Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series #7 Bourbon
I’m so excited to review this - it’s not the first Bardstown Bourbon Company release I’ve tried or reviewed, but it is the first one received directly from them. It’s been a long six months to make it happen, and I’m thrilled it has.
Bardstown Bourbon Company - BBCo for short - is downright fascinating. In many ways, they go against the grain (pun intended) of what a “big” Kentucky distillery should be. They’re transparent to a fault, limited only by NDAs. They contract distill for dozens of companies, Jefferson’s, High West, Hirsch, Belle Meade, Calumet, and many others, with nearly 40 unique mash bills according to their own website.
In some ways, it’s easy to compare BBCo to MGP. Granted, at a smaller scale for the moment, but in broad strokes it’s a company and distillery designed to distill, with the final product designed and sold by the buyer. On the other hand, BBCo also sources from other Kentucky distilleries, and we’re talking the big, heritage brands. This is where the NDAs kick in, of course, but it’s hard not to look at the mash bills in this fusion series release and notice the (likely) Heaven Hill (78/10/12) and Jim Beam or Wild Turkey (both use 75/13/12) bourbon mash bills in there. And as you’ll see in my notes below, I’m willing to bet in this case it as Beam instead of Turkey.
Also like MGP, Bardstown Bourbon Company has those dozens of mash bills. MGP has between 15-20 for their whiskies alone, and BBCo is announcing it has two-to-three times as many based on their customers’ needs. With that huge list of named and unnamed distilleries BBCo is producing for, it’s hard to fathom where they find the time to distill whiskey for their own use. Then again, they are producing over 7 million proof gallons per year - a top 10-by-volume number - and, as per their recent press release after being acquired by Pritzker, it’s the largest custom distiller in America. I’ve put out an ask to clarify what the latter claim means - 7 million proof gallons is nothing to scoff at, but comparing it to MGP’s output…let’s just say I think there’s probably a semantic difference between custom distilling from the mash bill vs. MGP saying we’ve got these 19 mash bills, choose which you want and at what age, pending availability. Keep in mind, also for reference, that BBCo was founded in 2014 - not even a decade later and it’s a top-10 producer. That’s insane.
To close this out - I’ll admit that I generally have enjoyed the Discovery series most of all from BBCo. The two best ones, for me, were finished in Spanish Brandy Casks and another in Copper & Kings Apple Brandy casks. Beautiful, balanced pours. Other people have gone nuts over collaborative releases like The Prisoner, Chateau de Laubade, Goodwood (both variations), and more. But the Fusion series is different by nature of its makeup, blending BBCo’s own distillate with that of other distilleries.
The Fusion series isn’t quite finished, in my opinion, but it’s getting closer. By sheer inventiveness and blending skill, Bardstown is getting better and better at highlighting the aspects of their young whiskies (they’ve only been using their distillate for themselves since 2019) while toning down the youthful, grainy notes. The younger flavors come out in the initial sniff and the first sip, but the older bourbon in there quickly compensates for the youth with depth and backbone. The interplay of oak is fascinating to experience, and that blast of older bourbon at the back palate/finish is downright shocking to taste.
I’ve included the mashbill breakdown for this release below. Transparency to a fault. I look forward to trying more of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s products - their own, sourced, blended, finished, all of it. They’re on the upswing, and I’m thrilled to be along for the ride.
Thank you to Bardstown Bourbon Company for providing this sample for the review with no strings attached.
From Bardstownbourbon.com
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series #7 Bourbon Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Bardstown Bourbon Company and Two Undisclosed KY Distilleries
Mashbill: See chart above
Proof: 98.1 (49.05% ABV)
Age: Blend of 3 Years Old and 15 Years Old Bourbons
Location: Kentucky
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series #7 Bourbon Whiskey Price: $64.99
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series #7 Bourbon Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Orange blossom honey. Barely-there rims, tiny droplets all over.
Nose: Initial young, grainy note hits the nostrils before the older bourbon appears to lurk behind. Nutty almond skins and dried cherries, smoky barrel char, and generalized stone fruit notes. Intriguing interplay of oak ages, too.
Palate: Similar to the nose, grainy youth up front followed by a fruity, slightly older bourbon backbone. Sour cherries and a fairly strong rye spice come through with oak astringency. Mouthfeel is immediately more mature, silky, mild peppercorn spice, oily without being heavy. Without warning, red fruits explode on the back palate Wild Turkey-style.
Finish: Surprisingly, the most mature part of the pour. The late red fruit notes are joined by semisweet chocolate, blanched almonds, and bourbon squeezed from a stave. Long and full.
Overall: Intriguing in many ways. The nose and front palate clearly show the younger bourbons in this blend, though the mouthfeel and back palate display the older 30% at 12 years old. That late palate/finish explosion of red fruit just keeps going and keeps evolving - as I write, Beam-like peanuts come out to play, too. If you can handle the initial youth, you’ll be rewarded with a bourbon that makes you think and want to go back to try again.
Final Rating: 6.7
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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