Bourbon County Brand Stout - Reserve 2018
Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Series Out of Production|
Score
8.13
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The same base recipe as Bourbon County Stout Original, but this beer is aged in 12 year old “Elijah Craig Barrel Proof” bourbon barrels. The bourbon from those barrels was awarded 2017 “Whisky of the Year” by Whisky Advocate, the top honor in the world of international whisky. Reserve is intended to showcase the nuances of a premium single source and highly sought after bourbon.
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8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle 1pt0.9floz. @ home - [ Virtual Tasting 💻👀 ] - fonefan & Brugmansia House. 🏡🇩🇰 🍀 ☁️☂️ [ As Goose Island Reserve Bourbon County Brand Stout (2018) (15,2%) 12 års Elijah Craig BA Imperial Stout ]. ABV: 15.2%. [20260514]. 8-/4/8-/4/18
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 May 2026
at 17:55
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at ash's. Pours deep ruby, nose is chocolate, roasted, caramel, berries, vanilla, taste is dry fruit, roasted, chocolate, vanilla, quite boozy. 8/9/8/8/8
Tried
on 18 Apr 2026
at 10:36
9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
27 February 2026. BCBS Tasting @ Stacks (Sint-Kruis). Cheers to Ward for hosting the event!
Jet-black, no head. Intense bourbon, vanilla, molten fudge, oak, salmiak, espresso. Sweet date & dried fig, vanilla, thick dark-chocolatey malt body with creamy vanilla, touch of umami (salty salmiak). Peppery hops, very oaky, somewhat sharpish boozy bourbon alcohol but still supported by the maltiness. Full body, oily texture, soft carbonation. On the sharp side, but it does lend a slightly deeper bourbon complexity. Very good.
Jet-black, no head. Intense bourbon, vanilla, molten fudge, oak, salmiak, espresso. Sweet date & dried fig, vanilla, thick dark-chocolatey malt body with creamy vanilla, touch of umami (salty salmiak). Peppery hops, very oaky, somewhat sharpish boozy bourbon alcohol but still supported by the maltiness. Full body, oily texture, soft carbonation. On the sharp side, but it does lend a slightly deeper bourbon complexity. Very good.
Tried
on 27 Feb 2026
at 14:31
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
0,75l bottle at home. Vintage 2018. black color, small tan head. smells bourbon, vanilla, light soy sauce, nutty, walnuts, hazelnuts, molasses. nice to very nice smell. full body, light carbonation. tastes bourbon, vanilla, nutty, some dried fruits, tad boozy, light fudge, coconut, spices. finishes lightly sweet with notes of bourbon, vanilla and fudgy notes. very nice one, smells had some oxidation notes, but taste was very nice, lots and lots of bourbon. Light booze, but thankfully only hints of sweet. very good one.
8, 7.5, 8.5, 8, 8.5
8, 7.5, 8.5, 8, 8.5
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jan 2026
at 18:17
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle thanks to Stuu's Chicago adventure. Pours black with a thin beige head. Aromas of molasses raisins and soy sauce. Taste is raisins, honey and a bit of PX sherry. Peppery finish.
Tried
on 29 Sep 2025
at 14:52
8.5/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 9
Overall 9
Bottle thanks to Stuu's Chicago mule run.
Appearance - opaque jet black with a thin crema head. Not much carbonation.
Nose - molasses and raisins, a bit of soy sauce or tapenade.
Taste - dried fruit, particularly raisins, honey and a bit of PX.
Palate - full bodied, peppery spice from the barrel and then sweet.
Overall - lovely stuff.
Appearance - opaque jet black with a thin crema head. Not much carbonation.
Nose - molasses and raisins, a bit of soy sauce or tapenade.
Taste - dried fruit, particularly raisins, honey and a bit of PX.
Palate - full bodied, peppery spice from the barrel and then sweet.
Overall - lovely stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Sep 2025
at 14:27
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8
bottle at ashs ...dark black ...rich woody chocolate roast malts nose ..dark sweet plums chocolate ..rich malts ...woody ..big bourbon ..rich chocolate roast malts
Tried
on 29 Sep 2025
at 14:23
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
2018 bottle, tasted 2025..dark brown, fizzy brown to light brown head that soon goes away.
mild and tempered roasted malty aroma with notes of fine mellow velvety booze, chocolate. not sure if the booze or the age but this one is milder and less complex in the aroma than their 30yr anniversary i tasted just before. charred wood, wood, sweet licorice. no alc bite. quite okay aroma but a bit too neutral and mild.
Flavor is sweet syrup or honey, roasted malts, sweet licorice, wood, faint toasted malts, very velvety and blended, tastes like the best gourmet luxury chocolate dessert cake you can imagine. The bourbon is detectable as part of the great taste, i noticed it more after a few sips and after having identified the other stuff. The bourbon is actually quite tastable once identified. like an iceberg.. you only notice the top first.
flavor is bordering too boozy, but only bordering. could be better if it was a bit less boozy.
mild and tempered roasted malty aroma with notes of fine mellow velvety booze, chocolate. not sure if the booze or the age but this one is milder and less complex in the aroma than their 30yr anniversary i tasted just before. charred wood, wood, sweet licorice. no alc bite. quite okay aroma but a bit too neutral and mild.
Flavor is sweet syrup or honey, roasted malts, sweet licorice, wood, faint toasted malts, very velvety and blended, tastes like the best gourmet luxury chocolate dessert cake you can imagine. The bourbon is detectable as part of the great taste, i noticed it more after a few sips and after having identified the other stuff. The bourbon is actually quite tastable once identified. like an iceberg.. you only notice the top first.
flavor is bordering too boozy, but only bordering. could be better if it was a bit less boozy.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Kihoskh
on 10 Sep 2025
at 13:51
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Dark brown. The aroma is fantastic on this, a very refined bourbon, toasty, a bit of brown sugar. On the palate, the age only shows in the lowish carbonation, leaving a slightly oilier body than most. The barrel is still refined, with dark sugars, a bit of toastiness and a shot of warming alcohol. Some fruitiness in the finish showcases a strength of the base beer, while it retains more sugar and body than some of the other variants I've had. Excellent.
Tried
on 28 Jun 2024
at 04:48
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
500mL bottle, pours black with a small tan head. Aroma has a nice bourbon barrel character, with a hint of smoke, and toasted malt base. Flavour is dominated by the barrel, with lots of bourbon barrels, plenty of booze, and a hint of roast. Very integrated; the base beer is present, but mostly serves as a vessel for the great barrel character. Excellent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jun 2024
at 04:45