Dark cherries | Cinnamon | Burnt caramel | Orange zest | Allspice

Stewed cherries | Caramel | Vanilla | Dried apricot | Full-bodied

Spice upfront | Summer fruits | Cocoa | Nutty undertone | Long

Dragon’s Milk Origin Small Batch Bourbon instantly caught our taste buds' attention when we first tried their new in-house distilled bourbon. It didn’t taste like many other new 5 year old bourbons hitting the market. It was full of flavor, focusing on spice and chocolate as its major flavor callouts. This unique flavor profile stayed with us and is why we jumped at the chance to be the first to offer their Origin Bourbon in a toasted barrel finish in our Single Barrel Club. New Holland’s trial with a toasted barrel finish went over so well with everyone who tried it, they returned in 2023 with a limited release single barrel series of four toasted finished bourbons each with its own unique title.

Even before the toasted barrel finish, New Holland’s base bourbon is different. They distill on a prohibition era pot still as opposed to the more common column still. The bourbon has a mashbill that basically swaps the typical rye-malted barley percentages, with 25% malted barley and 5% rye. This often results in a bourbon that has a lively flavor profile with unique summer fruit and citrus notes. Their toasted series takes that one step further, finishing in toasted barrels.

I love the fun nickname concept New Holland took with this four barrel release. Nicknamed “Cherry Turnover,” barrel 2023D is true to its name and tasting notes detailed on the neck tag. I pick up dark cherries on the nose and stewed cherries on the palate and found hints of vanilla and chocolate their tasting notes allude to. I didn’t pull the coffee note in the finish but did get a nutty undertone that could be considered to run in a similar vein. Orange zest, dried apricot, caramel, allspice, cinnamon, and summer fruits also weave their way in, making for a bourbon that builds off the base whiskey’s roots adding new and interesting flavors.

While the brand is seeing wider distribution and gaining more attention, it’s still somewhat undiscovered in the greater bourbon landscape. It’s still a hidden gem by that measure and pushes the boundaries of a more traditional bourbon flavor profile in the best kind of way.