Yellowstone Toasted Oak Stave Breaks New Ground for an Iconic Brand

You might not expect a brand founded in 1872 to continue innovating some 150 years later, but Yellowstone Bourbon aspires to “keep things fresh” with new and exciting explorations of its iconic bourbon. That has led to the Special Finishes Collection, first launched in November of 2023, and spearheaded by Toasted Oak Stave.

If bourbon must inherently be aged in an oak, the Special Finishes Collections is an expedition and examination of different, secondary maturation vessels. With Toasted Oak Stave, the classic, heritage four-year-old Yellowstone Bourbon is mixed with an exciting blend of High Toast, American Oak, Double Toast, Rickhouse, High Vanilla and Spicerack staves—meaning each has been uniquely toasted and charred to elicit such aromas and flavor characteristics from the wood.

Yellowstone’s seventh-generation master distiller, Stephen Beam, of the historic Beam family, began experimenting with toasted barrels in 2016, just a year after he helped revive the legendary brand, which was initially created to honor America’s first national park. He produced several Yellowstone Limited Edition releases; while Yellowstone Toasted Single Barrel had originally been a distillery-exclusive release.

“My experience helped in crafting what stave flavors to use and at what percentage to get the right flavor profile for Yellowstone Toasted,” Beam explains.

At 100-proof, the more widespread release is a bourbon packed with toasted caramel and vanilla on the nose, with hints of fall spices like cinnamon. On the palate, the bourbon leans more towards notes of walnut, toffee, black tea, and white pepper. The finish is crisp oak, with a touch of cocoa and tobacco.

At an SRP of $49.99, it is also bourbon that can be enjoyed neat, on ice, or in a signature cocktail, like the Campfire Espresso. An ounce and a half of Yellowstone Toasted is combined with three-quarter ounces of both espresso liqueur and amaro, along with a quarter-ounce vanilla extract. Stirred on ice until chilled, strained into a coupe, and garnished with ground coffee on the rim, this is a rich and robust cocktail that will warm you up in the chilly evening better than throwing a few logs on a flame.

With such flavor and versatility, it’s no surprise that Yellowstone Toasted recently received a Double Gold award at the 2024 San Francisco Wine Spirits Competition, the highest honor at the world’s most prestigious spirits competition. With continued innovation in future Special Finishes Collection releases, you should expect Yellowstone Bourbon to keep racking up awards over the next 150 years.

Purchase the release here.