Beer Barrel Bourbon from New Holland Brewing Company is a bourbon finished in oak barrels that previously held Dragon’s Milk stout. Bottled in Michigan, it is released on an ongoing basis with no age statement. The mashbill remains undisclosed.
A nose with heat, molasses and wood. On the palate there's malt with a little more heat. The finish is [short and] sweet... not necessarily in a good way.
The sip opens with a weird off-putting vegetative note, but thankfully rebounds in a malty-sweet palate as a midpoint. While off balanced, the overall sip shows promise. If the company can even things out a bit, they’d have a real winner of a whiskey that might get hardcore beer drinkers to transition over to the world of bourbon.
It’s comparatively fairly priced (in the broader spectrum of craft whiskey), and it won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but I am happy to have given this a try. In total, a score in the middle of the range seems warranted.
