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The fourth bottle in the Origin Series standard lineup, Bardstown High Wheat joins a high-rye Bourbon, a Wheated Bottled-in-Bond, and a Rye - all award winning. It has almost double the wheat content of the bottled-in-bond and promises pastry bomb dessert perfection. Bardstown Bourbon Company's Master Distiller is none other than Steve Nally, Bourbon Hall of Fame member formerly of Maker's Mark and the "King of Wheat". The wheated Bottled-in-Bond and this bottle are some of his favorite brainchildren.
🛒Sourced: $44.99 - Tower Wine and Spirits, GA 750ml. SRP is $49.99 as you'll find on their website.
🧪Proof: 106 proof, 53% ABV. Barrel entry proof is 108 so there is minimal dilution. I'd imagine they settled at this proof point to address a common perception that wheated bourbons feel thinner on the tongue due to their soft sweetness. The lack of dilution likely helps a good bit. They'll tell you that this makes it "cask strength" on the tour (the term is not regulated).
🎨Color: Y6 - Amber waves of grain, decently leggy
🥔Mash Bill: 53% Corn, 39% Wheat, 8% Malted Barley
Marked as aged 6 years old and distilled in 2018. Bardstown does a great job of providing clear labeling on the side of the bottle (wraparound from front label). I feel like 6-8 years is the sweet spot for wheat whiskey as much more age starts to allow the wood flavors to overpower the wheat influence. Bardstown has open topped fermentation tanks though the building has a robust HVAC so I doubt there is much local air influence but this is supposed to result in more even fermentation since CO2 can freely exit.
👃Nose: Inviting with muted vanilla, puff pastry, and orchard fruits. Plenty to smell and gentle on your nose.
😜Palate: Reasonably thick and full bodied, more so than almost all bottles at this age and price point. It indulgently creamy and envelops the tongue with warm cake batter, sweet fondant, and a wee bit of cinnamon sugar. The butteriness grows the slightest bit of spikes in the transition to the finish, a brief pinch of mince pie. On some days, I get large amounts of stone fruit.
💦Finish: Medium in duration, sweet wax candle after the mincemeat peak.
🏆 Overall: 7/10 - Great, An Everyday Wheated Triumph - I'm partial to many of Bardstown Bourbon Company's offerings. They do a great job and have a very tight industrial manufacturing process to keep everything well within spec. High Wheat is my favorite of their Origin standard lineup. It does so many things well. Sometimes wheated bourbons are just sweetness with no depth, but this bottle has plenty to keep you interested. The pastry and baking notes are readily available for all palates, but upon closer scrutiny you can start to pick apart a cacophony of candied fruit flavors. I abbreviate these as mincemeat pie, but there are a number of distinct flavors from raisin and currant to cherry and plum. This bottle goes toe-to-toe with some batches of Maker's Cask Strength, though I think Vegas odds would favor the latter.
💵Would buy again? Absolutely! I'm interested to see how this offering continues to develop over time. This bottle was distilled just a couple years into their operation and I have to imagine they continue to learn more about their rickhouses and process over time even from this solid point.
⚖️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.