Last Friday, I brought a group of four friends to Barrel Proof for what was supposed to be a long-overdue guys' night out. One member of our group recently moved out of state, and since all of us are serious bourbon enthusiasts, we reviewed Barrel Proof's menu beforehand and were genuinely excited about spending the evening there.
We arrived around 6:30 p.m. expecting to stay for three or four hours.
Unfortunately, we were extremely disappointed.
When we arrived, Barrel Proof was nearly empty and the atmosphere felt completely lifeless. We were barely greeted and were seated at an uncomfortable table on one side of the bar. Only as we were leaving did we realize there was another section of the lounge with significantly more comfortable seating. Considering how empty the establishment was, there was no apparent reason we couldn't have been seated there.
The service was equally disappointing. Despite the bartenders spending much of their time talking among themselves, we repeatedly had to walk back to the bar ourselves to order both food and drinks.
The food was average at best, and the menu was surprisingly limited.
As bourbon drinkers, the whiskey selection was one of the main reasons we chose Barrel Proof. Unfortunately, the pricing structure was another disappointment. The bourbon list can be misleading because prices are by the ounce, and the pours are measured with almost comical precision--as though every additional drop were liquid gold. For a place marketed toward whiskey enthusiasts, the experience felt far more transactional than welcoming.
But the final straw was the music.
Extremely loud punk rock was playing throughout the bar, making it nearly impossible for our group to have a conversation--the entire reason we were there in the first place. When we politely asked the person presented to us as the manager whether the music could be changed or at least turned down, we were told they had no control over either the music or the volume.
When I explained that we were going to leave and take our business somewhere else, the response from the "manager" was:
"Do what you gotta do."
That response told us everything we needed to know.
So we did exactly that.
We closed our tab which was under $100 and walked across the street to Barcelona. Two additional friends joined us there, and the difference in hospitality was night and day. The staff was attentive, the atmosphere was enjoyable, and both the food and drinks were excellent. We happily spent approximately $700 there.
We finished the evening at Marcel, which, as usual, was outstanding, spending another $200.
I mention the money not to brag about what we spent, but to make an important point: Barrel Proof didn't lose four customers because we were unwilling to spend money. They lost our business because they gave us absolutely no reason to spend it there.
A group of bourbon enthusiasts arrived prepared to settle in for several hours, order good whiskey, eat, and enjoy ourselves. Instead, poor hospitality, inattentive service, mediocre food, an uncomfortable atmosphere, and an astonishingly dismissive response from management drove us out the door.
Atlanta has far too many excellent bars, restaurants, lounges, and whiskey destinations for customers to tolerate that kind of experience.
Despite the hype surrounding Barrel Proof, our experience did not come remotely close to meeting expectations.
We will not be returning, and based on this experience, I cannot recommend Barrel Proof. read more