Another local attendee at Whiskies of the World San Francisco 2021, Barber Lee is a relatively young distillery with a surprisingly broad array of products. They had six different bottles available this year, though we only had time to try two of them. Let's see how they fared in our tastings!
Barber Lee Heirloom Corn Bourbon
They call this an "Heirloom Corn" bourbon because it uses some unique varietals in its mashbill, as opposed to the standard "dent corn" used in most bourbons. The nose brings the corn out front and center, mixed with some quite sour notes. While the palate is also corn-forward, it lacks the sweetness you'd expect from that grain, leaning more into a bitterness instead. The finish continues the bitter notes, leaving us wondering if this bourbon is simply too young to develop any of the more delightful flavors we'd expect.
Barber Lee Absinthe Blanche
Not unlike the secret KFC recipe, the Absinthe Blanche features a secret blend of 8 different herbs. The nose comes out swinging with heavy amounts of anise, getting straight to the point. The palate has overpowering amounts of that black licorice flavor while also bringing a surprising amount of heat for an absinthe. The finish is medium-short and pure heat, with no additional notes introduced at this point.
We'd like to have had time to try some of their other products, such as the flagship Single Malt Rye, but it's hard to pick a favorite from the two we tasted. In general, it felt like both products were a bit young and need some time to evolve and develop the subtle complexities that could make them great. Overall, though, it seems like Barber Lee is experimenting with a lot of different types of liquors, which is great to see! We look forward to revisiting them in the future to see how their offerings improve.