Would you pay B1,700 for a bottle of Jacob’s Creek? That’s what the mass Australian winemaker is banking on you doing for its latest premium red, the Double Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon, which launches in Bangkok at the end of this month.

 

Double barrel means that the wine gets to mature in two different types of barrel. First, it’s aged in a traditional wine barrel, after which it gets transferred to an Irish whiskey barrel which, according to brand ambassador Liepa Olsauskaite, “softens the strong tannins and adds additional layers of smokiness and caramel.” It’s basically the opposite of how some whiskies are made, which are often allowed to age in old wine barrels to gain flavor. 

 

Our verdict: the process really does give this wine a more complex taste, while the original flavors of cabernet sauvignon (blackcurrant, blueberries, mint) still remain. This is one original and delicious drink.