Review #149 Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery #7: Bourbon

Score: 9.8 / 10

Distillery: Bardstown "Collaborative" Distillery

Type: Bourbon Whiskey

Bardstown Kentucky boasts a long history of bourbon production, with some distilleries dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The area's distilleries have played a significant role in the development and preservation of bourbon as a distinct American spirit. They also currently host the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, a week-long celebration of bourbon that attracts whiskey enthusiasts from around the world. The festival features distillery tours, tastings, educational seminars, live music, and other bourbon-related events.

Generally known for sourcing whiskey and being extremely transparent in their blends. You can find almost all of them on the back of the label.

Whiskey Review:

Nose: Blast of fresh baked corn bread, lots of lime notes, rich caramel meets leather with some tobacco. There's layers and layers of notes to uncover. Deeper in the glass I find delectable strawberry shortcake, cherry blossom, and hibiscus. There's an inviting rye spice juxtaposed by sweet grilled corn. Lastly I find a touch of earthy ground coffee and dark chocolate with my nose to the top of the glass.

Palate: The whiskey begins to dance around on the palate immediately by becoming effervescent with a building spice that ramps up more and more through the drinking experience. At firs, ribbons of thick caramel bounce around the center of the palate, followed by black pepper with dry cinnamon mid palate, then a burst of exotic kiwi with rich vanilla cake on the backend. Then strangely enough (and this part is awesome!) there's a second backend to the palate as the whiskey cascades into a carbonated burst of tart lime. It's like a burst of citrusy Pop Rocks right on the center of the palate that explodes with flavor that combines juicy, sweet, rich, and spicy notes.

Finish: Zesty with crackling lemon lime citrus, earthy oakiness, caramel, pipe tobacco, raisin, light cherry cola. It feels juicy on the center of the palate as rye spice pricks the sides of the mouth leaving dry spots. As other flavors fade a nice apple rind with pipe tobacco remains. The finish lingers for a long while with a light ember of spice. If you lick your chops or press your tongue to the roof of your mouth the whiskey still crackles like seltzer water hitting your palate long after other flavors fade.

Score: 9.8

Scale:

S+ Sensational - The Pinnacle (9.5+)

A - AXEceptional (astounding) (9-9.5)

B - bravo (step aBove average) (8-8.9)

C - competent (7-7.9)

D - disappointing (6-6.9)

F - flush it down the toilet (fail) (5.9 below)

Notes: Availability? Uncommon - Bardstown has really ramped up production over the last few years. Even getting away from sourcing to making their own product. The price definitely didn't go down though. Happy Hunting