The Last Call

     When I saw that New Holland Brewing had released another Dragon’s Milk bourbon expression, I was immediately interested. Dragon’s Milk stout has been one of those beers that has always stood out to me. It was one of the first craft stouts I really enjoyed, and over the years I’ve watched New Holland continue to experiment and expand that lineup in some really creative ways.      What makes this release especially interesting is that it takes something already unique, a bourbon finished in Dragon’s Milk stout barrels, and adds another layer by moving it into a freshly toasted barrel afterward. Beer barrel finished whiskey is still a smaller category compared to the explosion of wine, sherry, and other secondary finishes we see today. Seeing a craft producer lean into stout barrels, especially their own stout barrels, is something I always enjoy because it creates a direct connection between their brewing and distilling sides.      The q...

     Virginia Distillery Company has quietly become one of the more interesting names in the American single malt category. Between their focus on blending, finishing techniques, and pushing deeper into brewery collaborations, they’ve carved out a lane that feels genuinely creative instead of gimmicky. Their earlier Goose Island collaboration already proved they understood how to handle stout finishes without completely overwhelming the whiskey underneath, so expectations were high heading into this Old Rasputin release.      That curiosity only grows once you realize this wasn’t a quick secondary finish tossed together for marketing. This is a six-year-old American single malt aged in ex-bourbon barrels before spending roughly ten months in Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout casks. For beer lovers, especially fans of that rich North Coast stout profile, this bottle immediately sounds like something special. The real question becomes whether the stout fini...