Bourbon County Brand Bardstown Cask Finish Stout (2024)
Goose Island Beer Co.
- From:
- Goose Island Beer Co.
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 16%
- Score:
- 97
- Avg:
- 4.45 | pDev: 5.84%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 27
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- May 18, 2026
- Added:
- Nov 22, 2024
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 7
SCORE
97
World-Class
97
World-Class
As the creators of the first-ever bourbon barrel-aged stout, we have long sought to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of beer. That’s why, when crafting this year’s 2024 Bourbon County Brand Cask Finish Stout, we were thrilled to work with our friends at Bardstown Bourbon Company.
Drawing inspiration from Bardstown’s modern and creative spirit in finished whiskeys, this imperial stout takes the same journey as their Origin Series Rye. We began by aging our imperial stout in Bardstown’s freshly emptied straight rye whiskey barrels. From there, we transferred the beer to “hybrid” oak and cherry wood barrels that finished their rye whiskey. These incredibly expressive barrels deliver a remarkable finish unlike anything seen before in the Bourbon County family. A beautifully balanced beer, Bourbon County Bardstown Cask Finish Stout is deeply expressive with vibrant cherry, toasted oak and a lingering herbal finish.
Drawing inspiration from Bardstown’s modern and creative spirit in finished whiskeys, this imperial stout takes the same journey as their Origin Series Rye. We began by aging our imperial stout in Bardstown’s freshly emptied straight rye whiskey barrels. From there, we transferred the beer to “hybrid” oak and cherry wood barrels that finished their rye whiskey. These incredibly expressive barrels deliver a remarkable finish unlike anything seen before in the Bourbon County family. A beautifully balanced beer, Bourbon County Bardstown Cask Finish Stout is deeply expressive with vibrant cherry, toasted oak and a lingering herbal finish.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mdfb79:
Rated by mdfb79 from New York
4.42/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Dec 25, 2025
4.42/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Dec 25, 2025
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Mdog from Minnesota
4.3/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Black, small head fades out quickly.
Smell: Smells really good, rich chocolate, vanilla from the barrel, a little cherry note.
Taste: Chocolate up front, then a kind of cherry note (that is how I sometimes interpret alcohol). After warming up, it is smoother, more chocolate without the stabs of alcohol. Thick body. Finishes with plenty of chocolate and wood.
Overall: A beer given to me for my birthday, this is a tasty barrel aged stout. Not sure how much different it is from regular Bourbon County. Pretty strong booze note that I get from most/all of the Bourbon County line.
Jan 25, 2026Smell: Smells really good, rich chocolate, vanilla from the barrel, a little cherry note.
Taste: Chocolate up front, then a kind of cherry note (that is how I sometimes interpret alcohol). After warming up, it is smoother, more chocolate without the stabs of alcohol. Thick body. Finishes with plenty of chocolate and wood.
Overall: A beer given to me for my birthday, this is a tasty barrel aged stout. Not sure how much different it is from regular Bourbon County. Pretty strong booze note that I get from most/all of the Bourbon County line.
Reviewed by blueshawk69 from Kansas
4.25/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
(review from December 2024) Where to start? Exceptionally well balanced & smooth 4 a 16%er (but only smooth as it warms up & you along with it) plus too many flavors to mention, good but not as thick palate heft as previous BCBS variants; big mouthcoating, lingering backend & at least so far after 30 minutes the barrel aging is still there. Is it worth $35/bottle? Weeell, maybe, especially for a one-time fling or an X-mas/holiday treat. As the good Dr. Gonzo said, "Buy the ticket, take the ride"
Dec 31, 2025
Reviewed by Stooven from Illinois
3.67/5 rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.67/5 rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Last December, I found this on 1/2 price clearance(!) after a grocery store's winter clearout. So it's a year+ old. Also, I only buy one of these varietals per year, so I'm not up on all the plot points.
Poured 1/3 bottle into a stout snifter. Formidable looking darkness. Head/foam: gone instantly. Smell: toffee, artificially flavored coffee. Mouthfeel: my year of aging shows no signs. Surprisingly peppery alcohol taste, like the ghost of the vanished carbonation. Flavors layer into the tongue gently after the initial shock, though the occasional alcohol pulse -- like tiramasu -- returns. Some bread. Definitely booze.
Not bad. Glad I didn't pay full fare.
Dec 27, 2025Poured 1/3 bottle into a stout snifter. Formidable looking darkness. Head/foam: gone instantly. Smell: toffee, artificially flavored coffee. Mouthfeel: my year of aging shows no signs. Surprisingly peppery alcohol taste, like the ghost of the vanished carbonation. Flavors layer into the tongue gently after the initial shock, though the occasional alcohol pulse -- like tiramasu -- returns. Some bread. Definitely booze.
Not bad. Glad I didn't pay full fare.
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington
4.55/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.55/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a thin dark khaki head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bakers chocolate, rye whiskey, molasses and a little oaky vanilla. Flavor follows, with dark toasted malt, rye whiskey, bakers chocolate, molasses, a touch of soy sauce; light oak and vanilla. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. I was expecting to find this not that much different than base BCBS, but this is a notch above that fine baseline. The rye whiskey character is quite clear and adds a lot to the overall flavor. Excellent barrel oak and vanilla. Dark, rich and well balanced. It is a stellar barreled stout. I'm surprised to be thinking that this was worth the premium on this variant, but glad I sprung for it.
Dec 04, 2025
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio
4.5/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
16.9 ounce bottle, drink by 25SEP29 stamped on the label. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch or so tan head that didn't stick around for too long. Small amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like cherries, roasted malt, vanilla, oak, rye whiskey, caramel and oak. Taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some burnt/charred malt, earthy and dark bready flavors. All the flavors are well balanced but there's a good amount of barrel character here. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and rich with a moderate amount of carbonation. Still a little boozy but that's not a bad thing in this case. I liked this one a lot, definitely worth trying if you get the chance!
Nov 29, 2025
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.35/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pitch black opaque body with a small brown head. All aspects have a very nice bourbon barrel forward character. Yet the feel is not super kush, warm and toasty but more shallow than expected given past select barrel variants. Char, black strap molasses, malt, slight caramel, and dark chocolate in taste. Where nose is more focused on the barrel, molasses, malt, and roast. Nice variant
Sep 30, 2025
Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois
4.78/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.78/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Standard appearance for the style - dark, slightly active head and lacing. Smell stays with what one would expect from the BCBS base: dark roasty malt, bourbon barrel, and Chicago River, and then there are musky woody and sweet fruity scents on the undercurrent. Sweet dark fruit flavors are on the taste above the barrel aged stout base that makes them so good. Mouth watering finish, a big bodied beer that’s somehow subtle, boozy, just a hint of oily thickness. I was excited to see what the hype was about on this one, and if I see one still at the store next time I go, I’m buying one to age.
Aug 25, 2025
Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois
4.59/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.59/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
500ml bottle, 2024 bottle date, poured into a stemless wine glass. Enjoyed on 01.29.2025, reviewed from Tasting Journal.
The beer pours a jet black color, very thick and syrupy, no discernible head and no lacing. The aroma is fantastic, tons of chocolate, burnt wood, very oak, lots of char, vanilla, stone fruits, spicy and hot spirit, caramel, brown sugar, earthy leather. The flavors are great, bittersweet dark chocolate, charred oak, toasted coconut, spicy yet rich rye spirit, caramel, brown sugar, stone fruits and vanilla. The mouthfeel is excellent, coating, syrupy, sludgy thick body, lively and hot finish.
Verdict: An outstanding barrel treatment for Bourbon County. Fantastic barrel character, excellent rye expression, tons of rich and nuanced flavors from the stout, masterfully balanced.
Aug 06, 2025The beer pours a jet black color, very thick and syrupy, no discernible head and no lacing. The aroma is fantastic, tons of chocolate, burnt wood, very oak, lots of char, vanilla, stone fruits, spicy and hot spirit, caramel, brown sugar, earthy leather. The flavors are great, bittersweet dark chocolate, charred oak, toasted coconut, spicy yet rich rye spirit, caramel, brown sugar, stone fruits and vanilla. The mouthfeel is excellent, coating, syrupy, sludgy thick body, lively and hot finish.
Verdict: An outstanding barrel treatment for Bourbon County. Fantastic barrel character, excellent rye expression, tons of rich and nuanced flavors from the stout, masterfully balanced.
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