Review: Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Finish

Bardstown Bourbon Co. isn’t slow rolling their new Distillery Reserve Series, launching a second release only five months after the impressive debut of Cathedral French Oak Finish (with a third reportedly planned for the winter). For the sequel, the team in Bardstown looked even further afield than France for an exceptional finishing cask, selecting rare Mizunara oak harvested from the remote forests of Hokkaido in Japan.

But first, Bardstown Bourbon Co. did what it does so often and so well: blend. Beginning with Kentucky bourbons aged 14- and 15-years (80% of the recipe), they added a measure of 9-year-old, Indiana rye (15%) and a top dressing of 18-year-old Tennessee whiskey (5%). That well-aged mix of straight whiskeys was subsequently matured for a full 24 months in just six 66-gallon Mizunara casks.

Six casks may not sound like much whiskey – and it isn’t – but the 375 ml packaging should help stretch supplies. If our thoughts below sound appealing, you may want to get down to the distillery in Bardstown or their slick tasting room in downtown Louisville. If a trip to Kentucky isn’t in the cards, you can snag future releases via membership in the brand’s whiskey club, The Reserve.

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Finish Review

The nose is elegant, exotic, and gentle, even at a healthy proof, rolling easily out of the glass with notes of cigar box, sweet saw dust, and smoldering incense. It is by no means woody, however, as those Mizunara-inspired top notes are balanced against a substantial, syrupy foundation of dark brown sugar, pecan praline, and cocktail cherry that only builds as it opens.

The palate is round and rich with a sweet entry of orange blossom honey, cooked peaches, and dried apricots that gives way to vanilla pound cake and a little coconut cream on the midpalate. Milk chocolate and soft baking spice arrive on a long finish that simmers with hints of Chai, clove, and minted syrup. Exceptional stuff, and a sequel every bit as good as the debut.

109.3 proof.

A / $100 (375ml) [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

The post Review: Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Finish appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.