I first encountered Silverback Whiskey in New Orleans at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival about five years ago. I met Christine Riggleman, the founder of Silverback Distillery, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia along the Rockfish River, and tasted their whiskey at the festival and I liked what I tasted. It was still very young whiskey, but I could tell that she took pride in the whiskey she was making. Step forward to 2024 and Rosemary and I are having lunch at North of Bourbon in Louisville when we see a guy walk in with a Silverback Distillery t-shirt and realize it is Jeremy Schell from the Bourbon Show and the Bourbon Daily podcasts. We say hello and get to talking and the next thing I know he is offering me a bottle of Silverback Stout Barrel Finish Bourbon to review. We took the bottle home and Matt and I sat down to taste it. Here are our tasting notes.
Silverback Stout Barrel Finish Bourbon
Proof: 105
Age: Three Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Coffee stout beer, corn, citrus, oak wood.
- Matt: Coffee beans, citrus, oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Coffee stout beer, vanilla, baking spices, citrus, oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the coffee is enhanced and a bit of chocolate comes out with cinnamon spice. Tasted with a pecan and it is strong in chocolate and oak flavors.
- Matt: Caramel, coffee, blackberries, oak wood. The dried cranberry added a nutty flavor and a note of chocolate. The pecan enhanced the coffee flavor with chocolate and hazelnuts.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with oak wood, a bit of baking spices and lingering coffee flavor. The dried cranberry made the finish long with oak and cinnamon. The pecan made the finish long and dry with oak, coffee and a hint of baking spices.
- Matt: Medium long with oak, stout beer and a hint of cocoa powder. The dried cranberry made the finish shorter with oak and coffee. The pecan added a note of tobacco to the finish.
I would pair this whiskey with a cigar that has rich vanilla and tobacco notes in the smoke. I would reach for a Don Pepin Garcia Original cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller