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Though Bardstown is known for contract distilling, their Origin and Discovery series have both collected quite the metal count at spirits awards shows. Bardstown Origin Wheated Bottled-in-Bond formed part of the Origin lineup with high-rye, double barreled-rye, and a 39% high wheated bourbon iterations. The high wheat is the only one of the four not to win gold or double-gold though it very likely will next season, it was just released for the Holidays in 2024. I'm very fond of the sweetness that comes with wheated bourbons and enjoy the character building that comes with the bonded standard. Seasonal batches for bonded whiskies mean that they can differ somewhat year-to-year without being as variable as single barrels. Speaking of single barrels, at the same time as the Origin series launch in 2023, Bardstown Bourbon Co. also announced a barrel pick program or select on and off-premise retailers.
🛒Sourced: $44.99 - 750ml - Tower Package, GA. Typically around $49.99. You can buy Bardstown Bourbon products directly from their website through Seelbach's though shipping is a hefty fee unless you do store pickup. The origin series is well priced for the average consumer at around or below $50 while the discovery series tends towards the mid 100s.
🧪Proof: 100 proof, 50% ABV - in accordance with the Bottled-in-Bond Act.
🎨Color: R4 - a light syrup color with some copper. Leggier than I would have thought from the color.
🥔Mash Bill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley. The side label of Bardstown Origin bottles includes the mash, age, and distillation date. Very helpful and a wonderful trend towards transparency. Bardstown is one of the newer and more technology intensive distillers and I'm excited to see them brining more "Science" to the forefront. The corn and wheat are both noted as being "locally sourced", whatever that means (no regulatory definition).
Aged for Six years since being distilled in Fall 2017. For me, this is within the sweet spot for Kentucky Bourbon of 6-8 years. Bonded whiskey will all be from that same six-month distillation season Jul-Dec).
Barrel entry poof looks to be 120 based on checking out single barrels from the pick program, commonly 118-128 proof in the bottle, though I haven't found anything official. Think this should be true for most of the Bardstown lineup (excepting the high wheat which is barreled at a low 108 proof and hyped by the company).
👃Nose: Full with commendable lack of astringency. Sweet Creamed Corn, cane sugar, and baking spices in a dynamic nose.
😜Palate: Rich and creamy, some vanilla wood that shifts into a sweet tea explosion. Very nice if somewhat monotone. Fairly smooth, not much burn at all.
💦Finish: Short on flavor, one last glimmer of sweetness and black tea that fades into a mild belly warmth. One interesting facet: the whiskey actually leaves some creaminess on the palate after the finish. This is somewhat unusual and has the effect that subsequent sips within a reasonable timeframe are substantially more mellow. As such the drinking experience smooths over time and it is even easier to concentrate on that southern brewed sugary goodness.
🏆 Overall: 6.75/10 - Very Good - While Bardstown Origin Bottled-in-Bond is not the most dynamic bourbon on the tongue, its wheated pedigree and solid age produce a delightfully textured whiskey. There are not many wheat billed bottled-in-bonds on the market (Old Fitzgerald comes to mind and they are coming out with a younger Old Fitz Bottled-in-Bond soon) and this edition from Bardstown does a great job of showing what a younger bonded wheater can do.
💵Would buy again? Yes, absolutely. They are also going to put out a cask strength iteration of this mash bill soon (won't be a Bonded because of the proof, likely in 2026). I had some cask strength during their Rickhouse Barrel Thieving tour, and it is phenomenal.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously.
10 | Perfect | You didn't think anything could be this good | A clear champion.