17 Must-Try Beers for Whiskey Advocates

Whiskey. Every libation-loving person across the world knows about this wonderful beverage, which refers to a barrel-aged distilled spirit made from fermented grain mash of malted barley, corn, rye or wheat. With a wide range of base ingredients, there are a few different monikers with which it can be addressed. After extensive “research” on the subject, we came up with 17 must-try beers for whiskey advocates.

The most common usage is “whiskey” (note the ‘e’ in there). The Scots produce whisky (sans the ‘e’) while bourbon is another type of whiskey, though a large contingent tell us “true bourbon only comes from Bourbon County in Kentucky. Despite the names, the finished product is similar enough to be grouped together yet dissimilar enough to sit, sip and contemplate the differences. Add some peat-smoked malt and you have Islay Scotch Whisky. Last but certainly not least, charring levels can also further influence the finished product.

Regardless of the origin or lore, beer aged in barrels that once matured such spirits is something worth seeking out if you’re a fan of that fabled beverage. That same complexity that exists in a whiskey barrel can transfer into your favorite beer tipple as well, and with that in mind, craft brewers all over have embraced the whiskey and bourbon barrel as a major part of their offerings.

Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)

Founders cave-ages and matures their KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) in oak bourbon barrels for a year. This (along with a judicious amount of coffee) creates a wonderful breakfast beer – Kentucky-style, of course. The opaque black liquid offers pleasant light coffee, vanilla and oak notes from the barrel alongside bigger, richer aromas and flavors of roast malt and a kiss of sweet Kentucky Bourbon whiskey. This beer is available March and April every year and ages quite well; also look for its rarer cousin, Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS), which Founders ages in Bourbon barrels that previously held maple syrup and releases in December.

AleSmith Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout

AleSmith takes a queue from the whiskey industry in their Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout – they blend multiple barrels of this barrel-aged beauty to create a smooth, highly drinkable ale. The rich, roasty dark malt and locally roasted coffee beans create wonderful complexity after a year in the variety of Bourbon barrels. Sip and savor it now or age it for a couple of years and explore how it changes over time, as the barrel provides scintillating new elements of vanilla and oak. AleSmith’s Speedway Stout enjoys wide notoriety and the brewers and workers there enjoy creating many Speedway variations. To celebrate its versatility, they hold a Grand Prix of Speedway every year during San Diego Beer Week (early November) where they feature up to 16 variants. It is indeed a versatile beer and their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout variant continues to be a popular choice. While this is a limited release beer, the 2018 vintage just came out – grab it now!

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout Elijah Craig (12 Year)

FiftyFifty Brewing of Truckee, California brews an Imperial Stout that is aged in a variety of bourbon or whiskey barrels annually. While AleSmith above relies on barrel blends, FiftyFifty creates the equivalent of single barrel variants. Within 2017, the brewery released varieties such as Belle Meade Bourbon, Elijah Craig 12-year Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, Joseph Magnus Bourbon and Willett Bourbon. This allows us to pick out the spicy rye character of, say, the Belle Meade version. The base beer is an opaque, thick, black Imperial Stout full of rich, roasted malt complexity. The barrels each impart their own uniqueness, with the Elijah Craig 12-year being one of my favorites (though I have a few more to try). Consumers tell the varietals apart by the wax color, and so far, the brewer has shown an amazing ability to produce quite the color palette when it comes to wax.

Baladin Xyauyù Fumé (Islay Whisky)

Aged for 12 months in Islay Scottish whisky barrels, this variant of Baladin Xyauyù offers a natural peaty flavor to one of Birrificio de Baladin’s already complex beers. This English Barleywine features a rich, bready, kettle-caramelized malt character with low hop bitterness and a high, warming alcohol content at 14 percent ABV. A true sipper and one that deserves the proper temperature to allow the peaty Islay Whisky to shine through.

Cigar City Bourbon Barrel-Aged Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout

Cigar City’s Hunaphu’s Imperial Stout enjoys a cult following, and even has an annual celebration held in its honor. Rustic wood character and Bourbon spiciness from its time spent resting in white oak barrels ratchets up this impressive Imperial Stout to new heights. The base Hunahpu’s Stout is brewed with ancho and pasilla chile peppers, cinnamon, vanilla and cacao nibs, and is a contemplative, complex beer even without the added wrinkles from its time in barrels. This is an exclusive beer and will certainly test your resources to find and enjoy.

Boulevard Smokestack Series Whiskey Barrel Stout

Boulevard’s Smokestack Series offers complex, big and bold beers, and the Whiskey Barrel Stout certainly fits that bill. This bold variation provides robust dark malt flavors of espresso, chocolate and roast alongside dark malt-derived dark fruits (dates and plum). The barrels provide vanilla and whiskey character to round out the experience. According to Boulevard, the final product includes nearly a third of freshly brewed beer while the balance is aged in first- or second-use whiskey casks.

Dark Horse Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th Imperial Stout

Dark Horse says they brew this with a “top secret root.” While no such sorcery exists in bourbon, the time this beer spends in those barrels creates its own brand of magic. The bourbon barrel-aging here adds a leathery complexity along with smooth bourbon notes and light oak tannins. The beer pours opaque black and boasts a creamy tan head. Following this is heavy roast malt then light oak, Bourbon and chocolate notes. After an hour of contemplation, I still cannot pick out their top-secret root addition. But, if one does, will they tell you? Probably not. This beer is available every year in December, but only at Dark Horse’s 4 Elf Party.

Deschutes The Abyss

Deschutes releases this dense, deep barrel-aged Imperial Stout once a year to steep critical acclaim. The base Imperial Stout includes blackstrap molasses, licorice and cherry bark with added vanilla. After taking that grand brew and aging it 12 months in bourbon barrels, Deschutes have themselves an “abyss” of complexity. Notes from the various barrels it lives in (12 months in bourbon barrels and new Oregon Oak barrels) take on the molasses and licorice to create a thought-evoking experience.

Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel Bourbon

Dieu du Ciel’s Péché Mortel has spent time on many people’s Top 50 Beers lists, and their bourbon-aged variety deserves similar praise. Soft vanilla, fresh oak and a peppery spice lent by the bourbon barrel add complexity to this opaque black Imperial Stout. It features huge coffee notes, roasted malt and dark fruity characteristics as it slowly warms in the glass.

Great Divide Barrel Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

This beer is aged for at least 12 months in whiskey barrels, and at least once, Great Divide forgot about the beer and it ended up staying for nearly 20 months in the barrels – Stranahan’s Colorado whiskey barrels, that is. Huge dark fruits and complex, roasted chocolate malt support the oak and vanilla character imparted by the whiskey.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

According to Goose Island, this ever-popular whale was brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at the original Clybourn brewpub. Aged for 150 days in the barrels, this Imperial Stout has smoke flavors alongside the rich, roasted coffee malt character. The bourbon sweetness mixes nicely with the secondary rich malt caramel sweetness.

The Lost Abbey Bourbon Barrel Aged Serpent’s Stout

The Lost Abbey are known for their stylish Belgian-inspired ales and high-quality barrel-aging program. This bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout features the typical thickness of its base style, as well as a pungent and rich chocolatey, roasty malts. The bourbon adds a pleasant warmth and complexity without overwhelming the base. Enjoy this one with some age on it as it cellars well.

Mikkeller George! Barrel Aged (Bourbon Edition)

Mikkeller George! Barrel Aged (Bourbon Edition) is one of four George! variants. This variant, aged in bourbon barrels, picks up sweet vanilla, light oak and smooth notes from its time spent in the barrel. Complementing this is a sweet, chocolaty and roasty malt, as well as dark dried fruits. The base variant − a high-alcohol Imperial Stout − is phenomenal in its own right, and the bourbon adds yet another layer of boozy complexity.

North Coast Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin XX

Starting on its 12th anniversary, North Coast started producing and bottling barrel-aged renditions of its popular Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. Eight years later, Old Rasputin XX (the 20th anniversary version) is now available wherever North Coast beers are distributed. The base beer is dark black (nearly opaque) with a rich, roasted malt complexity. The burly bourbon barrel doubles down on the robust roast character of the base beer, and some boozy vanilla elements, courtesy of the barrel, help to make this a memorable brew.

Oskar Blues Barrel Aged Ten Fidy

Oskar Blues crushed the craft beer can ceiling years ago when they released Ten Fidy in 12-ounce cans, something that blew my mind at the time and continues to provide nostalgic memories today. Fast forward a few years and now Barrel Aged Ten Fidy rests quietly in cans. Spice, wet oak and a hint of vanilla are provided by a blend of bourbon barrels and take up residence alongside the bold Ten Fidy Imperial Stout base beer. Heavily hopped at 75 IBU’s, the bourbon and hops balance well in this iteration, producing a rich marriage between bourbon and Imperial Stout.

Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout

Debuting in 2013 (and given a 97 rating by us in 2016), this wild collaboration between Stone Brewing’s Greg Koch, actor Wil Wheaton and Fark.com’s Drew Curtis features a rotating gallery of special ingredients — as well as an impressive barrel-aged element. For its 2017 rendition, the three collaborators employed pecans, wheat and rye, and aged the beer in bourbon barrels. The rye provides a spicy profile while the pecans offer up an earthy smoothness, which is all brought into sharp relief by the boozy vanilla sweetness from the bourbon barrel.

3 Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout – Bourbon Barrel Aged

Dark Lord Day garners special attention from beer connoisseurs every April, and that is where you’ll find 3 Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout and one or more of its variants. Three Floyds uses barrels from distillers such as Heaven Hill and Woodford Reserve and calls upon them to yield a subtle, smooth bourbon character to this otherwise bold Imperial Stout. The Bourbon Barrel Aged variant is as big as the others, rich and sweet with dark roast, chocolate and coffee malt characteristics, as well as prunes and figs, and a pleasant, spicy vanilla note from barrel usage.