Review: 2bar Single Barrel Bourbon 6 Years Old
Review: 2bar Single Barrel Bourbon 6 Years Old
The Pacific Northwest is ripe with American single malt whisky, but Seattle’s 2bar Spirits sets its sights on executing quality bourbon. Nathan Kaiser established the modest Seattle distillery in 2010 and formally opened in 2012. Drinkhacker first checked in with 2bar’s bourbon in 2014 with a bottling aged for 9 months in 15-gallon barrels. Given the state of craft bourbon in 2014, 2bar’s youthful whiskey graded comparatively well. Coming a long way since the early days, 2bar Spirits just released their oldest whiskey to date. This fall sees the release of 2bar Single Barrel Bourbon, packing an age statement of 6 years old.
Nathan Kaiser and head distiller Maddie Kelly utilize a unique mashbill that differentiates itself from most bourbons due to the malt content. 2bar Spirits’ mashbill features 60% corn, 6% wheat, and a massive 34% malted barley from 4 different malted barleys. The malt consists of chocolate, Crystal 150, Crystal 120, and 2-row. The decidedly uncommon mashbill comes off the still at 152 proof and enters the barrel at 118 proof. Taking a different approach from the earliest releases aged in 15-gallon barrels, single barrel #991 was 30 gallons in volume with a #4 char, coopered by Barrel Mill in Minnesota.
Early expressions of 2bar Spirits’ bourbon indicated that they would be a player to watch in the future. In 2024, 2bar captured the fancy of independent bottler American Single Cask as they released an excellent bourbon with 4 years of maturation finished in a wine cask. As 2bar Spirits drops their oldest bourbon yet via this single barrel offering, did they live up to the potential? Let’s find out!
Right out of the gate, the nose is lively with Whoppers malted milk balls. Light molasses and crème brûlée quickly enter to add complexity. Allowing the glass to sit for a bit, wisps of freshly roasted coffee beans round out the nose. Milk chocolate continues to impact the bourbon as Rolos candy and vanilla kick things off on the palate. As the experience advances, burnt brown sugar and nutmeg matriculate with a dry mouthfeel. The finish offers hazelnuts and coffee with dried cranberry hanging on at the very end.
The atypically high malt content on this bourbon creates a novel experience for most bourbon drinkers. For bourbon enthusiasts looking for something noticeably different than mashbills that are only a slight derivatives from the norm, 2bar is a highly enticing option. I visited 2bar Spirits in April 2024 and sampled all of their current whiskeys, and opted to bring home a limited American single malt over bourbon with 4 years of age. But if this single barrel had been available when I was at the distillery, I would have brought it home instead, no questions asked.
128 proof.
A- / $88 / 2barspirits.com
2bar Single Barrel Bourbon 6 Years Old
$88
