Review #367 - Bardstown Discovery Series #11
The latest in the Discovery Series from Bardstown Bourbon Company - this is Series #11. This blend of bourbons actually contains some of the distillery's own distillate now - as their stocks age, we may be getting increasing amounts of it in future blends. As usual, they give us a handy breakdown of the components on the bottle's side label:
73% - 13 year old Kentucky Bourbon, with a mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley (rumored to be Wild Turkey)
21% - 10 year old Kentucky Bourbon, with a mashbill of 78% corn, 13% rye, and 9% malted barley
6% - 6 year old wheated Kentucky Bourbon distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Co., with a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley
So, even though this technically sports an age statement of 6 years based on the youngest bourbon in the blend, the average age of the spirt in this bottle is more like 12 years. We can also derive the overall mashbill from the components: 75% corn, 12% rye, 1% wheat, and 12% malted barley, roughly, so we have a four grain bourbon. Bottling strength is a potent 118.1 proof (59.05% ABV), so flavor shouldn't be lacking.
Bardstown Discovery Series #11
USA - Bourbon
Price Paid: USD 145 (2024)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 140 (2024)
Age Statement: 6 Years
Strength: 59.05% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 5 times over 3 months; bottles at 100%, 90% (blind tasting), 90% (blind tasting), 80% (blind tasting), and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Dark and rich - very mature, full of oak notes, especially wood smoke, leather, and barbecued wood. There's a nice mix of sweet and spicy scents: brown sugar, cardamom, and molasses are balanced by cayenne, pepper, sawdust, and nutmeg. With time, the oak even takes on a perfumed note; there's just a hint of a red fruit later.
Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel, very woody and a bit warm. Those mature oak notes return: leather, tobacco, black pepper, even some savory notes. Baking spices are the second strongest flavor, with nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon. There isn't much sweetness remaining - this is a drying palate. Not much fruit left either, except a hint of orange seeds.
Finish: Medium-long, spicy and oaky, with a medium density of flavors lingering. Chili powder, tannins, and some wood smoke make this finish quite drying, and leather adds more of that mature oak profile; there are little hints of sweetness from caramel and cardamom, but that side is very reserved. In the aftertaste, lots more tannins and some clove are found.
Final Note: This is a very good blended bourbon, but the dominance of the oak and the lack of other flavor facets is what keeps it from being excellent, at least for us. We do like that mature side of the oak profile, which brings the leather and tobacco smoke flavors... we would just love to see that balanced by a few more sweet notes, which we didn't find too much. The nose teased a bit more complexity, but the palate and finish were all about that oak spice.
Value here is okay - most of Bardstown's blends are quite expensive, so it can't be top tier value for us. That said, this bourbon does have some very tasty and mature flavors, so it's a good bottle to pick up if you like that oak-forward profile.
Our Average Rating: 7.4 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.61
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Bardstown Bourbon Company reviews:
Review #312 - Bardstown Collaboration Series: Foursquare Rum Distillery
