Maple syrup | Sandalwood | Toasted oak | Cinnamon sugar | Dried fruit | Soft & subtle

French toast | Sweet oak | Molasses | Toasted cinnamon | Brown sugar

Maple pecan pie | Amaretto | Vanilla | Touch of lemon | Light dry oak | Lingering cinnamon spice

New Holland Brewing Company’s toasted series continues to be highly anticipated among bourbon drinkers in the know, with bottles released at their Michigan locations followed by limited online sales as well. This is the first drop of the year, with batch designations of 2026A, 2026B, 2026C, and 2026D. While the other three of the 2026 releases were finished in two secondary barrels, 2026A was only finished in toasted barrels.

When you think of toasted barrels and maple syrup, the immediate flavor that comes to mind is French toast - and you definitely get that with batch 2026B “Quiet Luxury." But what is more surprising is how pulled back and tempered the flavors are despite its maple finishing, which typically exerts its influence heavily, especially at higher proof.

At the top of the sip, the bourbon’s aroma is gentle in its assertiveness. Maple syrup provides the base with sandalwood and toasted oak working above it. Cinnamon sugar and dried fruit prove to have effective contrast. The palate starts with the aforementioned French toast note, before sweet oak, molasses, toasted cinnamon, and brown sugar layer in as you expect they would. The finish mixes things up with maple pecan pie against amaretto, vanilla, and lemon, that almost enters into a bourbon-maple-amaretto sour cocktail territory. The sip ends with lingering cinnamon spice for good measure.

I’m quite surprised at how balanced and tempered batch 2026B ended up. Many of Dragon’s Milk’s Origin Toasted Barrel releases lean hot and combined with the influence of maple syrup, I didn’t expect these results. “Quiet Luxury" is a better whiskey because of this. The majority of its flavors are complementary yet are able to still have distinctness. When variation is required, molasses, amaretto, lemon, and cinnamon spice do a great job providing such. Batch 2026B “Quiet Luxury" is another successful release from New Holland, that further shows variations the company can spin on their toasted oak finishing releases.