Tastes

Dark copper in color, sparse and unevenly spaced legs. Once the initial sheet runs off it's quite sticky on the glass. The nose is vanilla, barrel char, cacao. Dark chocolate malt balls and ripe fruity notes pop through. Soft on the palate and initially quite sweet. Immediately after the swallow a spicy heat emerges and warms the chest more than 100 proof would indicate. Cedarwood, tart fruits and a nearly bitter but not unpleasant dry oak mingle with some lingering sweetness, and a reemergence of the ripe fruits: chocolate covered maraschino cherries come to mind, but only in the background. It's definitely a terrific value. There's a nice interplay between the richer, sweet side, the spice and char, and the background fruit and chocolatey notes.

Dark copper in color and quite sticky for a barrel proof product. Legs show up late and move slowly. Naturally, the wheat is all over the nose, with baking spices, toast, light caramel, fresh hay, and fresh oak. Thin mouth feel, but sticks on the palate and the back of the tongue. It's spicy and warm, with undertones of vanilla and caramel. Finish is long: chocolate, dark caramel, clove, and exits with a hint of ripe fruit and a rich sweetness that emerges through the oaky dryness and baking spice. Naturally, it opens up a bit with some water. Not the best release I've had, but it's still excellent and an order of magnitude more complex and exciting than it's "regular" offering.

Golden straw in color. Unusually light for a 5-year-old product. A few very slowly appearing legs. Nose is loaded with corn and dry oak. Some vanilla and a bit of confectioners sugar, as well as barn must and other malty notes. The nose fits the look of it... Quite sweet up front, and the sweetness continues throughout... This tastes and feels much better than it looks and smells... creamed corn, vanilla pudding, lots of malt. A bit of a cardboard/cornflake note that distracted me a bit, but it's a surprise how long the finish is and what it lacks in dimension and depth is offset by the pleasant mouth feel and surprising mid palate.

Dark copper in color. Sparse legs are slow forming and slow-moving. Nose has a lot going on and it's all coming at the same time. Overtones of dark caramel, vanilla, and aged oak. Undertones of mint, cigar boxes, baking spices, red apple and a waft of flaked grain and barn must. The barrel is an even and steady presence... Never in the background, but not stealing the show either. It is gentle and coating on the palate, with a building progression of warmth that follows the swallow. Creme brulee, soft, dark caramel/burnt sugar, and buttercream frosting up front give way to dark chocolate covered cherries and dry oak. The highlight is a rich and creamy finish that is both long and complex. Reminiscent of a freshly cut piece of wood from antique furniture. The cigar boxes make a return late in the game along with the frosting... This is quite possibly the most well balanced bourbon I've ever had. I've had more complex ones, and ones that are amazing but dominated by the barrel. This is just unparalleled in balance.

Pale golden straw color with moderate viscosity. Nose shows light caramel and fresh oak and a hit of ethanol. faintly grassy (not unpleasant) and a fresh cardboard box note. Mostly sweet throughout, its got a short to medium finish with minimal complexity. Creamed corn and a slightly bitter and dry woodiness. Hints of milk chocolate. Not anything unexpected for a 3-4 yr bourbon in a good way or a bad one.

Vibrant, ruddy copper color. Large number of slowly appearing legs. Nose is Poppin with green apple, clove, confectioners sugar, caramel, and oak lumber and barn must. A tiny hint of cedar or cypress and tobacco really piques the curiosity. (Milliardo nailed it with "rosewater) Soft and somewhat thin mouthfeel, it still manages to coat the mouth well. Vigorous warmth that comes from the high proof and the spice, which seem to amplify the warming effects of each other. Lots of clove out of the gate, blending slowly into a juicy, tart fruit and caramel mid palate that yields to the wood on the finish without disappearing entirely. There's a sweetness that hides behind everything throughout the experience. Bardstown has never disappointed me, and this offering is no exception. Not sure I could pony up $150 for it moving forward, but it is awesome.

Dark amber in color with several evenly spaced, slowly appearing legs and a nice ring of beads that hangs on the glass nicely. Nose is caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, toasted oak with undertones of milk chocolate, flaked grains, cola, and a hint of an herbal/mintyness. Soft on the palate for a barrel proof offering, some heat on the tongue. Front is not as sweet as I expected. Pecans, burnt sugar, more vanilla followed immediately by a profound but pleasant woodiness mid palate with some baking spice. Fairly long finish is complex and interesting, with waves alternating the barrel and mash bill... An almost salty character pops in and out before exiting with a burnt caramel. This is good. It's interesting and complex and only really lacks in luscious mouth feel. The malted grains are a really nice inclusion and seem to do quite a bit for it.

Deep, dark tarnished copper in color. Really hangs on the glass. Unmistakable contribution to the nose from the wheat. There is holiday spices, ripe fruits: figs and raisins... plenty of oak and lots of caramel. Like a caramel dipped pink lady apple. Super soft... Heay only hits after the swallow. Building warrants that comes from both the high proof and a bit of spice. Although vanilla is not as perceptible on the nose, it really comes through in the taste. It's woven throughout from front to finish. Faint notes of mint pop through the mostly sweet carmel/butterscotch/toffee finish. The barrel char and oak notes linger long after. It's absurdly drinkable for the proof. Notable contribution from the wheat all throughout the experience. It's definitely a special product

Sticks to the glass and comes off in sheets. Only a couple legs. Light amber color with Ruby hints. Nose is loaded with flaked grain. Like opening a grain bin at the co-op. Vanilla frosting, some sweet apple notes. Musty barn Velvety soft on the palate, warmth builds slowly, just like the complex flavor profile. Quite a long finish, draws out with figs and overripe grapes, along with dark caramel, creme brulee, and a dry, peanutty oakiness. It's incredibly well balanced. The notes from the barrel mix with the contribution from the mash bill in a way that makes them hard to pull apart. They bounce back and forth but not in a whiplash manner. It's a smooth transition, and really makes this wonderful to revel in.

Tarnished brass in color. Real sticky. Ultra syrupy. This smells like a sugar shack in the mountains of Virginia. It's not lost on me that it's bourbon, but it is definitely defined almost entirely by maple syrup. It's a wonderful holiday treat and would pair well with a stack of pancakes!