Review #504 - Bardstown Origin Series Bottled-In-Bond 6 Year Bourbon
Bardstown Bourbon Company has historically relied heavily upon sourced bourbons and ryes for their blended products. In recent years, however, they've begun to integrate their own distillate into more of their blends, and they've started a series of releases that are entirely their own distillate: the Origin Series. Currently, the range consists of four expressions: a high-rye bourbon, bottled-in-bond wheated bourbon, double-barrel rye, and high-wheat bourbon.
Today we have the bottled-in-bond version, which sports a sleek black label and a 6 year age statement. On their website, Bardstown says that they source locally-grown Kentucky grains for use in this product; their mashbill consists of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. Due to the high corn content and lack of rye grain, this could potentially lean into the sweeter side of the flavor spectrum.
Because this is bottled-in-bond, we get a strength of 50% ABV (100 proof), and all of the bourbon was distilled in the same distilling season. Our batch was distilled in the Fall of 2017, meaning bottling likely took place in the Fall of 2023 or perhaps the Spring of 2024.
Bardstown Origin Series Bottled-In-Bond 6 Year Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Price: USD 48 (2025)
Age Statement: 6 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 6 months; bottles at 100%, 90% (blind tasting), 80% (blind tasting), and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Mild to medium oak - softer at first, but scents of vanilla, linen, mild barbecue, and a hint of leather arrive. Nutmeg and dark brown sugar bring some baking notes, and we get a nutty character behind that, maybe blanched almond.
Palate: A soft texture, and this is sweeter than the nose - brown sugar, cinnamon, almonds, and toasted oak start us out. It's still slightly spirity, showing a hint of youth; caramel, butterscotch, and floral notes show up with time. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness.
Finish: This grows spicier into the finish - spicy oak and more cinnamon. Nuts and brown sugar form the basis for the finish, but we also get accent notes of maple syrup, cream soda, lemon soda, and vanilla. It's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This is a nice entry-level bourbon from Bardstown - nice baking notes, and while the oak was present, it was also more reserved for the 6 year age statement. Because of the use of wheat as the secondary grain, the overall profile was softer and more mellow; the nose was surprisingly dry to us, but that classic wheater sweetness arrived on the palate and continued into the finish. There were hints of complexity, especially with some air time, but it was simple at times, too.
Onto value - because this BBC distillate is younger than most of their sourced bourbons, they've adjusted the price accordingly to a reasonable $50. We can occasionally find it even a few dollars cheaper than that in our area; value, then, is better than average.
Our Average Rating: 6.0 / 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: 6.58
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 #411 - Bardstown Discovery Series #12
Review #367 - Bardstown Discovery Series #11
Review #312 - Bardstown Collaboration Series: Foursquare Rum Distillery
