After an inadvertent 2 week break the finished whiskey series is back with part 19 and Belle Meade’s Black Belle. As a fan of Belle Meade, barrel aged stouts and finished bourbon I was very excited for this one. Belle Meade sends used bourbon barrels over to Blackstone Brewing who then barrel age their stout in them before sending them back to Belle Meade who uses them to make Black Belle. There are a few different releases but I couldn’t dig up a definitive list.
Review #245 Belle Meade Black Belle
Age: NAS
Abv: 96.8 proof
Price: $150
Cask: #4167
Neat
Nose: Softer than I expected with cinnamon, caramel, malt and a slightly bitter note I couldn’t place.
Taste: The beer influence is heavy with sweet cream and malty beer notes and subtler brown sugar and rye spice. Nice mouthfeel, especially considering the proof.
Finish: Long and disjointed with the sweetness lingering on the tongue but with rye spice and cinnamon in the throat.
Conclusion
That was unique; the well aged MGP bourbon notes and the imperial stout notes were both present but it was almost like I was tasting them separately and not mingled together like I would expect. This led to a sort of disjointed tasting experience but the notes were all pleasant. Overall I enjoyed this dram but wouldn’t buy another bottle though I’d definitely like to try some of the other casks! It didn’t live up to my expectations though I had probably gotten my hopes up a bit too much.
TL;DR: Interesting dram for sure but nothing amazing. Glad I bought one, won’t do it again.
7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar
Scale
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