Yellowstone Toasted Barrel Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Toasted Casks

Slight toasted taste. Not as expexted

Barrel number: 13/30 Signed by Master Distiller Stephan B. Beam Second to last bottle that was picked up from my recent trip to this distillery is their entry into the toasted finish realm; toasted finishes have recently gained lots of traction, although feels more like a temporary fad. I can't remember if I tried it on-site, but wanted to pick it up mostly for the support, the higher proof, the choice to do it as a single barrel, and, certainly not least of all, after finding out that the finish in toasted barrels was somewhere between 3 and 4 YEARS. I'm not sure if that applies to just this barrel, but this is by far the longest I have ever heard of a toasted barrel finish, the most of which may have been 12 months prior to this. I didn't like the other entry on Distiller, as it was missing some data and appeared less professional. The color appears slightly darker than the standard Yellowstone product, but negligible next to some of the Hand Picked Collection bottles at the higher proof point. Despite spending all that extra time in a second barrel, the fact that second barrel was only toasted and not charred explains why the color didn't quite deepen too much. There's a light yet potent ethanol scent when far away from the glass, but no other notes are discernable from this far distance. Up close, caramel is quite prominent, as well as notes of honey, candied nuts, and even a bit of cocoa. The overall nose is definitely sweet, but the ethanol is powerful enough to balance this and prevent any kind of dominance. The initial body is very light with slight flavors of citrus, but transforms rather quickly into flavors of cinnamon, chocolate, and those aforementioned candied nuts, but all tastes blend together in the end with no individual notes allowed to shine. The finish has a touch of nuttiness, with a lesser note of citrus and florality, and an overall dry and light tasting body. Strangely enough, the proof attacks the palate after the finish, charging the tongue and gums with a spiciness that is several minutes too late. The extra finishing time in the toasted barrel absolutely locks in this whiskey as a perfect representation of the flavors a toasted barrel can give you, all the while building off a balanced base bourbon that's approachable by most audiences. The issue for me is that this takes away from the more aggressive, spicier notes of the base whiskey, ending up with a final taste that I'm not fond of. The toasted barrel provides a lighter body with notes of citrus, florality, and nuttiness, but without the added softness and sweetness of a wheated bourbon (which I also am not fond of). Still, as always, it's great to support this distillery, and I'll be excited to return to this bottle for follow-up tastes and cocktail experiments, especially if/when the distillery adds this offering to their website, along with cocktail recipes straight from the source (fingers crossed). Plus, the deep brown label contrasts the gold text beautifully, and looks great next to some of the other Yellowstone product color schemes.