The majority of posts here have been bourbon reviews.  As much as I love bourbon, I thought it was time to branch out a little bit and try a “flavored whiskey”.  This one sounds perfect for the holiday season:   Berentzen’s Bushel & Barrel.  It’s a mix of straight bourbon whiskey and Berentzen’s apple liqueur.  This “flavored whiskey” category is new territory for me.  I poured myself a little glass and drank some. (Berentzen provided a review sample for this post)

My first impression was it tasted like an apple Jolly Rancher without some of the artificial flavoring of that candy.  I had a few more sips.  This is some sweet stuff.  Although bourbon is listed on the label first, I struggled to find bourbon flavors anywhere.  Adding some ice mellowed the sweetness a bit, and brought out a little more bourbon flavor (key word there is “little”).

Fans of apple or sweet fruit cocktails would probably like this a lot.  I admit I liked it better with some ice.  It was like a dessert drink of sorts.  A bottle of 60 proof Bushel & Barrel will run you just north of $20.  Now don’t go looking for bourbon here in this bottle.  The star of the show is the apple liqueur.   Not a huge fan of it by itself, but it could make for a great mixer in cocktails that call for an apple liqueur, or an interesting way to spike your Thanksgiving Apple Cider.

5/10