Dude Looks Like a Dragon

We went into this pick hoping we'd land a toasted Origin. At the same time, we knew what we were up against. Many of these barrels share a familiar profile, and while they're undeniably fantastic, we were hoping to find one that brought something just a little different to the table.

Then we found this. Inspired by the famous line, “never judge a book by its cover”, sung by Steven Tyler from Aerosmith’s smash 1987 hit…Dude, Looks Like a Dragon was born!

It still has those traditional Dragon's Milk tropical notes from New Holland's proprietary ale yeast strain, but they don't dominate the pour. Instead of getting hit with a piña colada and peach explosion, everything feels more complex and balanced.

The nose immediately pulled us in with coffee cake, warm blueberries, confectioners' sugar, and just a touch of bitter chocolate. Those subtle tropical notes are still there, but they're not headlining the act.

The palate follows through beautifully. More spiced oak notes shine on this pour than one would expect making for a nice balance between sweet and savory. Shortbread cookies and passionfruit collide with Mexican hot chocolate and Cappuccino, taking this version of the Toasted Single Barrel slightly outside its comfort zone…and exactly where we like it!

At a touch over 120 proof, it drinks exactly as you'd hope: not too hot but full-bodied and viscous. It's the kind of pour that continues to open and give you new notes each time you take a sip.

Corny 80’s reference incoming… it’s the kind of bottle you’d definitely take on a “Permanent Vacation”.  See what we did there?

Cheers everyone and as always…ROCK ON!

Andy and Todd – 2TEN90