Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
And here it is! The long-awaited solo debut of Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s own distillate, aged six years and presented all on its own. After nine Fusion Series releases, teasing a house flavor profile with various mashbills and experiments, the Origin Series(™) has arrived.
Let’s get the elephant out of the way, shall we? Yes, it’s the same mashbill as MGP’s high-rye bourbon mashbill. No, it’s not the same flavor, and neither is it supposed to be. 90-95 miles away from each other, the two mashbills could not have come out more differently.
Bardstown Bourbon Co. (BBCo) has always been transparent about their own mashbills, and I applaud them presenting this without finishing or similar alterations. I mean…if you’re going to call it an Origin Series, it really should be plain, so consumers and nerds alike can try it and see how they feel about it (Jack Daniel’s, still waiting on trying your single malt without anything hiding it!)
After much waiting and excitement, how was it? To be honest, I’m still kind of figuring that out.
The rye component is so strong! This tastes closer to a Monongahela rye, a spicy/sweet rye with just enough corn to give an oily mouthfeel and solid background. Herbs, sweet and savory, pervade the entire pour from nose to palate to finish, cloves and sharp baking spices alongside sweet corn.
This tastes good, delicious, even. But one thing it doesn’t taste like is bourbon. The rye is so strong - along with butteriness that I hope becomes a staple in the profile - that I’m reminded of chicken soup, comforting and warming. But not a bourbon.
The profile wouldn’t stop me from buying a bottle of this - at $44.99 it’s a hell of a deal for an excellent whiskey that other than this has no obvious flaws. But if your profile aligns with mine, you’ll be disappointed with this as a bourbon. And for that reason, its score falls into the mid-5s. To me, it’s simply not what it’s advertised as. After reading reviews from other people I trust, I’ve found a great mix of feelings on this, with some people also identifying a curiously strong rye component and others tasting a beautiful, if rye-heavy, bourbon. That’s the brilliance of this hobby, the variety of palates.
So there we are, with the first of the BBCo Origin Series reviewed. I wanted to love it, and in some ways I really did. But I score based on intention and success compared to what it’s meant to be, and that’s where it falls short.
Thank you to Bardstown Bourbon Company for providing this sample bottle with no restrictions for review.
Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Bardstown Bourbon Company
Mashbill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
Proof: 96 (48% ABV)
Age: 6 Years
Location: Kentucky
Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Price: $44.99
Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Tasting Notes
Eye: Amber. Bleeding medium rims, quick legs break into drops.
Nose: Spicy bourbon nose, high rye that’s for sure. Cloves and butter, savory chicken soup herbs blooming. Sage and tarragon, almost smells more like a rye. The bourbon is a minimal flavor at most.
Palate: Buttery, and yet still quite rye-forward, with tip-of-tongue heat and drinking closer to 110º. Reminiscent of MGP, but of the rye, not the bourbon, with even more herbaceousness than I usually get in MGP ryes. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and coating, baking spices growing around the corners of my mouth. Ryue is completely dominant.
Finish: Herbal compound butter, coating herbs throughout the palate, short side of medium. A little bitterness as an undertone.
Overall: Is this a bourbon? If you blinded me and told me it was a rye, I’d believe it. As a bourbon, though, it just doesn’t add up. Unfortunate, since the whiskey itself is quite good.
Final Rating: 5.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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