Barrel Finished Series — Barrel #0148 | 105 Proof
Barrel Proof Notes Rating: 3.25 / 5 Stars
Some bourbons play it safe.
This is not one of them.
Aged 5 years 10 months and finished for 3 months in a hard cider ex chardonnay barrel. from Botanist and Barrel, the only natural cidery in the South, Broad Branch Distillery out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina has been building a serious whiskey reputation with its Big Winston bourbon line, and this particular bottle — Single Barrel Barrel Finished Series Big Winston, finished in cider barrels — is exactly the kind of pour that makes you slow down and pay attention.
Not because it is perfectly polished.
Because it is different.
This tasting was done neat and straight out of the bottle, the same way we taste all bottles at Barrel Proof Notes. No ice. No water. No cocktail glass to hide behind. Just the bourbon, the glass, and the pour.
First Impression
At 105 proof, the third release in their Barrel Finished series drinks a little hotter than the number suggests. We think that is a good thing! It does not come across as harsh, but it does show more proof presence than expected. There is real warmth here, and that warmth pushes the spice, oak, and darker flavors forward.
The cider barrel finish makes this pour adventurous. Not sweet apple pie. Not candy apple. Not flavored whiskey.
More like dried fruit, oak, spice, and a little wild edge wrapped around a solid bourbon backbone.
That makes it interesting.
It also makes it a bottle that may not be for everyone.
Appearance
Dark copper.
This is a strong-looking pour in the glass. The color immediately suggests age, oak, and some barrel influence. It has the kind of deep copper tone that makes you expect richness before you ever bring it to the nose.
Appearance is one of the stronger parts of this tasting.
Aroma
The nose opens with vanilla, pepper, and oak.
The vanilla gives it a familiar bourbon entry point, but the pepper and oak show up quickly. This is not a soft, dessert-style aroma. It leans more mature, more structured, and more barrel-driven.
There is a sense that the cider finish is present, but it does not dominate the nose. It sits behind the bourbon rather than taking over the glass.
Flavor
This is where the bottle gets adventurous.
On the palate, we picked up:
Vanilla. Chocolate. Pepper. Dried fruits. Oak. Nutty character.
That is a lot going on, and the pour does not move in a straight line. The vanilla and chocolate give it some sweetness and depth, while the pepper and oak bring structure and heat. The dried fruit note is where the cider barrel influence seems to show itself most clearly, but again, this is not an obvious apple-forward finish.
The flavor profile is darker and more rugged than expected. The nutty note adds another layer and gives the bourbon a slightly earthy edge.
This is not a casual, easy-sipping bourbon that fades into the background. It has personality. It asks for attention.
Finish
The finish is short, warm, spicy, oaky, and dry, with notes of tobacco and leather.
That tobacco-and-leather finish gives the pour a more mature, almost old-library character. The warmth lands quickly, but it does not linger as long as the flavor profile suggests it might. With this much oak, spice, and proof presence, I expected a longer finish.
That shorter finish keeps the score from climbing higher.
Overall
Broad Branch Big Winston Cider Finished Barrel #0148 is an interesting and adventurous bourbon with a lot of character. It brings dark copper color, a mature nose, and a layered palate full of vanilla, chocolate, pepper, dried fruit, oak, and nuttiness.
The proof drinks slightly higher than 105, and the finish comes in shorter than expected, but there is enough complexity here to make the bottle memorable.
This is not a soft crowd-pleaser. It is more of a thinking pour.
And that is not a bad thing.
Barrel Proof Notes Score: 3.25 / 5 Stars
Final Call
This is a bottle we would revisit when we are in the mood for something more adventurous.
It may not be an everyday pour, and it may not fit every palate, but it has enough personality, depth, and barrel character to make it worth a second look.
Broad Branch gave this one some edge — and Barrel #0148 wears it well.
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