Bardstown Bourbon Co. Château de Laubade Armagnac Finish

Succulent wave of butterscotch, dried fruits, and oak. Medium-long finish. You'll want another pour.

Finally starting to slow things down. New digs. New locale. The holidays racing forward. But now a bit of downtime. Amongst the disarray of boxes, I found the sample provided by @pkingmartin. In a bourbon-y mood, this seems to fit this evenings mood. As this settles in the glass, that lovely aroma of leather-bound books that are a tinge musty awakens the senses. And that aroma just stays as the other aromas swim through. Baking spices make up some of those additional aromas. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger snap cookies. Cigar tobacco and then the fruits: Maraschino cherries, lemon and orange zests blend with the baking and oak spice. A sort of liquid Christmas. The spirit arrives rich, thick and syrupy. Subtly sweet counterbalanced with those aforementioned baking and wood spices. A Caramel and toffee swirl with cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and black pepper (allspice essentially). The pepper spice crescendos, but as it ramps up in strength, bitter dark chocolate, like the 95% cocoa chocolate comes forward with dates and figs. Added in is charcoal and cigar ash which all work there way towards the finish. The finish is long lasting and and enjoyable. The oak and wood char coat and stick. Caramel, spearmint, cherries, apples, pears and the bitter dark chocolate. There are bourbons, the eveydayer’s that most are quite familiar. We mix and enjoy. Then there are bourbons the are we stumble upon or are given a sample and are blown away. This falls into that latter category. An exceptional bourbon that is bold, balanced, flavorful and aromatic with a long lasting finish. Thanks to @pkingmartin for sharing. A lovely pour. Cheers! [95/100][Tasted: 12/17/22]

Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau De Laubade The color on this is a wonderful caramel candy simple but delicious just like candy covered apples. The nose is fruity with hints of plums, figs, and cherries, wrapped in a subtle chocolate/coffee wisp. 107 on the first sip greeting you with a complex compliment of cherry, nut meg, maybe even a little flat 7up. At 107 the mouthfeel isn’t as thick as I personally enjoy but after the second sip you still get a LONG delicious finish that carries you forward to the next wonderful sip. Sorry this was just a sample because each time I’ve had this it just hits the sweet spot of my palate preference. Bardstown Bourbon Company is doing some great things for sure.

Nose: musty, dusty, grapes. Generally subdued nose. Palate: wonderful. Roller coaster of flavors, each second that passes has a new wave. It’s sweet, but not overly bourbon, it’s oaky, but not overly tannin, and it’s complex but in waves, not all at once. Tobacco and leather mixed with the Armagnac casks. Finish is enticing and lingers.

We (as in @pkingmartin , @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington , @Richard-ModernDrinking and @ctbeck11 ) had our quarterly online tasting. This was one of the spectacular pours of the evening. It’s courtesy of @pkingmartin. The other four were 1) 2021 Lagavulin 12, 2) Craigellechie 13 Armagnac finished , 3) Barrell 20yr Seagrass, and 4) 15yr Jacob’s Well. I’ve heard accolades of this first batch of Laubade. Apparently, the casks used were from very old, as in 40yr+, Armagnac. That combined with juice from a 12yr MGP was marriage made in heaven. Nose is leather and dark cherries. Taste takes you to old leather bound books, in the middle of a tabacco shop. You get cedar wood, old books, dark cherries, and tabacco. Absolutely stunning!! The Armagnac makes its presence known, but doesn’t take over. Instead it adds another layer of complexity. I can’t believe these came out at $150, and I missed the opportunity to buy it. Now, on secondary, it’s well north of $1000. Thanks @pkingmartin for opening this and sharing!