Here at Barrels and Mash, we drink our fair share of Bourbon barrel-aged beers… in fact, we drink some other people’s fair share too. Obviously we can say the same for Bourbon, so when New Holland dumped barrels of their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dragon’s Milk Stout and refilled them with whiskey, we wanted to drink that too.
While the New Holland Brewery also distills, the Bourbon in this bottle was sourced and is aged for “several years” (my guess is right at 4), before going into a Dragon’s Milk barrel for 3 months.
Company: New Holland Brewery
Distillery: NDP
Mash bill: ?
Age: NAS (“Many years”, probably 4, then 90 days in Dragon’s Milk barrels)
ABV: 40% (80 proof)
Released: Ongoing
Price: $35
Color: Deep honey
Nose: The aroma is super sweet with milk chocolate, malt, caramel, vanilla, cereal (Honey Nut Cherrios, according to Kate), and corn.
Taste: Again, very sweet with some corn-y young whiskey vibes, chocolate chip cookies (for real), malt, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. It’s got a silky mouthfeel with some bready biscuit and a touch of oak coming in towards the end.
Finish: Hey, what do you know, the finish is sweet too! Smooth and buttery but with a bit of lingering bitterness from the beer.
Overall: It’s impressive how much the Dragon’s Milk imparts on this whiskey. The classic malt backbone of a stout is present, and the beer-y, malty notes come out loud and clear. My only issue is this: it’s too damn sweet. It’s the sweetest aspects of the beer that are imparted on an already (I’m guessing here), sweet whiskey. I would love to see a release of this using older Bourbon so that beer would have more oak and fruit to play off of. Maybe someday that’ll happen, and if it does, sign me up!
Rating: 3.5/5
Stick to beer New Holland, this stuff is gross!
I didn’t think it was gross, but just way too sweet. I like the idea and think some amazing things could happen with a better base whiskey.
I had a handful of pours before giving the bottle to my brother. Their best spirit is the Pitchfork Wheat Whiskey. It’s solid.
Hmm. I’ll have to try that
I repect that they are trying. I can’t truly knock something I have never tried to do. I just don’t have the room for a still and I am sure I would fall well short of what they are already doing. I toured the Brewery/Distellery in October and loved what they are doing with the beer. I like the story of how they found the stills and got them home, but I didn’t find the spirits ready for prime time. Most of the players out there have been doing it for a long time. If they keep putting the passion into the spirits that they put into the beer, they will get there.
I am thankful our neighbors to the north carry Dragon’s Milk.
I’m not a bourbon drinker but I must say I really thought the beer barrel bourbon was very good looking forward to trying out the rest of the line up offered by them
Thank you
Captain Mark Anthony
Thanks for the feedback! We still have our bottle, I need to revisit it and see how it’s holding up!
As a bourbon drinker I highly recommend never buying this. I am extremely disappointed in it. I’ll give the look of vanilla caramel amber with smells of caramel honey nut cherrios credot. But the taste is just super watered down with a tiny bite but lacking flavor. I love their beer, I love bourbon, and I love scotch but regret paying $30 for this beer. It is,a below $20 beer. I should at least be able to taste some beer notes, but I don’t. It’s a friend made bourbon but not something that should be put into the market. by buying it it isdelaying my process of tasting better bourbons. Perhaps if they let this age a couple more years it’d be solid as the look and smell is intriguing but the taste is off. I’d give it a 2.5 out of 5, does not deserve 3.5.
Dragon’s Milk is amazing. This, sadly, is not. High hopes were dashed. I think there’s a way and hopefully someone finds it.
Love Dragon’s Milk… and… I love this stuff as well. To each his own I guess…
Personally I liked this bourbon. I had a rather interesting Manhattan at New Holland that uses it and found it to be right up my alley. I haven’t been much of a bourbon fan previously, and dont care for bourbon barrel beers typically so I was mildly surprised how much I liked it. One of my bar regulars is a bourbon lover and turned her nose up at the mention of this bourbon, so i get the feeling that its one of those bottles you either really like, or really don’t.
Interesting. Maybe its time for you to revisit some barrel aged beers too! Cheers!
All the whiskey drinkers who visit my home try it and live it. After one taste, it becomes their go to whiskey. One crew drank two bottles over the weekend.