Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #7

Cost: $140 for 750mL bottle at distillery (I’m reviewing a sample)

Age: Blend of 7 year, 12, year, and 18 year whiskies

Proof: 114.5

Mash Bill: Derived: 77% corn, 15% rye, 8% malted barley

• 31% 12yr Kentucky bourbon: 75% corn/13% rye/12% malt (Wild Turkey or Jim Beam)
• 25% 12yr Kentucky bourbon: 78% corn/10% rye/12% malt (Heaven Hill)
• 21% 12yr Ontario corn whiskey: 100% corn (Canadian corn whiskey…not sure)
• 15% 7yr Indiana rye whiskey: 45% corn/51% rye/4% malt (MGP)
• 8% 18yr Tennessee bourbon: 84% corn/8% rye/8% malt (Dickel)

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

Appearance: Mahogany (1.6), slow oily legs on the side of the glass.

Nose: Loads of vanilla and caramel right off the bat. With my nose deep in the glass I’m getting a whiff of street corn (roasted, buttery, salty…mmmm). There’s notes of cherries, quite a bit of baking spice, and a little chocolate. There’s also a citrus note that I’m picking up – not quite orange, but I can’t put my finger on it. There’s an ever so slight astringent profile. This is quite complex and quite nice!

Palate: This is very oily and coats the palate extremely well, there’s also a softness to it. I’m getting big caramel sweetness right away with loads of peppercorn spice. That street corn note is coming back and now on the palate, I can pickout the individual components of a roasted corn, buttery cream, lime, and pepper. The sip continues to amaze though and in the depths I get baked apples with cinnamon. There’s a nuttiness to it like pecans or walnuts that brings a tannic, dry feeling and earthy component to the party as well. This sips way below it’s proof.

Finish: The finish is LOONNNGGG! It’s tannic and sweet at first and fades into more aged and spiced notes towards the end. Vanilla and cherry and a complimentary amount of wood, not necessarily oak. I’m kinda getting vibes of sandalwood and maybe some cedar as well. The aged notes such as leather, tobacco, and barrel char outlast the sweetness. A mellow rye spice and chocolate lingers for quite a while blending with a faint sting on the back of the tongue and a nice warming hug in the top of the chest.

Rating: 9.4/10

Overall: This was the first time I’ve tried something from the BBC Discovery Series and damn…that was awesome! I’m not expecting them to all be like that, but I’ll certainly be seeking more of them out from here on. This was a very complex sip! Every step of the way just had layer upon layer of notes to pickup on. It is really rather mind blowing. This is a fantastic pour!

Behind the Bottle

I received this sample from u/Bailzay (Thank you!) This was originally released in late 2022 and it was the first Discovery Series expression to have an international whiskey in it. Discovery Series #8 and #9 also have international components, which are also Canadian 12yr corn whiskey (one can only assume it’s the exact same whiskey that was in this blend). This is also one of the oldest (average) blends of the Discovery Series expressions as well coming it at #4 out of 11 as of the time of this review. It’s also one of the most “involved” blends of the Discovery Series in that only one other Discovery Series expression (#10) had 5 different whiskey’s making up the blend, and it’s only one of two Discovery Series expressions (#8) that have 3 different styles of whiskey that make up the blend (both #7 and #8 use bourbon, rye whiskey, and corn whiskey).

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect