Leather | Orange Zest | Seasoned oak | Apricot

Caramel | Honey | Toasted oak | Citrusy undertone | Apricot | Caramelized sugar

Wave of baking spices | Caramel | Honey | Lingering rye spice | Savory on the backend

New Holland Brewing Company has a unique style that permeates throughout their line of whiskeys. This is likely due to the fact that they distill on a prohibition era pot still as opposed to the more common column still, and their bourbon has a mashbill that swaps the typical rye and malted barley percentages, with 25% malted barley and only 5% rye. This has resulted in bourbons that have lively flavor profiles often underpinned by unique summer fruit and citrus notes. Their toasted series takes that one step further, finishing in toasted oak barrels.

Batch 2025D “Call Me Old Fashioned” is part of the distillery’s first four bottle release in 2025, and for the first time, each toasted finished bottle is a small batch as opposed to a single barrel. 2025D is first finished in a toasted oak barrel before being finished for a second time in barrels that previously held rum. This is the second rum finished release from Dragon’s Milk, with the first being 2024D “Sweet Tea,” which we reviewed last year and awarded a high rating.

Batch 2025D, “Call me Old Fashioned” has the distinct base of flavors Dragon’s Milk Toasted Origin series releases are known for, with a citrusy undertone that weaves its way throughout the sip. Leather, seasoned oak, and apricot are complemented by orange zest on the nose. The midpoint has plenty of flavor to offer, with caramel, honey, toasted oak, apricot, and caramelized brown sugar. A wave of baking spices washes over into the finish, which is joined by honey and caramel before transitioning back to a lingering, savory rye spice.

This edition of rum finished Origin Series leans more savory than its predecessor, and the rum influence is less pronounced. The 2025D rum finished batch doesn’t quite achieve the intensity that last year’s single barrel release managed to achieve, which married the rum finishing with New Holland’s unique tasting bourbon so effectively. Still, it’s a delicious whiskey and an easy buy recommendation for fans of the brand, or really anyone who has yet to experience the Dragon’s Milk Toasted Origin series.

Historically, these bottles have only been released locally, however that changed with this release. A total of 444 bottles were released locally on March 22nd, with the remaining bottles being sold online on the company’s website starting on March 31st.