In the world of craft, there are two kinds of beer drinkers — the people who down a brew as soon as they get it home and the Cellar Cats.

Catch a Cellar Cat in their natural habitat, and you’ll find them meandering about an assortment of boozy Barrel-Aged brews that they’ve collected over the years. Because to them, a beer that’s been aged is as precious as a diamond.

And few bottles are as precious to the Cellar Cats of the Pacific Northwest as today’s Splinters Bourbon Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale.

Because when it comes to beer styles born for Barrel-Aging, Scotch Ales are at the top of the list! Especially since their candied fruit-maltiness grabs more flavors from the barrel than other high gravity brews. 

And today’s coveted pour comes from Washington's Black Raven, a brewery absolutely adorned in North American AND Washington Beer Award medals for their boozy Barrel-Aging skills. 

Splinters is aged for six months in Westland Whiskey Barrels, melding together a warm bourbon spice with a dessert-like range of flavors. Nuances of Chocolate Malts sneak out from behind the spicy, liquor-soaked wood, turning every sip into a drizzle of milk chocolate infused with ripe raisins and toffee. 

But with a 10.8% ABV warmth and a dryness that leaves hardly a footprint on the finish, every bottle of Splinters is a smooth-sipping luxury. With a 4.16 rating on Untappd, this is the kind of Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale you can keep in the cellar for years, waiting until that perfect moment to pull it out and let those flavors shine. 

Even for craft fans whose perfect moment is right “meow,” Splinters’ layers of rich, oaky bourbon will dazzle as they swig it down right away!

Cellar Cat or not, this is one precious diamond of a beer that you don’t want to miss. 

If you let this year’s Splinters slip through your fingers now, the only chance you’ll have to taste it will be a wild goose chase through the PNW.

Rated 4.16 on Untappd

Tavour strictly supports independent beer. Black Raven Brewing Company is certified independent by the Brewers Association