THEDAILYWHISKY

Barrell Craft Spirits has released Barrell Decade 2, a 20-year-old Canadian whisky bottled at 141.3 proof (70.65% ABV) and finished in Spanish brandy and Hungarian oak casks. It is a blend of whiskies distilled in every single year from 1995 to 2005, with liquid in the blend running from 20 to 30 years old, and it comes from the same barrels and the same finishing regime as the original Decade released last summer. It costs $199.99 for a 750ml bottle and went on sale on 22 July 2026 through barrellbourbon.com and selected US retailers.

That last detail is the one worth pausing on. When a whisky gets a “2” after its name, it usually means new liquid assembled to hit a similar target. Decade 2 is not that. Barrell has gone back into the same cask inventory and drawn a second bottling from it.

What Barrell Decade 2 actually is

The blend spans eleven consecutive distillation years, 1995 through 2005, which is where the name comes from. Every one of those years is represented. The whisky was distilled in Canada, then blended and bottled in Kentucky, and it carries a 20-year age statement on the label even though the oldest components are around 30 years old. That is simply how age statements work: the number on the bottle reflects the youngest whisky in the blend, not the average and not the oldest.

Secondary maturation happened in two cask types. Spanish brandy casks, which typically bring dried fruit and a soft, raisined sweetness, and Hungarian oak, a species with a tighter grain than American white oak that tends to push spice and a darker, more chocolatey character rather than the vanilla and coconut you get from bourbon barrels. Barrell’s own description of the result leans on exactly those cues.

One note for readers outside the US: the label reads “Barrell Whiskey” with an e, following American convention, but the liquid inside is Canadian whisky, which is conventionally spelled without one. Canada also has no legal minimum ABV for the finished blend the way Scotch does at 40%, and Canadian producers are permitted a small percentage of other spirits or flavouring in a blend, though nothing in Barrell’s material suggests anything of the sort here.

Same barrels, one year later: why this release is unusual

Barrell has been clear that Decade 2 uses the same barrels and the same finishing techniques as the first Decade. The company says the flavour profile is close to the original, with extra layers of dried fruit, spiced chocolate and a fuller, more textured mouthfeel.

The strength has moved slightly. The 2025 release came out at 142.7 proof (71.35% ABV). Decade 2 sits at 141.3 proof (70.65% ABV), a difference of 0.7 percentage points. That is small enough to be within the normal variation you would expect from drawing a second bottling out of the same warehouse a year later, and it tells you the casks are still climbing rather than dropping.

For anyone who tried the first Decade and wanted more, this is about as close as the industry gets to a genuine second chance at the same whisky. For anyone who missed it, this is the whole point of the release.

Barrell Decade 2 tasting notes

Barrell has not published a full nose, palate and finish breakdown for Decade 2. What follows is the producer’s own description, attributed as such. We have not tasted this bottle, and we will update this piece with our own notes if we get a sample.

What Barrell says: additional layers of dried fruit and spiced chocolate over a profile that stays close to the original Decade, with a richer and more textured mouthfeel.

Cask type: Spanish brandy casks and Hungarian oak casks (secondary maturation)
ABV: 70.65%
Proof: 141.3 
Age: 20 years stated, components 20 to 30 years old 
Distilled: Canada, 1995 to 2005
Blended and bottled: Kentucky 
Price: $199.99 / 750ml

141.3 proof and what HAZMAT means if you are ordering

At 70.65% ABV this is what American collectors call a HAZMAT bottle. Anything over 140 proof is classed as a flammable liquid under US shipping rules, which means it cannot travel by air freight and many domestic retailers will not ship it at all. Ground shipping within the continental US is the usual workaround.

If you are buying from outside the US, this is the practical obstacle rather than the price. Check with the retailer before you pay, because a HAZMAT bottle is exactly the kind of order that gets cancelled after the fact.

It also matters at the glass. At 70.65% the whisky will take water, and a 20 to 30 year old spirit at this strength is generally more rewarding when you reduce it in stages rather than assessing it neat and moving on.

Who is Barrell Craft Spirits?

Barrell Craft Spirits was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 2013 by Joe Beatrice. It does not distil. It is an independent blender, which in the American market means it buys mature stock from other producers, then designs blends and finishes around what it has. That model is common in Scotland, where independent bottlers have operated for over a century, and much less common in the US, where BCS was one of the first to build a serious brand on it.

The company sources widely, including from outside the US, and Canadian stock has become a recurring feature of its more ambitious releases. Its whiskies are sold in 49 US states, Puerto Rico, the UK, South Korea, Ukraine and Australia.

Decade 2 belongs to the Black Label Series, which is where BCS puts its oldest and most experimental work in small volumes. The series also includes a 20-year-old Toasted Single Barrel, Toasted Vantage, Full Proof Bourbon, a 33-year-old whiskey finished in French oak and oloroso sherry casks, and an 18-year release finished in Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauternes barrels that landed in March 2026.

Price and availability

Barrell Decade 2 has a suggested retail price of $199.99 for a 750ml bottle, roughly €170 before shipping and duty. It went on sale on 22 July 2026 through the BCS site at barrellbourbon.com and at selected retailers.

BCS has not announced a bottle count for Decade 2, and it has not confirmed a European or Danish distribution for this specific expression. The brand as a whole reaches the UK, so a limited UK allocation is plausible, but nothing has been stated. If you are in the EU, the realistic routes are a US-based forwarding service or the secondary market, both of which will add substantially to the $199.99.

Is it worth $199.99?

For a 20-year age statement at cask strength, from a blender that publishes its distillation years, this is priced well. Twenty-year-old Scotch at 70% ABV does not exist at this number, and the double finish in brandy casks and Hungarian oak is genuinely uncommon rather than a marketing line.

Who it is for: anyone who liked the first Decade, anyone who collects HAZMAT bottlings, and anyone curious about what three decades in wood does to Canadian spirit at full strength. Canadian whisky rewards this kind of attention and gets far less of it than it should.

Who it is not for: anyone who wants published tasting notes and a settled critical consensus before buying, because neither exists yet. Anyone outside North America who is not prepared for the shipping problem. And anyone who does not enjoy whisky above 65% ABV, because at 141.3 proof water is not optional, it is part of the process.

If you already have a bottle of the 2025 Decade open, the interesting move is to buy this one and drink them side by side. Same casks, one more year, 0.7 proof points apart. That comparison is rarer than the whisky itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is Barrell Decade 2? Barrell Decade 2 is a cask strength Canadian whisky released by Barrell Craft Spirits on 22 July 2026. It blends whiskies distilled in every year from 1995 to 2005, carries a 20-year age statement, and is finished in Spanish brandy and Hungarian oak casks. It is part of the company’s Black Label Series.

What does Barrell Decade 2 taste like? Barrell has not published full tasting notes. The company describes it as close in profile to the original Decade, with additional layers of dried fruit and spiced chocolate and a richer, more textured mouthfeel. The Spanish brandy casks account for the dried fruit, the Hungarian oak for the spice and chocolate.

How much does Barrell Decade 2 cost? The suggested retail price is $199.99 for a 750ml bottle, roughly €170 or 1,300 DKK before shipping and import duty. That price is for the US market. European buyers should expect to pay considerably more through forwarding services or the secondary market.

What is the difference between Barrell Decade and Barrell Decade 2? Both come from the same barrels and use the same finishing techniques. Decade launched in July 2025 at 142.7 proof (71.35% ABV) for $199. Decade 2 arrived a year later at 141.3 proof (70.65% ABV) for $199.99, with Barrell describing added dried fruit, spiced chocolate and a fuller texture.

Where can I buy Barrell Decade 2? It is available from barrellbourbon.com and selected US retailers from 22 July 2026. At 141.3 proof it exceeds the 140-proof HAZMAT threshold, so it cannot be shipped by air and many retailers restrict delivery. No European or Danish distribution has been confirmed.

Is Barrell Decade 2 really 20 years old? The 20-year age statement reflects the youngest whisky in the blend, which is standard practice. The blend also contains liquid up to 30 years old, drawn from distillations across 1995 to 2005. All components are Canadian, blended and bottled in Kentucky.