A Breakfast Favorite Inspires a Rare Bourbon Release
Bourbon fans know the usual tasting notes: caramel, oak, vanilla, a little spice. Not many bottles bring to mind a plate of French toast on a lazy Sunday morning. That is the idea behind the newest release from Barrell Craft Spirits, a Louisville, Kentucky blender that has built a name on cask strength whiskey. On October 13, 2026, the company introduced a 12-year bourbon called Barrell 12-Year French Toast(ed).
The name is a play on words, and it also describes what the people at the company found in the glass. They did not add anything to chase a breakfast flavor. According to the company, the French toast-style notes came out of the blend on their own, and the name followed from that.
What Is in the Bottle
This new bourbon is a blend of straight bourbon whiskeys. The whiskeys were distilled in four states: Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wyoming. Pulling from that many places gives the blenders a wide range of flavors to work with, since each distillery makes its whiskey a little differently.
Image credit: Barrell Craft Spirits
The whiskeys in the blend were aged anywhere from 12 to 17 years. That is a long time in a barrel, and the age is part of what gives the bourbon its richness. The whiskey was then finished in French oak casks, which is the other big piece of the story.
The finished bourbon is bottled at 107.24 proof, which is 53.62% ABV. For readers who like to keep an eye on the numbers, that is a bit above the proof of many standard bottlings, and it fits the brand’s cask strength style.
Finishing in French Oak
Most bourbon spends its whole life in new charred American oak. A finish is an extra step. After the main aging is done, the whiskey is moved into a different type of cask for more time, and that second cask adds new flavors on top of the ones already there.
For this release, the whiskey was finished in several types of French oak casks. The casks had different toast levels, which means the inside of the wood was heated to different degrees before use. The company put a special focus on Grand Chauffe barrels. Those were chosen for deeper, more complex flavor in the finished whiskey.
Using a mix of casks and toast levels gives the blenders more to play with. One cask might lean toward soft bakery notes while another adds a darker, nuttier side, and the final blend can pull from all of them.
Where the French Toast Name Comes From
The flavors that inspired the name are easy to picture. The company lists several:
The Main Tasting Notes
- Toasted brioche
- Vanilla custard
- Roasted nuts
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Crème brûlée
Put those together and it is not hard to see the connection. Brioche and custard are the base of a good French toast, and cinnamon and clove are the spices many cooks reach for. The roasted nuts and crème brûlée add a toasty, sweet edge. All of this sits alongside the richness of mature bourbon, according to the company.
A Vintage-Like Approach to Each Batch
This is not the first time Barrell has done this. It is the company’s second release of a 12-year bourbon finished in French oak. Founder Joe Beatrice explained how the two releases relate to each other.
“This is our second release of a 12-year bourbon finished in French Oak,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice. “While this bourbon whiskey shares the same foundation as our first release, we take a vintage-like approach with each batch, allowing every expression to develop its own distinct character.”
That idea matters for anyone who follows small batch whiskey. A vintage-like approach means each batch is allowed to be its own thing. It is not forced to match the last one. The foundation may be the same, but the details change from release to release, much like a wine that tastes different from one year to the next.
Part of the Red Label Series
The French Toast(ed) bourbon belongs to the company’s Red Label Series. This line is made up of age-stated whiskeys, meaning the age is printed right on the bottle. The series also uses finishing casks to lift the blends.
According to the company, the whiskeys in this series offer a twist on Barrell’s classics. They also pay homage to the brand’s origins and to some of its favorite products. In other words, the Red Label Series gives the blenders room to play with ideas while keeping a link to what the company has done from the start.
About Barrell Craft Spirits
Barrell Craft Spirits, often shortened to BCS, was founded in 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. The company describes itself as the original independent blender of unique, aged, cask strength whiskey. It also works with rum. It says it has been recognized for its blending skill since 2013.
How the Company Works
BCS does not run a still of its own in the usual sense. Instead, it selects and blends products that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments. The company says its large stocks of high-quality casks allow it to craft blends that bring out the small differences in each ingredient.
Two ideas guide each release, according to the company: creative finishes and a liberated approach to blending. The 12-year French Toast(ed) bourbon shows both. It mixes whiskeys from four states and then adds a finish in several kinds of French oak.
Small Batch and Single Barrel Releases
The company says its cask strength small batch and single barrel releases have quickly become an influencing force in American whiskey. It also says they have won awards from some of the most respected distilled spirits publications and competitions in the world. Its goal, as it describes it, is to surprise and delight whiskey fans, both longtime aficionados and newcomers.
A Brand With a Wide Reach
The award-winning line of Barrell releases is sold in 49 US states and in Puerto Rico. It also reaches the UK, South Korea, Ukraine and Australia. For a company that started in 2013, that is a long list of places.
The company’s brand names, including Barrell Craft Spirits, Barrell, Barrell Bourbon and Barrell Rye, are registered trademarks owned by Barrell Craft Spirits LLC.
Why This Release Stands Out
There are a few reasons the 12-year French Toast(ed) bourbon is getting attention among whiskey readers.
Age and Blending
Whiskeys aged 12 to 17 years are not common in a single blend, and combining them from four different states adds another layer. Each state’s whiskey brings its own character to the mix.
The Finish
Using several types of French oak casks, with different toast levels and a focus on Grand Chauffe barrels, gives the whiskey a depth that a single finish might not reach.
A Flavor Story That Is Easy to Follow
Plenty of tasting notes on whiskey labels can feel hard to picture. Here, the notes line up with a dish most people know well. Brioche, custard, cinnamon and crème brûlée are things a reader can easily imagine.
The Bottom Line
Barrell 12-Year French Toast(ed) shows how far American whiskey has come in terms of blending and finishing. A mix of bourbons from Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wyoming, aged for 12 to 17 years and finished in French oak, ends up with notes that remind the blenders of a breakfast favorite. At 107.24 proof, it carries the cask strength style the brand is known for.
For readers who follow the world of aged whiskey, the release is one more example of a blender trying something different while staying tied to the company’s roots. With each batch designed to have its own character, the next release in the series may taste a little different, and that is exactly the point.
