Toasted cinnamon | Sandalwood | Maple syrup | Brown Sugar | Dried fig | Potpourri mix

Cinnamon simple syrup | Brown sugar | Maple syrup | Chai tea | Vanilla | Caramel

Spicy oak | Black pepper | Molasses | Hickory syrup | Rolo candy | Light cola

Green River Toasted Double Oak Bourbon marks the first release in the company’s new Distillery Select series, which they say features some of the most standout barrels from the distillery and will be released with different proofs, finishes, and/or highlight specific rickhouses. At over 8 years old, Green River Distillery Select: Toasted Double Oak Bourbon Batch 001 also features the company’s oldest bourbon released to date, and will be released in 375mL bottles.

Toasted barrel finishes are nothing new, but certain distillates take to them better than others, as the highly rated New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk Toasted Barrel Bourbon releases show. Green River Bourbon typically features a rich, brown sugary, and caramel cream candy flavor profile, and as this release proves, it is an excellent pairing agent with toasted oak barrel finishing.

Green River Toasted Double Oak Bourbon is a rich bourbon through and through. The aroma jumps out of the glass at 115.1 proof thanks to its forceful toasted cinnamon, sandalwood, maple syrup, and brown sugar scents. Many of these flavors carry over to the rest of the sip with the addition of chai tea and more vanilla on the palate. The finish changes things up by interjecting spicy oak and black pepper into the mix, which are common notes found in recent years in Green River bourbons. Where sometimes it can be a bit too overpowering in their standard releases, the toasted oak barrel finish tempers the spice perfectly, and the bourbon's overall sweet notes become better balanced.

Being the oldest bourbon released by Green River Distilling so far, oak does play a more prominent role compared to prior releases. It adds to an overall richer tasting sip, which brings with it more weight. It never gets to be overbearing thanks to the bourbon’s overall sweetness and the toasted barrel finish's overall effects on the entire sip.

At no point does Green River Toasted Double Oak Bourbon shy away from its toasted barrel finish. It’s big, and it completely overtakes the sip, yet it also knows how to play nice. It complements rather than fights the Green River Bourbon’s base flavors. Where toasted barrel finish bourbon can teeter into bitter oak territory, the amount of sugary flavors helps to balance that. Green River Toasted Double Oak Bourbon is an excellent first release in the company’s Distillery Select series, and their claim of “showcas[ing] some of the best whiskey coming out of this venerable Owensboro distillery” is justified in this release.