Toasted sugared pecans | Fresh sawdust | Cinnamon sugar | Redwood | Caramel

Turtle pie | Dark chocolate | Salted caramel

Pecan pie | Baking spices | Spicy cinnamon | Burnt sugar | Lingering amaretto

Although it's not an overly powerful type of finish, using toasted barrels can nevertheless impart a distinct flavor to a whiskey. That being said, a lot of toasted finished bourbons share flavor consistencies among them with their base bourbon struggling to fully exert itself over its finish. That isn’t quite the case with New Holland Spirits’ Dragon’s Milk Origin Toasted Barrel releases so far. What makes these releases stand out is their toasted finish is able to amplify the base bourbon’s already unique taste. The result is a series of single barrel releases that taste unlike others on the market and each offers a one of a kind drinking experience.

Dragon’s Milk Origin Toasted Barrel 2023F dubbed “Sugar Pie” by the company is true to its name. The bourbon’s nose starts off with a strong toasted sugared pecans scent before adding on cinnamon sugar and caramel for sweetness, and fresh sawdust and redwood for heft. The palate likewise is built on a foundation of turtle pie-like flavors thanks to cream cheese, toasted pecans, dark chocolate, crumble chocolate crust, and salted caramel - “sugar pie” indeed. The finish layers on a more straightforward pecan pie note, with additional baking spices, spicy cinnamon, and burnt sugar, before ending with a lingering amaretto note.

Once again, New Holland offers another winner in their Toasted Barrel series. It’s worth noting, 2023F slightly tones down the distinct flavor note I found in previous Dragon’s Milk Origin Toasted Barrel releases, but finds a better overall balance as a result. It's also a touch hotter than I’d like it to be, though it's hard to find major faults with this release (besides it remaining a distillery-only release of course). “Sugar Pie,” like those that came before it, is unique in its own way, yet continues to exemplify what New Holland offers with their Dragon’s Milk Origin bourbons. Take note now, as soon as New Holland is ready to unleash their Toasted Barrel series in a wider release, you’ll know to be first in line when it happens.

2023F is one of four expressions that will be released at the company’s New Holland Pubs and New Holland Tasting Rooms on Saturday, November 18th.