Backbone Bourbon Company Single Barrel Imperial Stout Finished Bourbon “Selected by Taxman” Review

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Located just five minutes down the road from my house is a brewery in Bargersville, Indiana called “Taxman” that I have long been a fan of. Their beer is beer selection is as creative as it is delicious and their food (they’re also a restaurant) is some of the best in the area. These two things have helped them expand to two different locations around Indianapolis where they continue to enjoy success.

If you’re from Indianapolis and already know about Taxman, did you know about their history of bourbon finished in one of their beer barrels? It’s true. The one that started it all was bottled way back in 2017 when central Indiana’s local liquor behemoth “Big Red Liquors” bottled two private casks of MGP bourbon aptly named “Big Red Liquor VIP #1” and “Big Red Liquor VIP #2.” The second VIP bottling saw 8-year-old MGP bourbon finished in Taxman Stout Casks and bottled at 114 proof. I was lucky to secure the last 5 bottles of it in late 2019 at a random store in Bloomington. It’s been one of the top beer barrel-finished bourbons I’ve ever drank.

Recently at a bottle share I was at, a bottle of Backbone Bourbon was placed in the lineup and immediately caught my eye. I saw “Selected by Taxman” on the side label and instantly knew what it was. The rest of the label reads that it was Barrel #S920 and that it was aged for 60 months. The finishing cask was an Imperial Stout. And while I don’t know this for certain, it is likely the Imperial Stout they’re talking about is their famous “Deduction” kind.

Also, for my readers not familiar with Indiana, the Backbone Bourbon Company also calls Indianapolis its home which makes this release a uniquely Hoosier release. Backbone Bourbon Company has sourced barrels from a few different distilleries over the years, but they primarily deal with MGP as their main source of whiskey. This bourbon is either their high rye or low rye recipe if I had to guess.

Backbone Bourbon has always been one of the top producers when it comes to value. They have routinely priced their bourbons under $10/year aged (which is typically the norm) while offering it at cask strength. And while I’m not exactly sure what this bottle cost, I do know they’re still available to buy at your local Taxman. But how does it taste? Is it still just as good as the VIP #2 from almost a decade ago? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: For people that have not had a beer barrel-finished whiskey before, I imagine that they might come into this thinking it will smell and taste like a beer. That’s not the case here. The nose is still sweet with notes of caramel, cocoa butter and a hint of vanilla. There is the scent of mild roasted hops which offer a deep, rich tone, similar to roasted coffee beans. Speaking of coffee beans, count those as one of the scents I find as well. Behind those are underlying herbal notes which could come from the beer but more than likely comes from the high-rye nature of MGP bourbon.

Palate: The most standout flavor on my tongue is a dark, chocolatey sensation – like the kind you’d find in a good dark stout. The roasted hops note follows from the nose onto the palate as well. A nice helping of baking spice notes (with cinnamon leading the way) powers through the darker notes and makes the palate feel alive. There is heat from a chili powder note and some tannic notes like oak and tree bark. The tree bark may be a stand-in for the earthiness that also seems to pop up from time to time as I sip. It kind of morphs between the two. Anyway, there is still enough sweet flavors to go around and the dram seems balanced overall.

Finish: A very mellow sensation falls over the finish with the baking spices and chili powder from the palate leaving rather quickly. What I find instead is something similar to malted milk chocolate balls (Whoppers) and melted toffee. It’s simple, yet rich and satisfying.

Score: 7.5/10

I think that beer barrels are some of the most slept-on finishing casks in the realm of whiskey. Yet I haven’t had one that I generally didn’t like. Backbone’s “Taxman” stout-finished bourbon didn’t let me down. It’s got beautiful flavor and simply works with every sip. Nothing is weird. Nothing is out of place. It’s just a damn good bourbon that got an extra kick in the pants when it comes to coffee, chocolate and tannic notes. Sometimes that’s all it takes to bring a smile to my face.

Final Thoughts

My buddy, Mike (over at Mostly Peaceful Bourbon) has an interesting follow-up question when he asks me about opinions on bourbons that I reviewed years ago. He asks (and I’m paraphrasing this) “Is that what the old you would rate it or the current you?” The reason why I bring this up with this particular review is because when I go back and look at my tasting notes for VIP #2 and this bottle, they’re very similar – but the scores I have given each are not. And while I know that this bottle is 3 years younger than VIP #2, I also wonder if they wouldn’t be much closer in score if I had them both side-by-side today.

I’ve noticed I’ve become more reserved in my scoring recently and I think it has a lot to do with having experienced so much whiskey that things aren’t that exciting to me anymore and therefore I give them a lower score. Is this the right approach? Or is it just a normal thing that many whiskey reviewers go through? I think it can be both. But one thing is for sure – I like this bourbon a lot and Taxman will always hold a special spot in my alcohol-filled heart. Will I go out to buy this bottle now? You betcha.