Score: 96
Tap pour served in a Goose Island branded plastic cup and enjoyed on 05/18/14 at Goose Island's Chicago Craft Beer Week barrel warehouse event.
Appearance: Traditional bourbon county appearance. Inky black body, with a thin layer of mocha head. Poor lacing and retention, but big oily legs. Swirling the beer browns the plastic cup nicely, a familiar sign of Bourbon County's heft. 4.75/5
Smell: The nose is quite boozy and has a prominent fusel character that reminds me more of whiffing a dram of scotch than a wheat whiskey. Mixed among the booze is chocolate, oak, butterscotch and sweet whiskey caramel. A little vanilla too. The nose has some really nice pieces beyond the upfront alcohol singe of the nose hairs, but it is quite rough around the edges. 3/5
Taste: The taste is substantially smoother and better integrated than the nose. The upfront flavor is an explosion of fudgey chocolate brownies, followed by vanilla, wood, sweet caramel, coconut and a kiss of graham cracker. Quite incredible. No biting alcohol sting here, but a nice lively bourbon character is present. Excellent, lasting finish. 5/5
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, spot on low carbonation for the flavor profile and heft of this brew. Creamy mouthfeel, with bold, mouth-coating flavors. Sweet, but not cloying. The alcohol character here helps cut through the sweetness and aids the drinkability relative to regular Bourbon County. 4.75/5
Overall: Outside the nose, this beer was elite. Imagine a fudgier Bourbon County, with a ramped up fudge factor. Unfortunately, the nose was a bit of a mess -- at least from this keg.
Cost: Unknown (pour included in ticket price).
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