Bourbon County Reserve Stout 2025 16.9OZ

Here’s a breakdown of 2025 Bourbon County Brand Reserve Stout — 16.9 oz (aged in barrels from Parker's Heritage Collection / Heaven Hill Distillery).

Overview

• Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co..

• Barrel / Aging: This Reserve Stout spent a full two years in Parker’s Heritage 10-year rye-whiskey barrels (2025 edition, 17th-release of Parker’s Heritage).

• Style: Imperial stout, barrel-aged.

Flavor & Tasting Profile

• The extended two-year barrel aging is meant to draw out deep, concentrated layers of cocoa, dried fruit, spice, and toasted oak. 

• Some early tasters note a strong presence of alcohol at first pour — the nose has “booze mingled with raisinet candy” aromas.

• On the palate, secondary and tertiary flavors (chocolate, oak, dried fruit) can be masked initially by alcohol heat; the finish described by one early reviewer as “dry and powdery, similar to a spoonful of Nestlé-Quik.”

• Because of the high ABV (15.2% per the 2025 lineup listing) and the intense rye-barrel character, many reviewers suggest this stout benefits from cellaring — giving those oak/rye/fruit/oxidation notes time to integrate and mellow. 

What to Know (If You’re Buying/Tasting It)

• The rye-whiskey barrels from Parker’s Heritage tend to impart more spice, tannin, rye-like dryness and structural wood influence compared to straight bourbon barrel stouts. The rye character may give a more rustic, tannic backbone rather than the sweeter vanilla-oak that bourbon barrels often impart.

• Given the aggressive alcohol presence out of the bottle, it’s probably best enjoyed after some aging — or sipping slowly to let the more subtle barrel-aged stout characteristics emerge.

• As with many barrel-aged imperial stouts, serve at cellar / cellar-cool temperature (around 50–55 °F) rather than ice-cold — that helps highlight the complex malt, oak, and rye-barrel flavors without muting them.