Fireside Port Finish Single Barrel Bourbon Review [In Depth]
Fireside Port Finish Single Barrel Bourbon
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Fireside Port Finish Single Barrel Details
Distillery: Mile High Spirits
Type & Region: Bourbon, Colorado, USA
Alcohol: 52.8%
Composition: 70% corn, 20% rye, 10% malted barley
Aged: 5 years
Color: 1.7/2.0 on the color scale (burnt amber)
Price: $65
From the company website:
Aged for 4 years in a new American white oak barrel, we finished this bourbon with a year of aging in a 225 liter French Oak barrel that previously held an Australian Tawney Port. Off the first smell, the wine invites you in with figs and dates, and our whiskey boasts notes of chocolate, toffee, and nuts. The taste is a harmonious match up between our spice and ground pepper bourbon with nutty, savory, port wine. The result is a whiskey both your father and your wine aunt will love Cheers, Everyone.Fireside Port Finish Single Barrel Bourbon overview
In my next exploration of Mile High Spirit’s single barrel bourbons, I try their Fireside Single Barrel Port Finished Bourbon. I am a huge fan of finished bourbon in virtually any form, so I am hopeful that this is going to be great. Just in case you don’t know, Mile High Spirits is a Denver, Colorado-based distillery that was founded in 2011. I don’t know how wide the distribution is, but as-of this review, I can’t get this anywhere near where I live.
So what we have here is their 4 year old homemade bourbon, distilled using Colorado-grown grain and aged in Denver, then finished in a 225 liter (59.44 gallon) French Oak barrel that used to hold Australian Tawny (it’s not Port) for 1 year. First off, that 225 liter barrel isn’t much larger than a full-size bourbon barrel (53 gallons). The barrel for this review is barrel 21 L09.sr.46.
Second, one year is a long time to finish bourbon in a cask of that size, especially when most others are doing it for 3 months max, often in larger casks. I appreciate the time and effort needed to finish a whiskey for 1 year, because master blenders have to be very careful not to let the finish take over the entire bourbon. It’s a delicate balance that can go wrong if not carefully monitored. I’m personally excited to try a bourbon finished in fortified wine for 1 year.
I have a bone to pick with Mile High Spirits, because this is where terminology is important. This bourbon isn’t actually finished in a Port cask, even if it’s printed on the label. Port must be made in Portugal, and therefore any Australian-made fortified wine in the same style cannot be called “Port”. Just like how bourbon must be made in the United States, Scotch in Scotland, and Cognac in France. Someone in another country or region can follow all the same processes to make virtually the same thing, but they still can’t call it that protected term because it’s in a different place.
From my quick internet search, the proper term is “Australian Tawny”. “Port” has been removed…because it’s not made in Portugal. As a result, this bourbon was actually finished in an Australian Tawny cask. If Mile High Spirits wanted to be correct, they would replace every mention of “Port” with “Australian Tawny”. For the sake of this review and what’s printed on the bottle (knowing that it’s incorrect), I’m still going to refer to this as Fireside Single Barrel Port Finished Bourbon. Please remember that it’s not actually Port.
This type of Port-like fortified wine is usually very sweet and full of dense prunes, dates, berries, dark honey, and old oak among other things. It can be quite intense, and it’s not for everyone. With a finish like this, you can expect the bourbon to pick up some amount of dark fruit and general sweetness as it extracts it from the oak over time. I like this type of finish.
Wording can be fixed but you’re stuck with the bourbon, but let’s find out if this bourbon has been properly crafted in this Fireside Single Barrel Port Finish review (remember that it’s Australian Tawny).
Thank you to Mile High Spirits for sending this bottle. All opinions are still my own.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Fireside Port Finish Single Barrel Bourbon smell
Fireside Port Barrel Finish Bourbon starts with caramel, pine, dark cherry, roasted oak, cinnamon, vanilla, pumpernickel, dried citrus peel, botanicals, eucalyptus, cola, coffee, a little dark chocolate and mint, and stronger heat than a 52.8% ABV bourbon should have. I’m a little apprehensive because the Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon was also very hot, and this occasionally has the kick of a 65% ABV bourbon. I really hope this doesn’t turn into a hot mess.
On another note, this is a dark, earthy, and fruity bourbon with a lot of pine-y and gin-like botanicals. I’m a little conflicted about the scents. On one hand, they’re quite dark, rich, and interesting. On the other, they often feel muted, muddled, and kind of hot.
After swirling I smell caramel, pine, dark berry and cherry, roasted oak, caraway seed, cinnamon, toasted marshmallows, orange peel, gin botanicals, eucalyptus, coffee, and a hint of mustiness. Fireside Single Barrel Port Finish is sweeter now, but still quite earthy and botanical-y to the point that it also feels like it was finished in a gin cask.
Thankfully, the heat is less intense, although I still wish it were calmer. I’ve had some very calm 50-55% ABV bourbons, and this is still on the hotter side. Either way, it’s an improvement and I’ll take what I can get.
Even after 1 year of finishing, the port finish feels appropriately strong. It’s present and adds dark fruitiness, but it’s not overpowering to the point that it smells like straight port. I like that too by the way, but not everyone does.
Overall Fireside Single Barrel Port Finish Bourbon is dense, varied, and enjoyable, although a bit hotter than I’d like. The Tawny (not port) finish fits right in and elevates the scents.
Fireside Port Finish Single Barrel Bourbon taste and aftertaste
The flavors start with caramel, dark cherry, roasted oak, cinnamon, dates, vanilla, pumpernickel, caraway seed, toasted grains, pine, mint, and cola. I can immediately tell that the underlying bourbon is very earthy and rye-forward. Think bread made from 100% rye.
I’m relieved that my first sip is already way better than the scents ever were. There’s solid viscosity and great richness with a lot of dark sweetness and fruitiness, and the heat is well-controlled. Not having to deal with brash heat is also a major relief. The port finish fills out the fruitiness, which I suspect helps balance out the earthiness and oakiness, and it feels at home in this mix.
At the same time, Fireside Port Barrel Finish Bourbon isn’t that deep, layered, or complex. The range is nice, but at the moment it feels a little simple.
After “chewing”, I taste caramel, dried cherry and berry, vanilla, roasted oak, caraway seed, pumpernickel, cinnamon, and milk chocolate. The port finish infuses jammy fruitiness and sweetness that feels right at home in the bourbon. It has enough presence and helps unite the sweetness, fruitiness, and earthiness into a well balanced experience.
The finish starts with caramel, blueberry, caraway seed, pumpernickel, roasted oak, eucalyptus, mint, and pine with lingering honey, date, blueberry, cinnamon, oak, and caraway seed. After “chewing”, I get caramel, blueberry, orange peel, eucalyptus, caraway seed, roasted oak, and cinnamon. Nothing really leaps out at me, but it’s a pleasant finish.
As delicious as this is, this is where I wish the ABV were a bit higher. Fireside Port Finished Bourbon doesn’t have quite as much body and fullness as I’d like. It’s not remotely close to being thin, but it doesn’t have the expressiveness and depth that I want. Some of it could be remedied with a higher ABV, and some of it probably has to do with the base bourbon.
As a massive finished bourbon fan, I like this a lot.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.Fireside Port Finish Single Barrel Bourbon Rating
Fireside Port Finished Bourbon is a winner. While it may not have gotten quite to “Top Shelf”, it’s close and I’m happy with what it offers. All it really needs is maybe an extra 4-5% ABV to get it to “Top Shelf”, assuming that this is not cask strength to begin with. Before I keep going with my conclusion, you’ll still hate this if you dislike finished bourbon and/or port wine. This will not change your mind on finished bourbon.
Now, I’m going to assume that if you’re still reading, that you enjoy finished bourbon and/or port wine. First off, I’ve never had Australian Tawny wine, so I don’t know how similar or different it is from Portuguese Port wine. I do know that I’m a huge fan of port-finishes and this one feels right. To be honestly, I probably couldn’t tell the difference between Portuguese Port and Australian Tawny.
Now, I’m going to assume that if you’re still reading, that you enjoy finished bourbon and/or port wine. First off, I’ve never had Australian Tawny wine, so I don’t know how similar or different it is from Portuguese Port wine. I do know that I’m a huge fan of port-finishes and this one feels right. To be honestly, I probably couldn’t tell the difference between Portuguese Port and Australian Tawny.
The finish infuses a meaningful amount of dark fruit to fill out the base Fireside Bourbon, which is likely very earthy and botanical, and makes it feel even more interesting. As of this review, I actually haven’t had the single barrel rye’d bourbon yet so I can’t definitively say what the base bourbon is like, but I have a general idea. Regardless, the finish and bourbon are a great match, so I hope Mile High Spirits does more of these in the future.
There are a few things I wish could be different / changed. First off, I’d love a little more expressiveness. The traits are all there, but they never quite leap out of the glass or pop. It’s not flat or lifeless, just not as vibrant or lively as I’d like so it fully shows off what it has. Second, I wish that the flavors were a bit fuller. Maybe a slightly higher ABV would help fix that. Either way, I think one and two are related.
If you’re looking for a not so expensive finished bourbon that delivers a great experience, Fireside Port Finished Bourbon is a great one to consider. So many finished bourbons are $80+, so $65ish for a tasty option is attractive. This is probably one of the better values in finished bourbon.
For me, I will happily keep drinking this bottle while I have it.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
There are no sponsors, no media companies, and no nonsense. Support The Whiskey Shelf by Buying Me A Shot.
Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
