Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series: High Wheat Bourbon
Let’s start with this: I was getting tired of wheated bourbons. They were never my go-tos anyway (except that one time I won a William Larue Weller). My favorite of the Van Winkle Line is the 10 Year Old and even that only at MSRP.
To me, wheaters can be sweeter but at the cost of mouthfeel (again, excepting WLW…never had a bad one of those). It’s gotten to the point where my favorite wheaters are one-offs like the Larceny Barrel Proof I bottled myself at Heaven Hill, not the regular releases.
Add in this: I was getting tired of bourbon, too. You can only write baking spices, caramel/brown sugar, and vanilla so many times, ya know?
Well, just a month or two ago, Green River (a sister distillery to BBCo) put out their Full Proof Bourbon, and out of the bourbon rut I came!
For wheated bourbons, this new release does the same. It has body, mouthfeel, flavor, complexity, and evolves over the course of the pour. It’s also just $49.99, which for a 6YO bourbon nowadays is reasonable, even underpriced, for the intentionality and thought that went into this. Although price isn’t a factor in my scoring, this is worth noting. At under $50, this isn’t a risk for anyone and is a hell of a lot cheaper than any Weller, Van Winkle, even Larceny bottling you can find.
I never expected that a wheated bourbon with more wheat would be the answer, but apparently BBCo knew something I didn’t. This is an absolute buy if you see it.
Thank you to Bardstown Bourbon Company for providing this sample free of charge. All opinions are my own.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series: High Wheat Bourbon: Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Producer: Bardstown Bourbon Company
Mashbill: 53% Corn, 39% Wheat, 8% Malted Barley
Proof: 106 (53% ABV)
Age: 6 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series: High Wheat Bourbon Price: $49.99
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series: High Wheat Bourbon: Tasting Notes
Eye: Manuka honey. Medium rims hang on an angle, medium-large droplets fall slowly.
Nose: Nice caramel sweetness from the wheat comes out immediately. Cel-Ray soda (maybe just the syrup). Peaches and a light white sangria. No proof or oak on the nose. More peach and tart yellow nectarine open with air.
Palate: Ooh - I like that! Spicier up front than I’d expect from a wheated bourbon, plenty of black pepper verging on Szechuan heat with the deep caramel following closely behind. Caramel corn sweetness settles on the mid-tongue, coating over the whole thing. Mouthfeel is creamy, moderate-to-full-bodied with caramel apple and toffee building on the back end. Really enjoyable.
Finish: The apple notes - fresh Golden Delicious and caramel-coated - stay the longest on the middle and back of my tongue. Lingers for a medium-length finish on both flavor and texture.
Overall: The most successful Origin Series yet, to me. Caramel and tree/orchard fruit on a super creamy texture and with a wonderful mouthfeel. I’ve been leaning away from wheated bourbons for a while, but this would be an exception for a great everyday drinker.
Final Rating: 7.7
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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