Bardstown Bourbon Co. Fusion Series #1

Nose: spicy, with hints of cream and zesty citrus, butterscotch, cherries Palate: spicy caramel, fruits Finish: more fruits and some cinnamon. Shirt to medium finish This bourbon reminds me of something, but since this is my first tasting I will reserve judgement. It’s pleasantly complex. I’m glad to see more bourbon blends hitting the market. Some of the Barrell Bourbon offerings were great. I will say that if you enjoyed the discontinued Ancient Ancient Age 10-year or Barton Bottled-in-Bond— also discontinued — you’ll definitely dig this.

Fruity on the nose. Very easy to drink. Smooth. Sweet. Short finish. Good daily drinker.

The gift shop was providing free samples of the distillery's brand-new "Fusion" release, which melds together some of their first barrels of two-year-old juice (60%) with a much older, sourced 11-year, 7-month old bourbon (40%). The detail level of my notes drops off late in the day, particularly after trying so many excellent whiskies, but I did note that this new release exhibited a surprisingly creamy texture with mature, rich flavors, and a mule kick's worth of rye spice at the tail end. The older bourbon in this release melded beautifully with the youthful, vibrant, barely-there bourbon that makes up the majority of the blend. I liked it a lot! At $60, the price is a little steep, but it offers a chance to try one of the first efforts from one of bourbon country's most promising newcomers.