This past Labor Day weekend, my husband and I headed up to Reading, MA, to visit the recently opened New England Barrel Company tasting room. Today, I’m not focusing on a specific whiskey, although I did purchase a bottle that I’ll be reviewing soon. Instead, I wanted to share our experience at the tasting room and give you an idea of what to expect if you decide to visit. Let’s get into it.

New England Barrel Company was founded in 2020 by independent whiskey bottler James Saunders, who sources barrels from distilleries across the United States. He hand selects the barrels based on where they will shine the best, whether that is in their small batch or Small Batch Select bourbon and rye. This hands-on process is what gives each expression its own personality, while keeping focus on quality, craftsmanship, and creating whiskies that people like us could truly appreciate.

During our visit, James happened to be the one pouring our samples, and he couldn’t have been more welcoming. His knowledge of the whiskey industry and attention to detail were truly refreshing. The tasting room itself is bright, inviting, and easy to settle into.

The menu offers individual sample pours of their various expressions, along with three flight options: Core Four, Full Sail, and Finishing Series. My husband and I chose the Full Sail and Finishing Series flights and sampled The Helsing Files. If neat whiskey isn’t your thing, they have cocktails available as well. I ordered the Gold Rush, and it was excellent.

If you’ve been curious about New England Barrel Company and want to sample their whiskies before committing to a bottle, the tasting room is the perfect place to do it. You can try a variety of expressions, purchase your favorites on site, or simply figure out what to look for at your local liquor store.

As I’ve mentioned before, one of this brand’s biggest strengths is its affordability. If you’ve been overlooking New England Barrel Company, as I once did, I genuinely encourage you to give it a try. Their whiskey is well made, approachable, and full of classic bourbon character. It’s enjoyable, neat and works beautifully in cocktails, and at these prices, there’s really no reason not to.

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend people to try it and make up their own minds.