For Derivation Blend #15, I wanted to first showcase the barrels and the aging in which only time can develop. The concentration of our flavors, the initial power of the booze and then the integration of the overall environment of spirit and oak - the reason for the length of aging in which we endure. We had some beautiful brandy barrel-aged imperial stout (our Ellipses recipe), which had been resting since February of 2018. I had earmarked this a while back for a Derivation. As lovely as it was, I knew that I wanted to also add some more assertive barrel characteristics, like those in our bourbon barrel-aged stock, to compliment the overall direction of this beer. I chose the Vibes and OWK recipes, which had been aged in 4 Roses OBSV and Willett bourbon barrels, to round out the blend. January of 2019 and June of 2020 were their barreled dates - the youth keeping the barrel presence in the foreground and laying a path for the thoughtful amount of Papua New Guinea vanilla beans I added to pull it all together.

The aging elegance, balance of flavors, and overall success of BVC has always been a favorite of mine, so I used it as inspiration for this blend. However, I wanted to keep out the drying effect of the cinnamon this time and let the barrel and the vanilla play the starring roles. I am excited to share this stout with all of you and hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy producing these powerfully elegant interpretations of barrel-aged imperial stouts.

The blend (66% bourbon barrel-aged, 34% brandy barrel-aged):
Barrels: Willett 5-Year Rye, Willett 6-Year Bourbon, 4 Roses OBSV, California brandy
Aging: 14 to 42 months
Recipes: Ellipses (...), Vibes, OWK