Bardstown Bourbon Co. Phifer Pavitt Reserve Finish

Have you ever sampled a new whiskey and thought: okay... there goes my budget for spirits for the next month. For me, Bardstown Phifer Pavitt achieves this for two reasons. Up front, you're going to spend around $125 on this bottle. But then, after the first taste, you realize that eventually you're going to have to try all those similar bottles now. At $125+ retail each, this whiskey and its counterparts are positioning themselves among the great bourbons. Consider Four Roses SBLE, Old Forrester Birthday, Blanton’s SFTB, Wild Turkey Masters Keep... strong comparisons. Even with due respect for that list, I must say, wow, this little one performs. It performs and even thanks you, despite receiving a small tip. This was the winner of the blind taste-test in my red wine division of my barrel-finished bourbon competition. The final rankings were: 1-Bardstown Phifer Pavitt 2-Hooker’s House 7/21 3-Jefferson’s Reserve Pritchard Hill 4-Slaughterhouse Straight Edge My next step is to find a true favorite barrel-finished bourbon by comparing 5 champions from red wine, white wine, rum, port, and sherry finished categories. This will be a very enjoyable April. About this whiskey: You could find this information anywhere, but you're reading it here, right now, aren't you? So, let me give you some amazing details. Source: TN Straight Bourbon Whiskey Age: 9 years Mashbill: 84% corn, 8% rye, 8% malted barley Initial Proof: 110.2 Finish: Phifer Pavitt Cabernet Sauvignon Finish Duration: 19 months Finished Proof: 107** **That's correct. There's enough red wine remaining to actually lower the proof, even after being in the barrel for 19 months. Consider that... ---- The tasting of Bardstown Phifer Pavitt: This smells aged. There are sour notes, as if from significant oak exposure, and I detect honey, citrus, almond, and tart cherry. I really enjoy this aroma. The body certainly lives up to the oak, and the mouthfeel isn't shy about the heat. If you look past those two challenges, there's honey, orange, cherry, cane sugar, caramel apples, browned butter, brown sugar, chocolate, almond, cinnamon... basically, name it, it's there, and it's delicious. I don't typically list so many things, but I can't help it because each sip reveals something new. This body is incredibly complex, though it certainly feels spicy. The finish is sour in the mouthfeel with a fading sugar and cinnamon note. I could imagine toffee, cinnamon buns, cinnamon powdered donuts, or any other cinnamon-themed dessert. It's pleasant and leaves you wanting more. ---- This whiskey amazed me. It's truly that good. What impressed me most technically was that this doesn't taste like a bourbon that has necessarily been cask-finished. You can get all those flavors from virgin oak, and since the red wine influence doesn't hit you forcefully at any point, without context, your palate might think it's just a standard bourbon whiskey that somehow became incredibly complex. They perfectly combined the native spirit with a wine profile, and they created magic here. What concerns me most is typical bourbon elitism. It's hot, even for 107 proof. It has high oak notes, in a way I wouldn't expect from just 9 years. These aspects can be off-putting, but if you overlook those factors, the flavors are incredible. At $125, would I buy another? Wrong question. The correct question is how many can I get away with purchasing before my wife leaves me. If you all set up a divorce pool, I get 10%.

Rating: 16/23 I was incredibly impressed by Bardstown's Château De Laubade finish, so I'm eager to try this one! I'm typically wary of red wine finishes, but the previous one had a pleasant flavor reminiscent of cabernet sauvignon, and I'm hoping to find more of that here, as this was actually finished in cabernet sauvignon casks. Nose: Oh, this is intriguing. It's subtle, but I detect something like red currants and blueberries covered in frost. There's a somewhat musty, tannic barrel presence that strongly suggests French oak. The bourbon isn't overpowering, but I do get some subdued caramel, tangerine, vanilla, and spice – notes that give me an impression somewhat close to Buffalo Trace. A hint of youthful earthiness, but not excessive. A touch of bitter vanilla too. Overall, this is a peculiar nose, but in a good way. It makes me want to keep smelling it. Not perfectly balanced, but I like it. Palate: Slightly oily with a moderate mouthfeel. The wine fruit (cherry and blackberry – though some tangerine is present too) is more prominent than I'd prefer, as is some earthy character. There are still some nice tannins and barrel spices (cinnamon is key), but the earthiness detracts from them. I definitely perceive some bitterness from the tannins, but it's somewhat flat. Finish: Somewhat sweet red fruit from the wine with hints of earthy notes and some bitter barrels. Licorice and vanilla are also present. It's not outstanding, but it's quite enjoyable. - Conclusion - Wild Turkey Rare Breed (18/23) is richer and offers more of a classic bourbon flavor than this, even though the Wild Turkey itself has a challenging earthiness. Revisiting this, I am detecting some milder bourbon notes, but there's a sort of added red wine character. I'm just not entirely sure how well the two components harmonize. This is in a similar range to the Wild Turkey. It's more intricate and less bold, but also more disjointed. Hmm, I don't know: it might be growing on me. My palate might actually be a bit overwhelmed after the strong armagnac finishes I sampled previously. Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23) is lighter than this, but it has a more conventional profile, whereas this is quite earthy. I tend to prefer the direction Russell's is heading, but this does fill in some of its shortcomings. While I do appreciate this, it's very clear to me that the Bardstown Laubade is significantly better. This further supports the idea that brandy finishes benefit bourbon, while red wine finishes are less successful. Upon reflection, I'm inclined to rank this below the Wild Turkey. It's closer to the Russell's range, though I might lean slightly higher. This isn't my final assessment, but if I had to choose right now, I'd give it a 16. Thank you to a friend for sharing this enjoyable dram!

It seems some individuals are attempting to sway the ratings for this bottle. Perhaps I've never encountered someone tasting a whiskey over five times when it has only had one batch and no reviews, yet all the same score. Nose - It has a dusty and musty scent. Some oak is present. A distinct red wine note is detectable. I pick up a hint of vanilla. I suspect the caramel note is blended with the red wine. There are some spices (I'm not fond of spice notes). Taste - Intense, the alcohol level is ideal for this offering. The red wine integrates perfectly with the sweetness from the barrels. I don't taste bourbon or wine upfront; instead, I experience something novel and unique. It's sweet, fruity, not overly citrusy, not excessively dry, yet not so sweet that it becomes overwhelming. It truly represents what one would desire if they wanted the wine barrels to be prominent without altering the bourbon's character and feel. Following that, you detect oak and vanilla, with a whisper of caramel from a bourbon. Upon swallowing, some bourbon notes return, and the finish even reveals a subtle nutty bourbon characteristic. I'm not very good with red wine notes, but believe me when I say we are truly getting the best from these wine casks here. I frequently feel that bourbon is the ultimate spirit for secondary cask finishing, and bourbon producers have overlooked this for far too long. It's a significant regret, especially now when prices are soaring, bourbons are getting younger, quality is declining, and simple finishing could elevate these under-aged spirits being sold at exorbitant prices, helping to justify higher premiums. This is one of the most enjoyable bourbons not originating from MGP or Buffalo Trace that I've encountered in quite some time. I believe that if they had used some older bourbon, and I know this is their practice, a slightly higher alcohol content wouldn't detract from this one at all. This is worth a splurge and a prime example of the direction bourbon should be headed, at least for my palate.

Some musty barrel notes on the nose, that I tend to get with wine finishes. Herbal, clove honey notes, nice spiciness. Musty dark fruit that lingers. Long finish, with a hint of chocolate. Another solid offering from the distillery. 9/2/19

I suspect someone out there really enjoys this and is trying to lower the score so no one discovers how excellent this one truly is. With that said, the Fusion is now my top pick.

The aroma is wonderful with notes of almond and spice. The palate is even more impressive, offering butter, cream cheese, and a whisper of cinnamon. It’s incredibly smooth with a prolonged and enjoyable finish.