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This recent batch of Bourbon County beer has been particularly good. I don't know if there are more derivations out there, but I will absolutely drink them, if I come across them. This one is the weakest of this particular bunch, weighing it at simply 14.5% ABV instead of the 14.6% ABV that the previous two beverages have flexed with. I'm not sure that that extra 10th of a percentage is really going to make that big of a difference. The alcohol is one of the defining characteristics, but it's not the driving factor of the flavor of these beers.
This looks just like the others, but I couldn't generate any head. There are suggestions of bubbles floating on top, but that was as close as I could get. I wonder if the process of adding cherries has done something to the carbonation of the beverage. None of these have been particularly heavily carbonated in the first place, and aging them in barrels is not going to do that any favors. I'm pretty sure I smelled cherries in the last one I had, even though cherries weren't on the label. This one has cherries on the label, and it is attempting to justify that label by having quite a bit of cherry in the aroma. The heavy alcohol and wood are still there, and they are joined by Earth, but the cherries are the literal cherry on top.
First step is strong. If anything, I would have guessed that the alcohol content of this beverage was higher than the previous two. The alcohol is very forward, and it is bringing the wood and syrupy texture with it. The cherries are, indeed, the cherry on top. They almost feel like an extra ingredient that has been tossed in and was not necessary. I was hoping to find the complexity of dark fruits and cocoa that I tasted in the last one, but this one seems a lot more straightforward. There's nothing wrong with a straightforward beer, and that is especially true of a beer that has a significant amount of alcohol to overcome with flavor. You don't want a brewer to get too complicated for his own good.
Tip-in is syrupy sweet with wood, alcohol, earth, and the syrup that you might find cherries floating in. The center of the beer becomes almost like a sherry with wine notes that are highlighted with alcohol and fruits. The finish brings orange zest to the earth, caramel, syrup, and overall sweetness.
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Bottom Line: Another delightful beverage.
4.25/5
