Review: Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select Bourbon “The Final Batch” 10 Years Old

In 1768, William Bard, born to Irish immigrant parents, journeyed into Kentucky to locate salt for shipment back to Pennsylvania. Trained as a surveyor, Bard later drafted the first known map of Louisville in 1779. Not long after, he settled south of the city, where he and his brother David founded the town that would take their family name and eventually earn recognition as the “bourbon capital of the world.”

The Bard family presence in Kentucky continued into the nineteenth century. In 1823, Isaac Bard, son of William, relocated west from Bardstown to Muhlenberg County. There, he became as a respected local leader and established a working farm that remains in the hands of Bard descendants nearly two centuries later.

Industrial development arrived in Muhlenberg County in 1903 when W.G. Duncan opened a coal mine in the area. A company town soon followed, created to house mine workers and named Graham after Duncan’s middle name. As the operation flourished, the community expanded. In 1925, Duncan commissioned the construction of a school to serve the growing population. Designed in the art deco style, the building was eventually closed and left vacant in 2004.

A new chapter began in 2015 when Thomas and Kim Bard acquired the former school and launched an extensive, long-term restoration that remains underway. Thomas Bard, a fourth great-grandson of William Bard, once attended classes in the same building that now houses The Bard Distillery.

The Bard story extends beyond family heritage. Kimberly Carter Bard brings her own interesting background, with a career that includes driving in the Nascar Busch Series, now known as Xfinity, and time as a Monster Jam driver in Central America.

While renovations continue, The Bard Distillery has been distilling spirits since late 2019, releasing limited bottlings that include whiskey distilled on site. To date, the distillery has concentrated primarily on blending bourbon sourced from other producers under the Cinder & Smoke label.

Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select has traditionally represented an extremely limited blend drawn from the best barrels owned by The Bard. Moving forward, the distillery plans to highlight those same high-caliber casks as single barrel releases. As part of this transition, Batch X of Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon, aged 10 years, has been designated “The Final Batch.”

This concluding release brings together three barrels from two undisclosed distilleries, both active participants on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Contractual requirements prevent the identification of either source, though one is located in Bardstown and the other operates in the western region of the Trail. The Bardstown barrels carried a #4 char and matured for 12 years and 2 months. The western Kentucky barrel featured a #3 char and aged for 10 years and 3 months.

All three barrels spent their final six years aging at The Bard Distillery, resting in former classrooms with cinder block walls, large windows, and no climate control. After blending, the whiskey entered a mingling phase at 116 proof for four days. On the fifth day, proofing down began, gradually reaching 100 proof over a total marrying period of nine to ten days.

Housed within a restored art deco school, The Bard Distillery stands out as a visually appealing destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Beyond the setting, the blending has earned attention in its own right. As the distillery turns toward single barrel offerings, how does the last edition of Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select measure up? What does The Final Batch reveal when poured into the glass?

Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select Bourbon “The Final Batch” 10 Years Old Review

The bouquet opens with the aroma of fresh croissants from Cheddar’s, coated in honey-butter glaze, followed closely by a mild note of orange marmalade. As the citrus brightness fades, pecan sandies matriculate, eventually yielding to a clear note of dusty chalkboards. That particular note is rather ironic, given that The Bard Distillery occupies a former schoolhouse, with classrooms left largely unchanged and chalkboards still mounted where they were when the building was vacated in 2004.

On the palate, an initial push of dusty corn fun, often found in smaller craft operations, sets the stage. While discernible, it never veers into unpleasant territory. Once the palate adjusts, Whopper malted milk balls come forward, adding a nice sweetness. Midway through, darker flavors surface: Luxardo cherries with a suggestion of lemon peel, all carried by a medium-thick mouthfeel. The citrus element provides a boost against the heavier, soil-driven flavors without overwhelming them.

The closing sequence introduces supple leather alongside dark chocolate, followed by an earthy character akin to a forest floor after rainfall. As those notes recede, pine needles make a final appearance, neatly punctuating the profile.

Overall, this expression is highly enjoyable. Earth-forward bourbons are not typically my preference, yet Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select delivers that profile with finesse. While the blend’s component distilleries remain undisclosed, I strongly suspect that the lone barrel sourced from western Kentucky originates from M.B. Roland Distillery. Across the range of M.B. Roland releases I’ve encountered, some excellent, others less so, a consistent thread of earth-driven flavor has always been present, even in the most enjoyable single barrels. The oldest of those I’ve sampled reached 6 years of age, so the inclusion of a 10-year-old barrel in this three-barrel blend would logically contribute an earthy dimension.

Rather than dominating the profile, that character plays extremely well with the two barrels sourced from the Bardstown distillery. While The Bard Distillery may still fly under the radar for many outside western Kentucky, this final batch of Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select merits serious attention. Thomas and Kim Bard demonstrate a clear aptitude for whiskey blending, and this release stands as evidence of that skill.

100 proof.

A- / $100

The post Review: Cinder & Smoke Founder’s Select Bourbon “The Final Batch” 10 Years Old appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.