Barrel No.: AT7

Age: 11 years

Proof: 110.42 proof

State of Distillation: Indiana 

Mashbill: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley

Finish: Armagnac

We named this pick "Purple Rain" because it evokes images of Prince's crushed velvet attire (and we think the song would make the perfect accompaniment to this pour). 

After tasting through over 15 barrels, this armagnac-finished bourbon stood out as the easy "best in show" barrel. Not only was it the group's favorite, but it was also Erin and Sara's favorite—THE Sara, formerly of It's Bourbon Night, and now with Dark Arts—and there's a quote in there somewhere about superior palates and such. 

This is LE-level whiskey. Rich purple fruits and sugared berries, vanilla cream, mature sweet oak, a touch of almond sweetness with subtle building spice throughout the sip are the hallmarks of this pour on both the nose and palate. Very oily, especially for the proof, with a nice thread of spice and mature oak to balance all the sweetness. 

Great balance is on display here and no one would accuse this barrel of being overly finished. This is Dark Arts at their very best and we were incredibly lucky that Sara pulled this barrel for us to try and select.