Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

Initial aroma of whiskey, vanilla, spice, chocolate and coffee. All those came through in the flavor. Bourbon was smooth and mild at first, but got much stronger as it warmed. Really good, and unbeliveably smooth for the ABV.

Relatively fresh 12oz bottle, 2006. Opaque black pour with a quickly diminishing dark tan head. Sweet dark dark chocolate with some sweet bourbon notes. The body is silky smooth but its really nothing special. 6/3/6/4/16

2006 bottle now close to 3 years old. Pours an inky black. Not much head to speak of. Aroma is dark dark chocolate. I say that because it is sweet, not burnt or roasty. The flavors are also very rich and sweet. I’m not detecting the bourbon but for just a hint in the finish. The flavors are well-blended and either my palate has changed or this seriously improved with age. This is a classy imperial stout at this point. Its too bad I hadn’t set aside more. This is really smooth and fresh tasty. No oxidization - really fantastic. 7/3/8/5/18

12 oz bottle: Opaque black color with small light tan head. Aroma has fair amount of bourbon, slightly pungent, vinegary notes, hint of bittersweet chocolate and vanilla. Flavor has smooth chocolate, faint touch of bourbon, chewy malt backbone, with a mildly sweet finish.

Actually tasted like a glass of Bourbon. I drank a few other very strong stouts before this so my taster was a little umm..... actually I was totally tanked by the time I tried this. I do remember the strong whiskey taste. I will try and re-rate later.

I may have sat on this one abit too long, but its still great, abit watery on the first sip, but the aftertaste is great, with alot of bourbon flavor lingering, along with a hint of vanilla, and even abit of grass, well done brew! Thanks Duane!

A chocolate, charcoal. and whiskey filled aroma. This one has a very big whiskey flavor. Some dark chocolate and coffee showing. The alcohol shows through on this one. It could stand to mellow some but its still very good.

12 oz bottle

An excellent, well done bourbon barrel stout that was almost worth the cost. If only I would have shopped around I might have saved $3 on my six pack. Oh well - buy it if you can find it; it won’t last long.

Aroma / Appearance - Deep cherry black with a thin tan colored head. Hints of walnuts, cocoa, cherries and coffee beans mingled with the obvious bourbon notes to form an inviting aroma.

Flavor / Palate - The bourbon is the first thing to hit the senses, followed by cherries, expresso, roasted malt and some subtle hotness of alcohol. The mouthfeel is extremely dense and packed with flavors. Although it is not as thick as Bell’s Expedition or Old Rasputin, it does manage to hold its own as an imperial stout. The creamy and smooth finish top off what is a great beer for a cool spring evening or the wintertime. I’m not sure if this has the potential to hold up that long though; try it fresh before cellaring.

Poursa deep opaque brown hue with a short lived tan head. Aromas of coffee, maple and hints of salt. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with flavors of chocolate, a little milk and light sourness and a mellow bitterness...