Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $45

- 96 Proof

- 6 years

- Batch 1 - Distilled Fall 2016

- Kentucky

I've grown quite the affinity for most things that Bardstown Bourbon Company is doing. With only a few exceptions, I've loved just about every release that they've put out, including both their bourbon blends and their collaborations.  I've even been surprised by some of those collaborations that I didn't figure would be for me and I ended up loving, such as the Goose Island collaboration.

Given the pricing on their newest release, this Origin Series as well as a bottled in bond Origin Series release, I was pretty confident that I'd be picking up a bottle to try. After all, I knew where the floor was, and that I'd only go up from there.  Plus, given its a high rye mashbill (36% rye), this should be my kind of bourbon!

On the nose I noticed that rye influence right away. I was immediately hit with a strong cinnamon note. It also had some rich, dark cherry notes, as well as a bit of a tangy amaretto aroma. There was almost a coffee bean note as well, which I found interesting. At 96 proof, this doesn't necessarily classify as a "big" whiskey, but it certainly had a big nose.

The flavor somewhat matched, but it was a bit more cherry-forward than the nose. In fact, in my notes this apparently came across as some sort of cherry two-ways dish. I got rich, spiced cherry on one hand, and on the other I got those sweet maraschino cherry notes, the kind you top a sundae with. Either way, this was unquestionably cherry-forward.

There was a bit of cinnamon spice, but not nearly as much as on the nose. It also had some Old Fashioned qualities to it, as I got some orange peel and even a bit of brown sugar sweetness.  There was a certain level of malt or cracker-like flavor, kind of like graham crackers but less sweet.

On the finish that cherry note remained, but of the two it was the spiced cherry note that seemed to hang around the most. The finish had a bit of clove and black pepper to it, as well as the last remnants of that cracker note. 

At $45 for a 6 year, high rye bourbon, this is not only accessible but very good! I can't wait to dive into the bottled-in-bond version!

Grade: B+