Apple | Bright citrus | Apricot | Brown sugar | Honeycomb

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Butterscotch | Orange rind | Candied orange | Brown sugar | Honey | Apricot

Dried apricot | Orange rind | Brown sugar | Honey | Lingering sweetness

Returning from a year-long slumber, the Dragon’s Milk Origin X Dungeons & Dragons mashup returns with a second release, Black Dragon Edition. Following last year’s inaugural release that also correlated to the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, this year’s version was also finished in mead casks, is bottled at 100 proof, and comes packaged in a box along with a dragon-inspired pourer. This release totals only 3,696 bottles and is a distillery/online release.

Finishing in mead barrels is surprisingly rare in the finished bourbon space. Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from honey, water, and yeast, as opposed to grains and hops like beer is. It's considered its own category of alcohol, distinct from beer, and is one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages, which is why you often see it in medieval and fantasy-based entertainment, and why pairing it with a Dungeons & Dragons collaboration makes so much sense. Mead is typically aged, and its alcohol content is often much higher than that of a typical beer, making it more akin to wine or high ABV dark beer.

Like the previous release, New Holland Spirits has dialed in this collaboration release quite well, striking a nice balance of flavors and opting to bottle at 100 proof, which I think is the sweet spot for a collaboration release like this one as it will draw in Dungeons & Dragons fans who are not prepared for something barrel proof, but maintains enough intensity to satisfy the bourbon diehards who appreciate full-flavored, higher proof pours. The sweetness from the mead finishing is ever-present, but doesn’t overpower the base bourbon, which carries through Dragon Milk’s distinct citrus-forward flavor profile. The mead finishing predominantly comes in the form of brown sugar throughout the sip, various layers of honey, a hint of butterscotch on the palate, and a lingering sweetness in the finish.

Dragon’s Milk Origin X Dungeons & Dragons: Black Dragon Edition is a continuation of a clever tie-in between two brands that just works, with the resulting finished bourbon serving as either an excellent sipping bourbon or a potential collector’s bottle. Like the first edition, Black Dragon Edition is a distillery exclusive that is available locally or online via the company’s website.