Tastes

Pours a light golden color with moderate legs. Smell has a nice spicebox component to it, a little oak and vanilla kicking in as well, but feels very bourbony (as opposed to distinct rye). Certainly get that rye spice in the taste as well, almost peppery, with some caramel too. Again, though, it has a very bourbony feel. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, a little on the oily side, a little harsh and moderately boozy. Overall, it feels like a pretty standard whiskey, very nice for what it is, works fine neat and it makes good cocktails, but there’s nothing here that melts my face either. I’m no rye expert, but this feels more like an extra high rye bourbon than full rye, but maybe that’s just my lack of experience coming through. Still, as an all purpose whiskey, it’s good, and cheap too. Beer Nerd Musings: The Rittenhouse Rye barrel aged Eclipse stout was my favorite entry from the 2012 vintage, though it did not fare quite as well in the 2014 vintage horizontal tasting I held. The 2019 Bourbon Count Brand Stout Reserve was aged in Rittenhouse Rye Barrels (I know you guys, but the Bourbon County brand extends to rye) and it’s exceptional! Weirdly, the rye seemingly comes out more in this beer than the whiskey itself… I always wonder if younger barrels make for better beer aging than older ones, and honestly, the propensity for good Rittenhouse aged beers gives me pause because older whiskey barrels tend to get the most attention.

Pours a light golden orange color. Smells nice, lots of bourbon spice, some caramel, vanilla, hints of honey and ripe fruit. Taste follows the nose, lots of spice, nutmeg, rich caramel, hints of vanilla and fruit. Mouthfeel is rich and full bodied, spicy, a bit on the hot side (keep in mind my baby beer palate) but still quite approachable. Overall this is fantastic stuff, though I’m not sure it’s worth the insane hype. Really glad I splurged for a pour at a bar (which wasn’t too excessive), and I’d be really psyched if I got a bottle of this in the PA lottery someday (they charge standard retail, which is actually great for this - secondary is ridiculous as usual). Beer Nerd Musings - Anything in the Van Winkle Orbit gets the same overwhelming hype as the bourbon itself, including beers aged in the barrels. I actually don’t know of any beer specifically aged in Old Rip Van Winkle barrels, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the”Van Winkle” aged beers are this rather than the more preferable Pappy 15, 20, or 23 expressions. Still, I can imagine this being fantastic for bba beers, so there is that. Anyway, some of the best beers I’ve ever had were aged in Van Winkle barrels, so while I’d love to alleviate some of they hype, I really can’t… On the other hand, some base beers can’t really stand up to the BBA treatment - Stillwater brewing aged their Folklore Belgian strong dark ale in Pappy 20 barrels and the results were underwhelming to say the least… but in general, anything Van Winkle is prized, even for beer dorks.

Standard dark orange color. Smells great, tons of oak, plenty of vanilla, oak, with a a healthy dose of the spice box, vanilla, oak, caramel, maybe a hint of cherries. I know I emphasized the oak in the nose, but it’s not over-oaked, it’s actually almost perfect balance, and the vanilla character is beautiful. The taste features the spicy character much more than the nose would imply, but that oak and vanilla come though loud and clear as well, as well as more typical caramel corn notes. Mouthfeel is surprisingly nimble, the lowish proof keeps things approachable (maybe too low? But the complexity makes up for it I think). Overall this is fantastic, if a bit pricey. Definitely worth a pour at this bar, not sure the bottle price would be worth it, but the secondary price is ridiculous. Still, it’s pretty great… Beer Nerd Musings: My initial thought is that Wild Turkey’s unique attributes, like their lower entry proof, would make for interesting bourbon barrel aged beer. However, in my experience, beers aged in Wild Turkey barrels have been somewhat disappointing. Anderson Valley supposedly only uses Wild Turkey barrels for their program, but while Huge Arker was nice, it’s not really top tier stuff either (and their other entries are not quite at that level either – generally having a surprisingly low bourbon barrel character). Local favorite Neshaminy Creek has used Wild Turkey barrels a few times. I haven’t had the barleywine, but the first BBA Leon they made was a middling effort as well (then again, so was the second vintage, which used Buffalo Trace barrels – I think the base beer is the determinant factor there, or perhaps the process). Wild Turkey is definitely a component of many BBA blends, including BCBS, which are certainly great. BCBS did a sorta stealth single barrel thing a few years ago and Wild Turkey variants were well received, but I missed out on that mania. The 17 year Masters Keep barrels would be fantastic for barrel-aging beer, but to my knowledge, they have not been explicitly used for that purpose (and honestly, even if I had a bottle of the stuff, it’s to expensive to use for home brewing)…

In comparison with the 2015 vintage, this somehow feels even better. The nose is more expressive, the lower proof makes it much more approachable even though it doesn’t lose much in the way of intensity or concentration, this is phenomenal stuff… Beer Nerd Musings: There are more Stagg barrel-aged beers than there used to be, but not a lot of really high profile ones and I’ve still not had any for sure. Seems like the sort of thing we’ll see BCBS do someday (given their access and recent propensity for aging in rare barrels), but who knows. I’d love to try one though, as the profile here would be great with a stout or barleywine…

Pours a standard brownish orange color, moderate legs. Smells nice, lots of oak, wood shavings, some nutty aromas, sweet pastry, cookies, hints of caramel, vanilla, and baking spice. Taste has a nice proportion of oak and sweetness, but those other notes from the nose provide complexity - nutty, rich, some cookies, light caramel, vanilla, and spice. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, moderate alcohol heat, but quite approachable, even for my beer attuned palate. Overall, this is really great stuff and while the price isn’t “cheap” it drinks better than stuff twice as expensive… Beer Nerd Musings: Knob Creek barrels are used to age beer frequently (though I’m not sure about the 12 year expression). A few years ago, the BCBS Reserve was aged in Knob Creek (I never got a hold of that one, but the other Reserve variants have been fantastic). There’s a local bar, Teresa’s Cafe in Wayne, PA, that did a couple of Knob Creek single barrel picks that were great, and they donated the barrels to semi-local breweries like Troegs and Stoudts to make barrel aged beers. I should really get over there and see if they still have those single barrel KC bottles…

Pours a dark amber orange color, long legs. Smells nice, typical oak, caramel, vanilla notes, some spice, cinnamon, molasses, brown sugar, booze not as nose-singing as Booker’s despite the higher proof. Taste again hits those oaky notes pretty hard, some vanilla and caramel, plenty of spicebox, and ah, there’s that booze. Mouthfeel is full bodied, thick, and yes, very boozy. Again, somehow not as harsh as Booker’s, but still pretty hot (as per usual, take my baby beer palate into consideration here). Overall, this is quite nice, maybe a step up from Booker’s but comparable. Beer Nerd Musings: I’m not aware of any beers specifically aged in Stagg Jr. barrels, but then, as I understand it, Stagg Jr. is just barrel proof Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare, both of which are frequently cited barrel provenances. As you might expect, I think these barrels would do quite well with beer, and indeed, Buffalo Trace won the FiftyFifty Eclipse horizontal tasting I held a few years back. The concept of a sorta baby version of a more prized beer is something that does happen from time to time, though the differentiator is more about the amount of alcohol rather than the age. Some examples might include Great Divide Velvet Yeti (a lower alcohol version of their Yeti Imperial Stout that’s designed for nitro pours) or The Bruery So Happens It’s Tuesday, a slightly lower alcohol (and thus “more affable”) version of the monstrous Black Tuesday. There are probably tons of other examples.

Pours a light golden color. Smells kinda new makish, but with a nice kick, vanilla and caramel and toffee. The vanilla seems most prominent. Taste again has some new make rawness to it, a little more prominent in the taste than the nose, but there is some hints of vanilla in the background. Mouthfeel is light and smooth, hardly even boozy (ah, it’s 80 proof, that explains it). Overall, its a little disappointing, but it’s also interesting enough that I tried it. Dragon’s Milk is a nice, entry-level bourbon barrel-aged beer, but this doesn’t quite reach those levels for the bourbon world… Beer Nerd Musings: The beer barrel almost certainly lent some of those vanilla, caramel, and toffee notes to the bourbon, but my guess is that cutting it down to 80 proof did this a disservice. I’m not looking for barrel proof here, but maybe give us a little more heft, let those beery notes shine, you know? I’m betting this would be fine cocktail material though, and I should really try that.

Pours a golden orange, copper color, thin legs. Smells quite nice, caramel, spicy rye, lots of cinnamon, oak and vanilla, maybe something earthy in there too. Cinnamon seems to be the standout here, and every time I pour a glass I love the cinnamon blast (it seems to fade a bit as I drink). Taste follows the nose, but with different emphasis. Some earthy leather, less cinnamon, though it’s still there. Caramel is certainly present as well, but the earthy nature really comes out in the taste. Mouthfeel is rich and a little on the hot side (keep in mind my baby-like beer palate, but I had some higher proof stuff this weekend that felt less harsh than this), coats the tongue and lingers for a bit. Overall, this is really nice. It’s not a mind blowing affair, but it makes for a hefty daily sipper, something I could see hitting often as a reliable go-to when the sub 100 proof stuff wouldn’t get the job done. Certainly blows Basil Hayden’s out of the water, and the low-ish price certainly makes it attractive. Beer Nerd Musings – There are plenty of beers aged in Jim Beam barrels (Allagash apparently favors those barrels), but ones that specifically call out Old Grand-Dad are few and far between. The only one I could really find was from Rock Bottom, ugh (I mean, I haven’t had it so I shouldn’t judge, but a 5.5% ABV stout aged in OGD barrels for 2 weeks doesn’t inspire confidence). As per usual, I’m sure some of the bigger barrel aging programs use these barrels as part of a larger blend, not to mention the large amount of folks who don’t specify which brand of barrels they used (perhaps the notion of OGD being a “budget” bourbon doesn’t lend itself to such marketing efforts). I could see OGD working well though, so maybe someone should give it a shot (looking at you, Fifty Fifty – how have you not used any Beam products in your Eclipse series? Unless you count Maker’s, I guess.). If I didn’t already have my oak cubes soaking in Four Roses, I might have used this for my next BBA homebrew. It seems like it could work well.

Pours a clear golden orange color, nice legs. Smells intensely of oak with some caramel and vanilla pitching in, some earthy tobacco type notes too. With water, some cinnamon spice emerges. Taste is rich and sweet, lots of caramel, toffee, oak, and vanilla, some spice kicking in too, maybe cinnamon? And booze, tons of booze. Mouthfeel is full bodied, rich, and yes, boozy af. I mean, yeah, I have a baby beer palate, but this is pretty tough. But tasty, and not the worst heat I’ve experienced. A little dry in the finish as well. Overall, a little hot, but it’s a really good bourbon. Beer Nerd Musings: I haven’t had anything specifically marked as a Booker’s Bourbon barrel aged beer and I don’t see many out there either. Allagash apparently made a Booker’s aged variant of their Curieux, but I must admit, the tripel style is not my favorite way to showcase a bourbon barrel treatment. Still, I’d assume this would make for a pretty good barrel for beer aging… but then, what wouldn’t?

Pours a nice shade in the copper amber spectrum, not much in the way of legs, but pretty enough. Smells intensely of oak, vanilla, oak, caramel, oak, dusty spice, and I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but also lots of oak. In case the nose didn’t tip you off, the taste features that oak quite prominently, but the traditional caramel and vanilla notes come through in good enough proportions as well as a dusting of spice (I know this is a wheater, but I associate this sort of spice with rye – maybe that’s just because I’m a fraud and am bad at describing bourbon) and an almost bitter oak note (I’m sure whiskey nerds see bitterness as a terrible thing, but as a beer dork who came up in the West Coast IPA days of breweries reaching theoretical limits of bitterness, the connotation is not meant negatively here) . Mouthfeel is medium bodied and for lack of a better term, it’s kinda dry. Overall, it’s delicious, but I can see why someone would call it over-oaked. I’ve had some bourbons that I’d consider over-oaked, but this one fares better than those. Plus, I rather enjoy oak. However, it’s far from the best bourbon I’ve had and I’m not sure it’s worth all the hype… Beer Nerd Musings: Anything in Pappy’s orbit gets pulled into the supermassive black hole of hype, and that includes beers aged in Pappy barrels. Notable examples include Voodoo’s Pappy Black Magick (one of my favorite beers that I’ll probably never get to try again) and the infamous original vintage of Bourbon County Rare (which I’ve never had; I did really enjoy the follow up release, which was aged in 35 year old Heaven Hill barrels). Lots of other notable examples, and usually just the implication that Van Winkle barrels are involved is enough to make the beer scarce. However, it’s worth noting that not every beer aged can be aged in a Pappy barrel and come out perfect. Stillwater aged one of their Belgian Strong Dark Ales in Pappy 20 barrels and the result wasn’t especially accomplished (though it was still rare and expensive)… This was more an issue with the base beer not being able to stand up to the barrel treatment than the fault of barrel (i.e. it probably wouldn’t matter which barrel was used, it would still overwhelm the base). So the hype is real, but like the bourbon itself, there’s a nugget of truth at the center of the hype – a lot of these beers are genuinely great. Is it worth the hoop-jumping and cost? That’s the ultimate question…