Barrell Seagrass is a rye finished in a combination of rum, apricot brandy, and wine barrels. There’s no age statement, but apparently the ryes they use range from 5 to 12 years old. Retails for about $80. The seagrass gray label is the same thing, but with a 16 year age statement and $250 price tag. Both are barrel proof with the seagrass at 59% and the gray label at 66%.
Hand Feel:
The hand feel of these whiskies are fairly consistent–both feel wet. No different than any other whiskey I’ve had the pleasure of spilling over myself as I try to pour it. Notes of seaspray and damp sweatpants.
But… the gray label’s stopper. Ohoho that stopper. Friends, the stopper is made of solid metal and *heavy.* Now that’s the good stuff. Notes of gold brick and tactical military equipment.
Nose:
Seagrass: Burn. It burns the nose. Once it stops burning the nose, it smells sweet. It’s not the strongest smelling whiskey I’ve smelled, but it’s unique–like a caramel apple covered in lawn clippings. I could probably pick this out of a lineup based on the nose.
Seagrass Gray Label: It definitely has a stronger smell to it, so I don’t need to whiff as much ethanol to whiff the good stuff. It’s way richer and has a sort of basement workshoppy smell to it. Think caramel apple covered in sawdust. It smells pretty great honestly.
You can definitely smell the difference in the age between the gray label and the regular seagrass.
Palate:
Seagrass: Burn. It burns the mouth. If I squint my buds I feel like I can kind of make out the apricot, but I might just be deluding myself here. First and foremost I taste burn. Second and aftmost, I taste the sweet grassiness which it’s presumably named after. I like.
Seagrass Gray Label: It’s a higher proof than the regular seagrass, but doesn’t taste like it. It has an oakyness to it that the Seagrass doesn’t, but otherwise tastes the same. I like more.
Finish:
Seagrass: Medium length. The burn continues through to the finish.
Seagrass Gray Label: Ah, there’s the burn that was originally missing on the palate of this one. Long finish but whew spicy spicy burn clears the sinuses.
Bottom line:
Seagrass: 8/10
Gray Label: 9/10
Full disclosure, I’ve had the regular Seagrass before and I’m a bit confused as to what happened. I had my first bottle of Seagrass a little over a year ago, and it was immediately one of my favorites. I could definitely taste the apricots. Then I got covid and couldn’t taste anything for a few weeks. Then I stopped having covid, and went about my daily life for six months. I recently bought a new bottle and, honestly, it’s disappointing. It almost feels like the flavor is lost behind the heat. Could it be that covid fucked my buds up? Maybe, but the rest of my whiskey tastes the same to me. Could it just be a difference in the batches? Maybe. Even without the apricot it’s good enough to warrant an 8/10 from me. But the original apricot-forward version lives in my memory as a 10/10.
Overall, the Seagrass Gray Label is better, but these really are the same whiskey. The main difference in taste is that the Gray label has a woodiness to it that comes from extra barrel influence. Is the Gray label worth $250 compared to the $80 seagrass? Eh… maybe if you’re loaded. For me, I plan to always have a bottle of the Seagrass in my bar, but I won’t be restocking on the Gray label.
Fair warning: neither of these bottles are “smooth.” They’re both high proof, and have the kick to prove it. My father-in-law isn’t much of a whiskey person, and his tasting note was: “jet fuel.” He’s not wrong. I’d just make a slight modification to “jet fuel, but tasty tho.”
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