Blackberry | Chocolate mousse | Blood orange | Spiced apple | Charred oak

Black raspberry | Raisin | Dark cherry | Candied fruit | Caramelized sugar | Sweet oak

Dark chocolate | Blackberry | Fig | Concord grape | Light clove spice | Dry oak

This release marks the 11th expression in Limestone Branch Distillery's annual Limited Edition series. According to the company, finishing in both ruby and tawny port barrels was inspired by the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park. “This year's expression reflects the contrast between light and shadow that defines one of the park's most iconic landscapes. The opposing elements guided Beam to finish the bourbons separately – in Ruby Port to evoke the brilliant flare of the canyon's sunset and Tawny Port to reflect the deep shadow of the valley floor - before bringing them together into a single expression.”

At this point, port finishing might be the most common of bourbon finishing styles right behind Cognac. Despite its high frequency on store shelves, there is a surprising amount of variety among them. Part of that has to do with the three different types of port finishing. For this release, Master Distiller Stephen Beam chose two of the three, focusing on ruby and tawny port, which help give the bourbon its decidedly day-and-night flavor profile just as it was designed to have.

The bourbon’s aroma is wildly varied with scents of blackberry, chocolate mousse, blood orange, spiced apple, and charred oak. The palate layers in black raspberry, raisin, and dark cherry against even sweeter notes of candied fruit, caramelized sugar, and lavish sweet oak. The finish skews darker thanks to slightly bitter dark chocolate, blackberry, fig, concord grape, and a late-breaking clove spice against dry oak.

Crafted from an undisclosed blend of 7 and 14 year old bourbons, with more 7 year than 14 year, Beam assured us that there is still a “significant” amount of older bourbon in the blend. The bourbon was blended prior to entering its ruby and tawny port finishing barrels with a 50:50 split, and was finished for about 3 months.

This year’s Yellowstone Limited Edition continues the brand’s track record of interesting, solid, and thoroughly enjoyable releases that amazingly don’t break the bank compared to other limited releases. Some port-finished bourbon can be overdone, leaving a wine-forward aftertaste that overshadows both the base bourbon and nuance of the finishing barrels. While there is only a slight touch of that on the whiskey’s finish, the overall sip is thoroughly enjoyable. The bourbon base is accounted for and isn’t completely overpowered, but the real star is the bourbon’s finish. Fruity throughout and definitely sweet, there are enough dark flavors to provide a degree of balance. Given the satisfying sip and the overall complexity of its finish, this year’s release might be one of the better values in limited edition bourbons.