Hint of stout beer | Maple syrup | Faint chocolate | Marshmallow fluff | Gently roasted malt | Vanilla | Oak

Roasted malt | Stout beer | Light vanilla | Rye spice | Oak | Caramel | Light syrup

Gentle rye spice | Fleeting syrup | Dry oak | Roasted nuts | Leather | Incredibly dry

Town Branch Maple Barrel Stout Finished Bourbon is a multi-year experiment in the making. The company states that “in late 2021, Lexington made its first release of Kentucky Maple Barrel Imperial Stout after 18-months of aging in barrels that had previously held Kentucky bourbon whiskey and then maple syrup as a second fill.” These barrels were used to age the company’s bourbon, with the first batch being rested for a year which was released in 2022. The next batch of barrels from this initial fill, which comprises this year's Town Branch release, rested for a total of 2 years. The company has a few of the original barrels still aging bourbon with a planned release in 2024, which will see a release that has been finished for a total of 3 years.

The barrels used in the formation of this whiskey could certainly tell a story based on all of the individual components they helped shape over the years - all of which are readily on display. Having had the opportunity to taste the Kentucky Maple Barrel Stout beer from the barrels that this bourbon was then aged in, it very clearly influenced the resulting whiskey. Opening on defined notes of stout beer, maple syrup, and faint chocolate, these scents play nicely together, with one never trying to overpower the others. The palate again displays roasted malt and stout beer in prominence, with the syrup component stepping aside, playing less of a leading role. The finish again highlights the same cast of characters, however, it replaces roasted malt for roasted nuts and over-indexes on drier components. Even with its overly dry finish, this is a nicely composed stout finished bourbon that will be of particular interest to beer lovers who are a fan of this genre.