Bourbon County Brand Cherries Jubilee Cask Finish (2025)
Goose Island Beer Co.
- From:
- Goose Island Beer Co.
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
Ranked #449 - ABV:
- 14.5%
- Score:
- 95
Ranked #2,131 - Avg:
- 4.28 | pDev: 6.31%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 53
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 31, 2026
- Added:
- Nov 10, 2025
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 9
SCORE
95
World-Class
95
World-Class
As stout ages, Goose Island’s brewers often observe a range of fruit expressions that emerge from the barrel and from time itself. Inspired by the flambéed dessert classic Cherries Jubilee, 2025 Bourbon County Brand Cherries Jubilee Stout captures the essence of cognac-soaked cherries and caramelized citrus.
The beer began its aging journey in freshly emptied bourbon barrels, which impart rich layers of oak, warm vanilla, and subtle baking spice. It was then finished in cognac barrels, adding elegant notes of dried fruit and contributing to a rich, full mouthfeel.
Following the aging process, the stout was blended with Montmorency cherries, citrus, and panela–resulting in a velvety, decadent beer with flavors of candied dark cherry, soft vanilla, and a caramelized citrus finish.
The beer began its aging journey in freshly emptied bourbon barrels, which impart rich layers of oak, warm vanilla, and subtle baking spice. It was then finished in cognac barrels, adding elegant notes of dried fruit and contributing to a rich, full mouthfeel.
Following the aging process, the stout was blended with Montmorency cherries, citrus, and panela–resulting in a velvety, decadent beer with flavors of candied dark cherry, soft vanilla, and a caramelized citrus finish.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mushroomcloud:
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas
3.74/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.74/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
16.9oz bottled 7/24/25, opened 2/28/25.
Thin tan "head" dissapears immediately. Midnight black body. Zero lacing.
Tart cherry on boozy fudge brownie. Some wood in the finish.
Full body, low carbonation and a soft, velvety mouthfeel. A little tart, sweet, boozy, and tongue scrubbing in the finish all at the same time. Long, sweet finish.
Very Good.
Mar 29, 2026Thin tan "head" dissapears immediately. Midnight black body. Zero lacing.
Tart cherry on boozy fudge brownie. Some wood in the finish.
Full body, low carbonation and a soft, velvety mouthfeel. A little tart, sweet, boozy, and tongue scrubbing in the finish all at the same time. Long, sweet finish.
Very Good.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by vette2006c5r from Minnesota
4.26/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.26/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bourbon County Brand Cherries Jubilee Cask Finish pours black, with no head. The aroma is very sweet, sugary cherry desert notes. The flavor is much the same: very sweet and sugary, with a cherry dessert note. Good feel. Overall, a very sweet, nice sipping beer.
May 31, 2026
Reviewed by smcolw from Massachusetts
3.92/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
3.92/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
No head and therefore no lacing. The liquid is a dark brown color with no light coming through the edge.
Chocolatey with a brandy like background. Alcohol is subtle but still boozy. Very rich aroma.
The flavor is even stronger than the aroma. Very boozy. I pickup on the barrel aging, but I don’t get the "cherry" flavor. The body is very thick and the carbonation is low enough to make this an oily feel.
May 23, 2026Chocolatey with a brandy like background. Alcohol is subtle but still boozy. Very rich aroma.
The flavor is even stronger than the aroma. Very boozy. I pickup on the barrel aging, but I don’t get the "cherry" flavor. The body is very thick and the carbonation is low enough to make this an oily feel.
Reviewed by jvgoor3786 from Arkansas
4.25/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Tasty treat but very sweet. The cherry flavor is minimal. Good caramel and chocolate. The cherries come through on the finish. Enjoyable but it's very sweet.
May 17, 2026
Reviewed by jrmills20 from Minnesota
4.4/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.4/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Rich black pour, with no head and minimal carbonation. The smell is of cherries, and the taste is cherries, chocolate, and a tiny bit of vanilla. This separates me from the consensus, but this is my favorite of the recent Goose Island stout variants.
Apr 19, 2026
Reviewed by ChicagoJ from Illinois
3.66/5 rDev -14.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.66/5 rDev -14.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3/14/26 - (Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased at store temperature from Jewel-Osco on clearance for $17.08 including tax, and refrigerated until opening this morning. 16.9 oz bottled July 28, 2025 at 11:47 AM. 14.5% ABV, Cherries Jubilee Cask Finish Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels and finished in cognac barrels with Montmorency Cherries, orange zest, panela, and natural flavors. Contains wheat. Perfectly aged, ever evolving. Brewed, Bottled, & Barrel-Aged by Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, Illinois.
Appearance: Near black base, pours still, no head which is unusual for this series. 3.75
Aroma: Cherries all day cold. Cherries and a little cardboard nearing proper temps, no complexity this base or beer typically delivers. Meh. 3.25
Taste: Cold initial sips exclusive slightly tart but mostly sweet cherries. Getting better yield than the nose delivers, cherry retains the lead, but getting a nice cognac flavor, the bourbon peaks through and then broadens with warmth. Boozy and sweet, but in a good way. 4.0
Mouthfeel: Sweet, drinks strong and sweet. Minimal carbonation from bottle open forward, watery and mid body, sweetness adds more perceived syrupy depth than actual. Cherries tartness grows which works for me, cherry cough drop finish. 3.5
Overall: This is a sweet variant, though typical for the variant releases this decade. You get cherries as advertised, but give me the OG blended version for a better experience. 3.5
Mar 14, 2026Appearance: Near black base, pours still, no head which is unusual for this series. 3.75
Aroma: Cherries all day cold. Cherries and a little cardboard nearing proper temps, no complexity this base or beer typically delivers. Meh. 3.25
Taste: Cold initial sips exclusive slightly tart but mostly sweet cherries. Getting better yield than the nose delivers, cherry retains the lead, but getting a nice cognac flavor, the bourbon peaks through and then broadens with warmth. Boozy and sweet, but in a good way. 4.0
Mouthfeel: Sweet, drinks strong and sweet. Minimal carbonation from bottle open forward, watery and mid body, sweetness adds more perceived syrupy depth than actual. Cherries tartness grows which works for me, cherry cough drop finish. 3.5
Overall: This is a sweet variant, though typical for the variant releases this decade. You get cherries as advertised, but give me the OG blended version for a better experience. 3.5
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)
4.16/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
4.16/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
Amazing tasty cherry stout, getting the cognac. Delightful sips. Good mouthfeel, great blending of complex layers of the cherry, more cognac than cherry.
Mar 08, 2026
Reviewed by robwired from Kansas
4.64/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.64/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
A snaky foam circled about when poured into a tulip glass, but no head.
There's a definite presence of oak in the nose, followed by the aroma of cherries.
There's a fizzy feeling in the first sip, carbonated effervescence. The flavor is cherries, but let it sit on the tongue and the notes of the bourbon and cognac barrels emerge. The second sip reveals a milkiness blended with vanilla and a hit of alcohol.
Mouthfeel is creamy and thick, a little sticky.
Now the finish. It's nice, like roasted cherries and a warming bitterness.
Mar 06, 2026There's a definite presence of oak in the nose, followed by the aroma of cherries.
There's a fizzy feeling in the first sip, carbonated effervescence. The flavor is cherries, but let it sit on the tongue and the notes of the bourbon and cognac barrels emerge. The second sip reveals a milkiness blended with vanilla and a hit of alcohol.
Mouthfeel is creamy and thick, a little sticky.
Now the finish. It's nice, like roasted cherries and a warming bitterness.
Reviewed by Tony210 from New Jersey
4.25/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours very dark with minimal fizzy head. I get the cherries in the aroma but also a lot of booze. Loads of cherries and chocolate up front, very nice barrel presence. Carbonation adds to a creamy texture. Overall, glad I tried it. Very tasty.
3/5/26
500 ml bottle
4.25 rating
Mar 06, 20263/5/26
500 ml bottle
4.25 rating
Reviewed by mpruden from Ohio
4.52/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.52/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 500 ml bottle about seven months after it was filled, into a tulip glass.
Look: Very dark brown with a reddish tint. Few bubbles even with a fairly aggressive pour; no head or lacing.
Nose: Nothing intense; still very pleasant — milk chocolate, cherry, and bourbon. A hint of vanilla as it warms.
Taste: Oh, this is really good! Attack follows the nose exactly, then the cherry blooms even more. The cognac and bourbon both come through. Finish continues the alcohol and resolves with just enough bitterness from the dark roast to balance the attack. The alcohol warms gently all the way down. Oak then comes through as the beer warms.
Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy, heavily coating the tongue. Sufficient carbonation evident in the mouthfeel.
Overall: This is an outstanding dessert sipper, and is certainly sufficient for dessert all by itself, though we’re enjoying it even more accompanied by roasted, unsalted Macadamia nuts. An expensive pour, and worth every red cent.
Feb 28, 2026Look: Very dark brown with a reddish tint. Few bubbles even with a fairly aggressive pour; no head or lacing.
Nose: Nothing intense; still very pleasant — milk chocolate, cherry, and bourbon. A hint of vanilla as it warms.
Taste: Oh, this is really good! Attack follows the nose exactly, then the cherry blooms even more. The cognac and bourbon both come through. Finish continues the alcohol and resolves with just enough bitterness from the dark roast to balance the attack. The alcohol warms gently all the way down. Oak then comes through as the beer warms.
Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy, heavily coating the tongue. Sufficient carbonation evident in the mouthfeel.
Overall: This is an outstanding dessert sipper, and is certainly sufficient for dessert all by itself, though we’re enjoying it even more accompanied by roasted, unsalted Macadamia nuts. An expensive pour, and worth every red cent.
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania
4.43/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.43/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
On draft, in snifter glass
Black, with thin tan colored head that fades. Aroma of boozy cherry and Cognac. Taste is softer, but nice depth to the flavor. Fuller bodied, smooth. Overall this variant exceeded my expectations
Feb 25, 2026Black, with thin tan colored head that fades. Aroma of boozy cherry and Cognac. Taste is softer, but nice depth to the flavor. Fuller bodied, smooth. Overall this variant exceeded my expectations
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