Review by: Raygun
The Discovery series features blends of sourced whiskies. The Fusion series contains some of Bardstown’s own distillate, but none of that here. For my first try of any Bardstown product, I have these two, one a blend of Kentucky bourbon and the other a little more out there, including rye and Canadian corn whiskey in the mix. Reviewed from samples.
Bardstown Discovery Series #4
Distillery: ?
Bottler: Bardstown Bourbon Company
Region/style: Kentucky straight bourbon
ABV: 57.5%. Cask strength
Age: No age stated. A blend of three Kentucky bourbons: 55% 13 year old 74/18/8, 37% 15 year old 78.5/13/8.5, and 8% 10 year old 75/13/12.
Cask type: New charred oak
Price: Around $130
Color: 1.4 auburn. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Cherry soda, caramel chews, oak, and cedar. Is there Four Roses in here? Smells like it, though it seems unlikely. Has some pastry to it as well.
Palate: Nice and bright again. Cherry juice, orange zest, and cloves. Lots of wood. I get some mint, and—this might be because I’m eating them every day now—raspberries. I like the fruitiness.
Finish: Cedar is back, caramel, and a touch of leather. The fruit fades some and the wood gets stronger. The cherry is still there, but closer to sour cherry. More spice here, like bread pudding.
Bardstown Discovery Series #7
Distillery: ?
Bottler: Bardstown Bourbon Company
Region/style: Blended whiskey
ABV: 57.25%. Cask strength
Age: No age stated. Composed of 56% 12 year old Kentucky bourbon, 21% 12 year old Canadian corn whiskey, 15% 7 year old Indiana rye, and 7% 17 year old Tennessee bourbon. An unusual mix for sure.
Cask type: Obviously new charred oak for the bourbon and rye. For the corn whiskey, no idea.
Price: Around $130
Color: 1.5 tawny. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: More caramel forward. Caramel corn, peanuts, wood. I realize it’s only 15% rye (and a 51% rye mashbill at that), but I expected more rye influence.
Palate: Lots of caramel again. Coriander, clove, cinnamon. Baked apples. Peanut brittle. Strangely, it comes across as more of a conventional bourbon even with the addition of rye and corn whiskey.
Finish: Peanut butter cookies with the same spices as the palate. And once again caramel. A little herbal flavor comes up that I hadn’t noticed before. Eucalyptus, maybe.
Conclusion: Not a difficult call for me. #4 was a notch above, the fruitiness really appealing to me. Even though #7 included rye and corn whiskey, it came across as more of a conventional bourbon. Which I suppose it pretty much was when you consider the overall blend, the rye and corn whiskey kind of averaging out. In any case, #4 is the clear choice for me.
Buy a bottle? Not wild about the price. I suppose cheaper than Barrell Gray Label for a reasonably similar product. Still doesn’t feel great as a value prospect.
Final Score:
#4: 83
#7: 79
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Stagg Jr batch 12)
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (new))
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Pikesville Rye)
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Wild Turkey 101)
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Maker’s Mark)
- 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Grandad 114)
- 0-49: Blech. (High West Yippee-ki-yay)
Malt Runners 
