Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

16.9 ounce bottle, 2024 vintage, drink by date of 04AUG29 stamped on the label. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with not quite an inch tan head that stuck around a while. Small amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells mostly like vanilla, along with some roasted malt, caramel, dark chocolate and some oak. Doesn't smell like whiskey at all. The taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some rye, bourbon, burnt/charred malt and some licorice flavors noticeable too. As with the aroma, I think the vanilla stands out in the taste. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and a bit creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this stout a lot, but I was hoping for more rye and bourbon here. The vanilla overpowers the other flavors so I recommend this more to people who really like vanilla. With that being said it's still tasty and worth trying if you get the chance!

 

Pours dark and thick with a brown head that dissipates rather quickly. The aroma is oak, vanilla, maybe some cinnamon and, oh yes, bourbon. The taste follows the aroma with maybe a bit of chocolate and marshmallow added in. It's thick in the glass and in the mouthfeel. Overall, it's a great beer just a bit too sweet for my tongue.

 

Dark pour with a small brown head and minimal carbonation. Smell and taste are - not surprisingly - very vanilla forward. A very good BA stout, but not my favorite from Goose Island.

 

 

 

 

Lord it’s strong. Nice and dark. Minimal carbonation. Definitely heavily on vanilla.
Tastes a bit like syrup of some type. I get some cherry as well.

 

(review from December 2024) Never got to try the 2014 version so no way to compare, interesting to see others' reviews. To my tastebuds/nose, got the vanilla aroma immediately that faded fast. Got the boozy/rye/spicy/whisky/roasty/choco/malty notes too plus a huge vanilla taste that seemed to go back & forth between being just present & being a gut-ache-inducing-oversweet-tung-scrapin'-waay-too-rich-diabetics-run-screaming-from-this-one WOW! As it warmed up the vanilla tamed a bit.

Tasted in a snifter glass. Poured dark brown color with no head. No foam at all on this pour. Smell is vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, dark fruits. Taste is bourbon barrel up front, middle sees that dark fruit, molasses, brown sugar, finishes with cocoa, vanilla, coffee. Feel is full bodied, very low carbonation, thick and coating. Overall, very sweet beer, but flavorful and inviting. I bought a few bottles and I am glad I did as this really sits well with me.