I’ve always been curious about Bardstown, and thought I’d start with their most affordable offering. Keep in mind, this is a neck pour. The nose is sweet, fruity and slightly bitter. There are dried fruit, pears, toasted marshmallow, light leather, a light nuttiness, and nice baking spices. There is a slight ethanol twinge, but it’s not distracting. But for the most part, a promising nose. The palate is sweet, slightly bitter and oily but light bodied. There is honey, light corn, dusty oak, baking spices, brown sugar and some dried fruit. Time is your friend here, let it open up in the glass for 10mins or so. The finish is medium in length with an initial hit of sweet leather and then fading to lingering vanilla, oak, and dried fruit sweetness. Not a bad bourbon. At a little under 100 proof, this one drinks a lot hotter than the proof would suggest. Maybe it’s the 60% 3yr and 2yr old bourbons coming out. But I have a feeling this one is going to really shine as I get a little more headroom in the bottle.