Review #142: BBCo Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon

COST: $50 for 750mL bottle

AGE: 6 yrs

MASH BILL: 53% corn, 39% wheat, 8% malted barley

PROOF: 106

This is the latest addition to the Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series (released in August 2024). This expression features a whopping 39% wheat! As a wheated bourbon fan, I was really excited when I heard about this being released. I fairly quickly found a bottle while it was tough to find (and still is to some degree) where I’m at in South Carolina. I’m not sure how it has continued to slip through the cracks for me to review, but I figured before BBCo hits us with a new Origin Series release, I better go ahead and review this one. Without further ado, let’s pour it up and check it out!

For clarity, this is the cream/off-white label Origin Series wheated bourbon, generally referred to as their high wheat bourbon. Their black label Origin Series (BiB variant) is also a wheated bourbon but features a lower wheat component mash bill.

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn (unless otherwise noted).

APPEARANCE: A honey, auburn color (1.4); fat, slow legs; a beautiful ring of beads that turn into fat tear drop legs…not much more you could as for in an enticing appearance.

NOSE: Big brown sugar, vanilla ice cream, nutmeg, all spice, and hint of cocoa hit at first. Dipping my nose a litter deeper some lemon peel shows up along with a richer caramel sweetness with a hint of spiced apple. Though the notes may not allude to it, there’s a sort of lightness and brightness about this as well.

PALATE: A fairly thick mouthfeel, boarderline syrupy. Notes of caramel and apple combine again for a note of the state fair classic. A baking spice blend of nutmeg, cardamom, and anise give this a nice bite with a slight tones of toasted nuts, citrus, and licorice. A decent amount of fresh oak and tannins start to show up around mid-palate and carries over into the finish. Along with that oak, I occasionally get a leather note as well.

FINISH: The finish is long and rather tannic. There’s a caramel, almost butterscotch, note that comes along with that fresh oak. The oak continues to develop into a more toasted, spicey oak. A dusting of cinnamon and cocoa powder ebb and flow for a good 15-30 seconds after the swallow and show up more prominently as this fades away.

RATING: 7.0/10

VALUE: 8.0/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details.)

OVERALL: I love wheated bourbons and this is very worthy of some of the best of them. I love that this is part of BBCo’s Origin Series which, while they haven’t stated this outright, I generally take to be expressions you should be able to always find on the shelf. This has some very quintessential wheater notes with the caramel and vanilla sweetness, some fruit notes, and a variety of baking spices. There’s nothing too complex about it thought. Making this available at $50 for 106 proof, 6 years old, and a big wheat component mash bill bourbon is an awesome value and something that I intend to keep in my bar going forward. Having given this to a few friends that are starting to get into bourbon, this is one of their favorites that they’re ranking up above some $120+ dollar bottles.

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08