Several months ago, Davis Armstrong and Bobby DeMars of Blind Barrels reached out to me with an offer to send me a complimentary box of their craft whiskey samples for review. Last summer was busy, so it took me a while to respond. I had never heard of the company, but the concept sounded interesting.
The concept is this: Blind Barrels ships you four 50 ml bottles of whiskey in a plush, classy-looking black box with a golden chimp wearing sunglasses and a steampunk-style top hat for some reason. Included are two letters (at least in my case) from Davis & Bobby, and a “tasting table” of flavors and aromas. Each bottle has the chimp logo, the ABV % of what’s inside, and a QR code. How one distributes the whiskey is up to the tasters, but the materials recommends to pour a little of A in everyone’s glass, take notes, discuss and repeat for B, C, and D. That’s what we did.
Individual boxes cost $70 each, plus $15 shipping. Subscriptions are a much better deal. Quarterly billing is $60, plus $15 shipping per box ($300/year plus tax). Annual rebilling is the best value for money at $50 per shipment, plus $12.50 shipping ($250/year plus tax). The subscriptions have the added benefit of giving the subscriber a discount on the full bottles of whiskey being sold. All the whiskeys in the various shipments are from small distilleries with limited distribution, so long time whiskey nerds should be prepared for some off-beat selections.
Different boxes have different themes. Ours was Box X (the tenth one). It was released around Father’s Day last year and had a theme of father and (adult) child distillery partnerships. There is also a special Fred Minnick (friend of the blog) box one can order for $70. According to the website, it comes with special guidance from Fred himself. This might be a good option for people who are looking to use a Blind Barrels shipment to jump start their entry into craft whiskey enthusiasm.
My box arrived in September. In October I rounded up a few friends (Amy, her neighbor Nick, and my wife Liz), and we tasted through the four samples together.
Here’s what we thought of them at first taste:
A: Pretty good, probably a rye.
B: A little weird, A wheater, maybe.
C: Even weirder. Oat whiskey or oat bourbon?
D: Wow, stunning. A well-aged bourbon.
At least that’s what I think we thought of them. In an all-to-common bout of unprofessionalism, I lost all the notes I took that night. Drinking may have been involved.
Anyway, we were almost entirely wrong. Here’s what they really were (the first price listed is the MSRP, the second is the subscriber price):
A. Axe Hole Single Malt, Calwise Spirits, Paso Robles, California. 84 proof, $90/$75.
B. UNBendt Straight Rye BiB, Bendt Distilling, Lewisville, TX. 100 proof, $70/$55.
C. Old Monongahela Full Proof Rye, Liberty Pole Spirits, Washington, PA. 108 proof, $85/$65.
D. Doc Holliday 10 y/o Straight Bourbon, World Whiskey Society, Pendergrass, GA. Distilled at Ivy Mountain Distillery, Mount Airy, GA. 122 proof, $200/$130.
As you can see, D was the clear standout. Nick, a whiskey novice, pointed out that a part of concept with this is a marketing/sales play. While all the whiskeys were interesting, D was the standout, and it also has the biggest discount. He concluded that the primary aim of this box was to sell Doc Holliday 10 y/o.
Nick also had a suggestion. Rather than the tasting table with its collection of terms, tasting sheets that can be filled out by each taster might make the experience even easier. Perhaps something like the Riesling tasting booklet pictured to the right. It also might make the tasting notes less likely to be lost.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun! I’ve hosted blind tastings before, and keeping them blind is always a problem. The innovation of the QR code on the back of the bottle takes all the annoyance out of that. Being able to taste whiskeys one might not be able to taste otherwise also makes things more fun. Whether you’re a grizzled whiskey vet or a newb, I think you’ll find a box from Blind Barrels to be an enjoyable way to spend an evening or weekend afternoon. They make great gifts as well. Blind Barrels is recommended.
Sipology 