled 2022
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Sweet baking notes of butterscotch, honey, and vanilla up front, as well as a bit of mint and icing sugar. Then the fruit arrives: we found melon, kiwi, banana, peach, and mango across our tastings. The spirit strength adds a tiny glue note; later, it's licorice, soft oak, shaved coconut, gummy bears, and a hint of estery/floral notes.
Palate: Rich, viscous, with lots of sweet notes like vanilla, coconut, and juicy fruits like gummy bear candies. It's quite tropical and bright, and we also get mint candies and a hint of spice, which hints at the rye backbone. Cream soda, melted butter, maple syrup... there are amazing layers of flavor, and we finish with honey, sage, and a hint of grain flavor. The mouthfeel is thick.
Finish: Oak begins to build, bringing some tannins, but we still get lots of syrupy sweet notes like maple syrup on waffles, hard butterscotch candies, brown sugar, and molasses. Vanilla, honey, coconut, and star fruit are accents; in the aftertaste, we get floral notes and some passionfruit. It's a medium-long, spirity finish.
Final Note: This rye from Barrell has a ridiculous amount of flavor and layers packed into the spirit. It's a bit warm up front, but the nose and palate soon open to a plethora of baking notes and fruits; there's a strong tropical feel to this especially, with those coconut, mango, and melon flavors.
The oak actually felt quite reserved for a 20 year old whisky, which was one surprise. A bit more of that spice started to show up in the finish, but this doesn't taste too old or leathery. While this rye does pack tons of flavor, it isn't exactly what we would call balanced, as it leans very strongly to the sweet side of the scale. Still, a lot of fun to taste, and there's plenty of complexity to provide long, interesting tasting sessions.
Value isn't great at $340, but there aren't many bottles that deliver this sort of tropical rye profile with so much strength, so if that's the flavor you're looking for, this could be an option.
Our Rating: 8.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.78
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
