Review: Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish
What did we do to deserve not one, not two, but three Distillery Reserve releases in one year from Bardstown Bourbon Company? The powerhouse whiskey purveyors have dabbled in distillery-only releases over the years, but they’ve clearly hit their stride with this new series of rare blends finished in unique casks. The debut, a standout French oak finish, was followed by an equally impressive release finished in Mizunara oak. So, what’s next?
To round out the trilogy for 2025, Bardstown Bourbon Company returned to France, Normandie to be exact, where they selected five seasoned Calvados casks from the third-generation brandy house of Christian Drouin. Into those casks went a blend of two Indiana-distilled bourbons made from the same mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. The only small distinction appears to be age, with the bulk of the blend 13 years old (76%) and the remainder 12 years (24%).
It’s a simple base compared to the previous releases, but don’t think the whiskey wizards in Bardstown are getting lazy. That blend was finished for a whopping 28 months in the Calvados casks before an extra four months of finishing time in toasted oak, making this release a work-in-progress for nearly four years. Let’s see if their patience has paid off.
Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish
From my admittedly limited experience with apple brandy-aged whiskey, I’ve found that the cask tends to dry things out while also sometimes imparting too much fruit. Bardstown threaded that needle well here, likely with the help of the toasted oak cask. The nose is fantastic, rich and deep with notes of caramelized apples, cinnamon sugar, clove-studded orange, and Madagascar vanilla bean. It’s gently sweet and silky in texture, a real joy to just sit with and nose over.
The palate is no slouch either, delivering a gentle, buttery entry of warm, flaky apple turnovers, Demerara syrup, and chewy caramels. A nutty quality, almost peanut butter fudge, arrives on the midpalate, and the fruit takes a darker turn from apple pastry to cherry cobbler and even a little strawberry rhubarb pie. Across the sip, it turns a little more savory than sweet with plenty of warm spice, brown butter, and gentle oak notes mellowing the fruit. A sugary flourish on the generous finish brings things full circle, delivering gently sweet notes of butterscotch, crème brulee, and apple sauce. I guess that makes three standouts in a row. Bardstown’s Distillery Reserve has set the bar high in its inaugural year. Here’s hoping 2026 delivers another trio this good.
104.2 proof.
A / $100 (375ml)
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