It’s 2020. It’s December. Let’s shut this year down with a brand new whiskey every day. It’s my own personal whiskey advent calendar. +6! Dec. 2, 2020 2020 was also the year of Bardstown. I discovered this freakin amazing brand earlier this year, and spent much of my 2020 bourbon hunting time (and capital) focused on the other releases. This is the most recent release in my area, and it’s 9 year old “Tennessee bourbon” (this labeling convention made me chuckle) finished in Orange Curaçao barrels. Nose is oranges. High acid, low sugar. It’s not the type of orange you want when you want oranges. It’s orange soda, orange cough syrup, orange candles. Hint of vanilla buried in there somewhere. Body is a complete and perfect delivery of the nose. This tastes like a mix drink. Or cough syrup. The finish has an intense cinnamon flavor. It’s not hot, but that expression of cinnamon is delicious. This is the best cinnamon finish I’ve ever had in a whiskey. I would almost say that this tastes like someone took a really good bourbon and messed it up. Almost. And it hurts me to say that because I freaking love the Bardstown label. This is indisputably my least favorite Bardstown product to date, but it’s not all bad. That cinnamon finish is still special. There’s hints of the underlying bourbon before that, but it’s overpowered by the curaçao influence. I thought this tasted like a mix drink, and interestingly enough, when you put it on ice it shines. The orange is much more tolerable this way. Additionally, this is absurdly good in an old fashioned. Switch half the angostura for some orange bitters, then put this guy in there. It’s pretty special. If you’re like me, and you don’t want to spend $140 on “mixin whiskey,” on the rocks is the way to go with this one. Probably won’t buy another, but I could see that changing if I get enough enjoyment on ice. ‘Tis the season. I’m day-to-day on my whiskey selection, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments. Merry whiskey to all, and to all a beer flight!