Michigan’s New Holland Brewing doesn’t just brew beer—the company also distills and produces its own line of spirits, including bourbon and whiskey, rum, gin, and more. Its signature spirit line is perhaps its Beer Barrel Bourbons, which play to the company’s strengths:

A unique, first-of-its-kind bourbon. Beer Barrel Bourbon is aged in new American oak barrels before finishing in our legendary Dragon’s Milk barrels. The Dragon’s Milk barrels provide a softer, more rounded flavor with notes of vanilla and smooth dark malts.

Dragon’s Milk, of course, is New Holland’s bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, aged in the company’s own barrels—so the Beer Barrel Bourbon line comes full circle.

The brewery recently released two new year-round variations in the Beer Barrel Bourbon line, and sent me bottles of each to review: Baked Apple Pie and Sweet Heat, both new forays into flavored whiskeys for this particular line. The reasoning behind them were highlighted in the press release:

“Flavored whiskeys are a burgeoning segment of the spirits industry, so we’re excited to add both of these bourbons to our Dragon’s Milk portfolio,” [distillery brand manager Adam] Dickerson said. “Baked Apple Pie and Sweet Heat are unique, delicious options for bourbon drinkers looking for new ways to enjoy their favorite drink. Both recipes are versatile and open up more occasions for our fans to enjoy our whiskeys.”

Both are 70 proof (35% alcohol by volume) and finished in Dragon’s Milk barrels. So, how do they drink?

Baked Apple Pie

Anything called “Baked Apple Pie” is going to be dessert-like, and this bourbon is no exception. It’s a pretty straightforward flavor combination: apples and cinnamon, and the website (and label) notes “pastry crust” as a descriptor but I can’t say if that’s just the power of suggestion, or there was something else unspecified also present.

The press release notes:

Baked Apple Pie ($29.99 MSRP) features those same rounded flavors, while real cinnamon and apple juice add notes of freshly baked pie.

My notes: The nose is full of Jolly Rancher apple candy with a light dusting of spicy cinnamon…it’s apple candy all the way. The flavor is more subtle and this is where baked, caramelized apples comes through, rich, with a blooming spicy heat at the back that reminds me of Vietnamese cinnamon emphasized by the booze. The flavors also remind me more of straight baked apples in a touch of syrup rather than apple pie, but it’s nicely sweet without going over and it’s quite pleasantly warming. Smooth.

Sweet Heat

To my mind, Sweet Heat is inherently more interesting than Baked Apple Pie because of the flavor combination at play here, with arbol chilis and white peach. From the press release:

Sweet Heat ($29.99 MSRP) is a bourbon built for sunsets and evenings on the back porch. Featuring real Arbol chiles, white peach and hints of smoked oak, this bourbon starts sweet and finishes with a subtle spice. This unique sipper is also a great addition to your whiskey-based cocktails.

My notes: A touch lighter in hue that the Baked Apple Pie. The aroma is more straight bourbon with a hint of earthy-fruity pepper. The flavor has a really nice, understated sweetness of light, fresh peaches, and then the heat from chilis blooms—at the back, the sides of the tongue, cheeks, throat—which abates fairly quickly, though some lingers and reminds you it’s there. There’s sweet peach in the end too, which brings a real “Southern” vibe to the sip. It’s nicely smooth and spicy-hot but quite pleasant.

Overall, both are definitely interesting, smooth, sipping bourbons, and worth checking out if either of the flavors sounds intriguing.

Coming soon: Boilermakers! You know I had to pair these with the beers New Holland also sent!