Bardstown Bourbon Co. High Wheat Bourbon

A friend suggested this Bardstown bottle, and they know my preferences well, having handled my online special orders. Initially, a sharp, bitter orange peel taste appears, followed by nutty Bear Claw pastries with a sweet vanilla glaze. It's a truly impressive combination of sweet, spice, tannins, and citrus. Quite intriguing and distinct. The initial sip is like spicy cinnamon toast with orange marmalade, which gradually fades into peppery spice and oaky tannins. While not very thick in the mouth, the peppery bite offers a pleasant tingle. It's genuinely delightful. The spicy, dry character persists through the finish, where the tingling sensation is most noticeable. A hint of citrus from the orange peel adds brightness to an otherwise dry but satisfyingly long conclusion. Amazing! This far exceeds its price point and is absolutely worth the under $60 cost. In fact, this Origin series Wheated Bourbon makes me curious about other Bardstown products.

Bardstown Origin Series wheated bourbon. Contains 53% corn, 39% wheat, 8% malted barley, distilled in 2018, aged 6 years, bottled at 106 proof. Tasted neat. Light copper color with strong coating legs in the glass. The aroma is sweet grain, caramel, floral vanilla, and a faint spice in the background. On the palate, soft caramel chews, light brown sugar, vanilla oak, followed by char and a spicy, grassy flash with ethanol. It has an oily coating and rounded mouthfeel. The finish becomes slightly sour – fruity sour – with white pepper, spice, and tingling mint taking the lead. The finish is clean and of average length, with no lingering off-notes. Very enjoyable. Adding an ice cube enhances the softer, sweeter aspects of this whiskey. I've generally been a fan of the Bardstown range (I also like the bottle design), but I prefer the Origin straight BIB bourbon over this wheated version. This is a pleasant, soft bourbon, and I can understand why some people compare it to Weller whiskies in terms of proof, flavor, and cost. It's a quality product that is easy to drink and savor.

Light amber color, nice legs. This is my second tasting of the bottle. Initially, it was straight caramel with a hint of fruit. This time, I'm detecting banana bread soaked in sweet caramel sauce. The palate still delivers a strong caramel flavor, along with cinnamon and white pepper. I can also detect apple in the background. The finish lasts a considerable time, fading into a soft salted caramel, with a slight astringency along the way. It's good but a bit one-dimensional. Swirling with an ice cube brings out the fruit and reduces the pepper, resulting in more of a carameled apple profile.

A score of 3.25 might be a bit low, but I stand by it. My main issue is a noticeable grainy character that comes through. There's a good amount of spice on the palate, which I enjoyed, but it also had a hint of ethanol. I paid $45 for the bottle and I'm okay with that, but I wouldn't be eager to buy another. I've seen comparisons made in blind tastings against Weller Antique 107. I did a similar comparison with Weller, and this one was clearly better.

The aroma has a touch of dust, sweet caramel, and baking spice. On the tongue, it's warm, rich, and intensely sweet. Some caramel gives way to spice and heat, with a pleasant warmth from the proof. It's sweet, spicy, and smooth. The wheat component is really nice, reminding me of antique 107. Very delicious. The finish has a bit more proof than expected, but not in an unpleasant way. Very nice.

One word: Vanilla. Vanilla cream and sweet bread on the nose. Then vanilla extract on the palate. The finish is thin to medium, with the sweet vanilla extract evolving into more of an oak and vanilla profile. Allowing it to rest and revisiting after a few minutes enhances the aroma to resemble vanilla maple syrup, and the palate remains strongly vanilla but less sweet, almost like melted ice cream.