Bardstown Bourbon Co. Fusion Series #2

I've always been interested in Bardstown, and decided to start with their most budget-friendly option. Remember, this is a fresh pour from an opened bottle. The aroma is sweet, fruity, and a bit bitter. There are notes of dried fruit, pears, toasted marshmallow, light leather, a subtle nuttiness, and pleasant baking spices. There's a faint ethanol sting, but it's not bothersome. Overall, a promising aroma. The palate is sweet, slightly bitter, and oily yet light in body. It presents honey, light corn, dusty oak, baking spices, brown sugar, and some dried fruit. Patience is beneficial here; let it rest in the glass for about 10 minutes to open up. The finish is of medium duration, beginning with an immediate impression of sweet leather, then fading to a lingering sweetness of vanilla, oak, and dried fruit. It's a decent bourbon. At just under 100 proof, this one tastes significantly hotter than its stated proof would suggest. Perhaps the inclusion of 60% three-year-old and two-year-old bourbons is contributing to this. However, I suspect this will truly excel as more of the bottle is consumed.

Color: great copper/yellow color, I've seen lighter and darker Legs: quick to form, good spacing Nose: sweet corn and caramel at first with some oily butter undertones. Not getting a ton of floral scents, but am picking up a little spice/pepper and some cinnamon First sip: spicy first sip with some burn on the tongue, easy finish down without burn Taste: hello rye! From the nose to palate and finish, there are some complex differences. Sweet on the nose with some noticeable spice, but the spice is rather pronounced on the tongue and across the palate. I'm catching some heat that doesn't last too long after swallowing, but it's a bit like that bite of cocktail sauce with heavy horseradish – it kind of takes your breath away for a brief moment. I'm curious how this will open up given some air and will also give it a try over a single large cube to see how the ice can open it up, too, and maybe unlock some additional flavors.

Purchased at a store in Elkhart. Blend composition: 40% (12 yr / 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley) 18% (3 yr/ 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley) 42% (2 yr/ 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley). Found as the last bottle on the shelf - had probably been sitting there for two years. Color is light-medium amber. The aroma is okay - toffee and caramel with hints of hay and soft rye spice. The mouthfeel is quite different: almost more like a jello with an almost chewy, leathery, grainy finish. The taste is light vanilla and almost like a pound cake with lingering baking spice. All-in-all it is good with a lot of potential, but the flavors feel underdeveloped. A splash of water reveals more of the woody, nutty aromas but actually dulls a lot of the flavors and smoothens and simplifies/dulls the flavors. Slightly disappointing.

I kept this bottle for a while before getting to it. It took nearly three months for this particular pour to develop. I first tried it at the distillery and it was pretty good. After opening it at my place, I wasn't wowed; it left a peculiar, off-putting finish. After about three months, it had improved significantly. This is one of the few bourbons, aside from those from Buffalo Trace, where I noticed a pleasant sweet apple on the tongue, which is a flavor I really like in spirits. Instead of a caramel apple like I often get from Buffalo Trace, I detected a cinnamon apple here, and the rye certainly makes its presence known at the finish. I genuinely liked this, though I found it somewhat irritating that it took so long to reach its potential. 90/100

The nose has chocolate, vanilla, and nutmeg, along with an unidentifiable, slightly tart note. The taste is strongly chocolate, which I really like, followed by very subtle spice and cinnamon. A faint Luxardo cherry note emerges after a few sips. Oak, leather, and minimal drying tannins conclude swiftly on a medium finish. The rye spice is certainly noticeable on the finish. Pairing my second pour with dark chocolate and adding a single Luxardo cherry made it exceptional. I also value their openness about sourcing.

Smell - Abundant baking spice, a sweetness like candy or honey. Taste - It goes down smoothly, then the spice hits the back of your throat. Slight tingling on the roof of my mouth as the sweetness and spice combine pleasantly. Each subsequent sip brings more sweetness. Finish - Smoky with spice and a hint of that gummy texture found in some gummy candies. Overall - A good, lively spirit to savor, incredibly enjoyable with each sip.