Bardstown Bourbon Company is a whiskey triple threat: It contract distills for other brands, produces whiskey for its own in-house label, and sources barrels from distilleries around the country for blending. The latest release from the distillery falls into the latter category—the first in the always interesting Collaborative Series is a blend of whiskey finished in Indian single malt barrels, and we got an early taste.
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BBC’s Collaborative Series is, according to the distillery, meant to highlight the art of cask finishing by working with producers of beer, wine, and spirits to source barrels. Past releases have been unique and pretty consistently excellent, including blends finished in barrels previously used to age Amaro Nonino, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout , Foursquare Rum , Maison Ferrand Cognac, and Phifer Pavitt Cabernet. The latest release, said to be a first for American whiskey, is a blend of rye and bourbon finished in casks previously used to mature Indian single malt whisky from the Amrut Distillery . “Amrut is creating some beautiful liquid right now,” said BBC VP of product development Dan Callaway in a statement. “Their use of malted barley, distilled and aged in a warm, humid climate, is such an interesting bridge between Scottish whisky and bourbon. It’s fascinating to see how our rye blend absorbed characteristics of both the peated and unpeated Amrut barrels… We then created a custom bourbon blend to join the finished rye and bring red fruit and rich caramel.”
There are five components in the final blend of the new Amrut Collaborative Series, all sourced whiskeys with different mashbills: 43 percent nine-year-old Indiana rye (51 percent rye in the mashbill) finished for 18 months in Amrut barrels; 20 percent eight-year-old Indiana rye (95 percent rye in the mashbill) finished for 18 months in Amrut barrels; 17 percent 14-year-old Kentucky bourbon; 15 percent 10-year-old Kentucky bourbon; and 5 percent 11-year-old Kentucky bourbon. The whiskey was bottled at 110 proof, which gives it a little heat on the palate, but nothing you can’t handle. Overall, this is a very good whiskey, with the rye taking the lead as would be expected since it comprises more than 60 percent of the blend (making this legally a rye whiskey). There are big floral and spicy notes on the palate, complemented by flavors of cherry, citrus, dark chocolate, and caramel. This is a great sipping whiskey, but it also works quite well in a Manhattan.
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Callaway provided a preview of what else we can expect from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Series throughout the rest of the year. This summer, the distillery will release a whiskey finished in barrels from California’s Silver Oak Cellars , a winery that focuses on making Cabernet Sauvignon aged in American oak. And in the fall, BBC will collaborate with esteemed Tennessee brewery Blackberry Farm . Details about these whiskeys have yet to be revealed, but we’ll let you know when we have more to share.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Amrut Collaborative Series is just rolling out now, and will be available in limited numbers nationally (SRP $160). You can find other expressions, like the Fusion Series, available to purchase from websites like ReserveBar now.
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