Bardstown Bourbon Company: Fusion Series #3

This sample was sent by the producers fas part of the media kit for the 2020 Kentucky Bourbon Festival with no strings attached.

I’m starting to think I have too much whiskey. I know. I know. I’ve said this before. But honestly, when you can toss a sample in a drawer and forget about it for six months, the thought does pop into your head.

Because that is exactly what happened with tonight’s whiskey. I originally got this as part of the media kit for the 2020 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. There were a few bits of swag in there, a book, and a couple of 50mL bottles of bourbon. This, Maker’s Mark, and a Jim Beam product, I think. I tossed all three into the drawer of my cocktail station. I had the idea that I might review the Bardstown Bourbon Company one, but one thing led to another, and, well, here we are in March.

So what is it? That is a good question and it required a little digging on my part as there wasn’t any documentation provided. And there was little info on the bottle other than the proof to distinguish this release from any of the others. After a bit of time on the company website, I realized that this is the third iteration of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Fusion Series. The proof was what gave it away if you are curious.

So what is the Fusion Series? I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard of it previously. Living in the Whiskey Hinterlands of Minnesota means that unless a small company sends me a sample, I might not run across their stuff until I make it to Kentucky. And such was the case here. I’d only had one product from BBC, the Collabor&tion (which I found pretty hit or miss with one being very tasty and the other being much less so), and hadn’t really kept touch with what the company was doing.

The Fusion Series is a blend of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s own bourbon with older sourced bourbon. And they’ve given a very nice breakdown of what they used to make it. This is comprised of 40% 13-year-old Kentucky bourbon (undisclosed source, but the mash bill was disclosed as 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley), 18% 3-year-old BBC bourbon (mash bill 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley), and 42% 3-year-old BBC bourbon (mash bill 60% corn, 36% wheat, and 4% malted barley).

Let’s see how it tastes.

Bardstown Bourbon Company: Fusion Series #3

Purchase Info: This sample was provided as part of a media kit for the 2020 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 49.45% ABV. A blend of 40% 13-year-old Kentucky bourbon (undisclosed source, but the mash bill was disclosed as 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley), 18% 3-year-old Bardstown Bourbon Co bourbon (mash bill 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley), and 42% 3-year-old Bardstown Bourbon Co bourbon (mash bill 60% corn, 36% wheat, and 4% malted barley).

Nose: Almond, vanilla, cinnamon candies.

Mouth: Nice mouthfeel. Cinnamon, caramel, and Vanilla custard.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Cinnamon, mint, dark chocolate, and oak.

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Thoughts: this took me sips to get into as it needed a little time to open up. But once it did, it was lovely. Sweet, creamy, and spicy with a nice mouthfeel. I enjoyed it. I will have to keep an eye out for other releases after I can get to Kentucky again.

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Maker’s Mark Private Selection Program: The New Roasted French Mendiant Stave

I’d like to thank Maker’s Mark for providing the sample kit for the new stave with no strings attached.

So, Maker’s Mark has decided to tweak the Private Select program. They’ve decided to retire the Roasted French Mocha stave and replace it with a new one called Roasted French Mendiant.

When the Maker's Mark Private Select program was first introduced, I wrote a whole article about it. From that post, we know that the Roasted French Mocha is a French oak stave designed to bring dry, dark chocolate, coffee, and char notes to the finished bourbon.

So, you might ask, the names of Roasted French Mocha and Roasted French Mendiant are remarkably similar? What is the difference? That’s a fine question and Maker’s Mark was kind enough to provide the answer along with the samples they sent. Quoting from the press release:

The new stave takes the flavor cues folks have come to know and love from the program’s Mocha stave and expands on them with amplified milk chocolate, buttery nut, deep coffee and dried dark fruit notes. … In introducing Mendiant, we wanted to bring in a new and exciting stave that takes flavor cues from Mocha but enhances even more rich and creamy classic Maker’s Mark® notes. Mendiant, like Mocha, is also a French oak stave with a classic cut but is cooked low and slow vs. high and slow to achieve a delicious new finish.

I was very interested to taste the difference between these two. I haven’t liked every Private Selection I’ve had that included the French Mocha stave, but all of the ones I’ve liked have included it. And I’d never tasted it on its own. So this should be a fun look.

Maker's Mark French Mocha vs French Mendiant

Purchase Info: These are available as part of the Maker’s Mark Private Select Program. They are only available on their own if a participant in the program has elected to go that route with their selection. These samples were sent for review purposes. The suggested retail price for a bottle of Maker’s Mark Private Select is $69.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Mocha

Details: 54.95% ABV

Nose: Strong caramel, vanilla, oak, and chocolate.

Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, oak, chocolate, and a hint of mint.

Finish: Sweet and warm with lingering notes of chocolate, cinnamon, and caramel.

Mendiant

Details: 54.75% ABV

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, chamomile, and hints of oak and mint.

Mouth: Cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, almond, and herbal notes.

Finish: Sweet and warm. Lingering notes of caramel, vanilla, almond, and hints of chamomile.

Thoughts: These are both very good. I'd choose the Mocha personally as I love those chocolate notes. The Mendiant is much spicier while the Mocha is sweeter...

…when neat.

Since Maker's was nice enough to throw a vial of Maker's Cask strength in the package, let's see how each of these does in a 50-50 blend.

The blending definitely changes things up. The noses are very similar with the Mendiant being slightly more herbal. Both, however, are caramel bombs. On the mouth, the Mendiant seems to integrate better than the Mocha. The Mocha stays chocolaty and overpowers the notes from the Maker's Cask Strength. The Mendiant shows as sweeter and has more caramel and herbal notes than the Mocha. Strangely, my favorite has switched when blended with the Maker's Cask Strength. I much prefer the Mendiant in a blend.

Which might be why they are making the change.

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Larceny Barrel Proof, Batch A121

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

It’s funny how our tastes develop. There was a time in my bourbon journey that a bottle of 80 proof Ancient Age or Cabin Still was right in line with my preferred flavor profile. These days it is only the rare sub-90 proof bottle that gets me coming back for more. Somehow along the way, I’ve started to enjoy higher-proof whiskeys. I’ve decided that I really enjoy being able to put a cube of ice in there and still have something robust to enjoy.

And I’m not the only one to notice a change in my palate. My wife has also noticed a slight change over the years. Of the two of us, she is the fan of wheated bourbons in our house. I’ll drink them, but I usually prefer the “normal” bourbon that uses rye as a flavoring grain. When Larceny came out, it was her favorite bourbon. Super easy to find, affordable, and lined up exactly with her palate. These days, however, she finds herself drawn to other bourbons both wheated and not.

Yet even with that, we’ve both been big fans of the Larceny releases so far. I like the higher proof and more concentrated flavors. She likes the more robust version of the Larceny flavor profile (maybe this more concentrated version has ruined the 92 proof for her?). In fact, this is what we said about the last batch:

This typifies exactly what my wife wants in a bourbon: sweet and oaky with lots of caramel. She wants it on the record that if she sees this, and if it is allowed, she wants to buy two bottles. I also really like it in case you were curious.

Let’s see how 2021’s first batch compares.

Larceny Barrel Proof, Batch A121

Purchase info: This was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99.

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: Batch number: A121. 57.4% ABV. "Made from a mingling of 6 to 8-year-old bourbon." Non-chill filtered.

Nose: Oak, toffee, mint, baking spices, and fleeting hints of dark chocolate.

Mouth: Follows the nose with oak, dark chocolate, caramel, and baking spices.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Notes of dark chocolate, oak, and baking spices linger.

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Thoughts: The one word I can think of for this is "Robust" It has a great mouthfeel and the dark chocolate notes are fantastic for a lover of dark chocolate like me. I like this more than the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof we looked at last week.

Comparison with the last batch: C920 was way sweeter on the nose showing much more caramel to A121's dominant oak notes. The sweeter notes of C920 continue on the mouth bringing added heat to the party as well. A121 has a thicker mouthfeel and more oak and cocoa notes. Overall, these are quite different and which you like more will depend on whether you prefer hot and sweet caramel flavors or robust with oak flavors. In my opinion, they are the two best batches of the four released so far. I think I like A121 better, my wife likes C920 better.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

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Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 11, Ruby Rye Springs

I’d like to thank Four Gate Whiskey Company for providing a review sample with no strings attached.

Ordinarily, I do tasting notes over the weekend in order to allow me to spend more writing time on the essay that goes in front of each review on writing night. Well, now that it has warmed up (we are above freezing for the second day in a row!!!), I’ve spent the last three days running a smoker and the only thing I could smell, during the time I would usually do a tasting, was smoke. So tonight you are getting raw, unfiltered, day-of-tasting notes without the benefit of a second tasting.

It also means that I don’t have quite as much time to write an intro essay so instead, I’m spending all of this time writing excuses about why I couldn’t write something more interesting. Yay! Intro!

Four Gate Whiskey Company is a company that is making quite a name for itself as an innovative barrel finishing whiskey company. I’ve only had five of their eleven releases but already I’ve had bourbon finished in gin/Orange Curaçao barrels, bourbon finished in Cognac/rum barrels and as of tonight, a rye whiskey finished in a barrel that has previously aged Ruby Port and then rum. Some of these are home runs, some are super weird, but all are very interesting. Here is what the company has to say about the barrel finishing of tonight’s rye.

The secondary casks originally were originally used to mature ruby port, a fortified wine from Portugal in which the wine is removed from barrels and stored in tanks to prevent further aging, leaving the resulting product sweeter and brighter on the palate than other styles of port wine. The barrels found a second use with Virago Spirits in Richmond, VA where the barrels were used to age a blend of rums, imparting them with a lush molasses sweetness that pairs excellently with the bright red fruit of the ruby port.

The most interesting thing about this whiskey is that it is the third in a series featuring the same rye whiskey. I initially reviewed the first of the series in July of 2020. It was a 7-year-old Straight Rye whiskey from Indiana that featured the 95% rye/5% malted barley recipe made famous by MGP (and even though the company didn’t confirm it, I assume that is exactly what it was). You can read what I had to say about Batch 7 here. They then performed two barrel-finishing experiments using that same whiskey. One I did not get a sample of, but the other is tonight’s whiskey. My tasting tonight featured both the Batch 7 (unfinished whiskey) and Batch 11 which spent an additional 40+ days in a second barrel. Let’s see how it turned out.

Four Gate Whiskey Company: Batch 11, Ruby Rye Springs

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously supplied by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is: $185 

Price per Drink (50 mL): $12.40

Details: “95/5 Indiana Straight Rye” (going out on a limb to say that means MGP though this has not been confirmed by the company), 56.7% ABV, 7 years old, 1,444 bottle batch. Finished in a cask that previously aged both Ruby Port and then Rum.

Nose: Bubblegum, mint, caramel, red fruits, and allspice. 

Mouth: Whoo, that's spicy. Cinnamon, red fruits, and mint.

Finish: Spicy and long. Notes of Bubblegum, molasses, cinnamon, and mint.

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Thoughts: This is damn good. If you can afford to splurge on this one, and you like high-proof ryes, do it. I think this is almost the best thing I've had from Four Gate (I loved Batch 6, but this was almost as good). I can see saving up to splurge on this one.

Comparison to the Unfinished Rye: Ruby Rye Springs has a much softer, yet more complicated, nose. It is sweeter and really shows off what the finishing barrel brought to the party. The Unfinished rye is sharper on the nose and almost antiseptic by comparison. The unfinished rye is delicious, a good rich 95%- style rye. Good cinnamon and minty rye notes. Somehow the Ruby Rye Springs is even better. It retains the spice and minty herbal rye notes but adds a nice layer of sweetness and fruit to the top. They used a deft touch on the barrel finishing. If I hadn't known this was barrel-finished rye, I would not have guessed. I would have just thought it was a rye whiskey with nice fruit notes and a complex finish. It was only through the comparison, that I saw what had been accomplished. It is hard to improve on a barrel-strength "Indiana 95% Rye" but Four Gate has done it. My hats off to them. Nice Work!

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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Batch A121

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

During the recent cold snap, I was digging through one of my closets. I don’t remember the reason, and it isn’t really important to the story. But while I was in there, I found an old-ish bag of peanuts that I had purchased for the local crows but that I had never used. As it was cold enough to freeze bourbon out, I decided that the critters outside might need a helping hand to find food and dumped a few piles of peanuts around the yard where my wife and I could watch them while we worked. It was a win-win. They got an easy bite to eat and I freed up some room in the closet.

Then the cold snap kept going and I started feeling bad for those squirrels rooting around under the snow trying to find the last few peanuts. And being the soft-hearted person I am, I went to the hardware store and bought another 5-pound bag of peanuts to put back in the closet. And then went on Amazon and bought a 25-pound bag for when those were gone.

Yep. In order to free up closet-space, I started feeding the local birds and squirrels only to need to find room for a bag five times the size a week later. I feel like there is a lesson in there for me.

Hey, would you look at that (he says in order to avoid looking too closely at that lesson) it’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof time again. A121 is the first batch for 2021 and comes in at 123.6° proof, the lowest it has been since May of 2019. These are always good so let’s dive right in, shall we?

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Batch A121

Purchase info: This sample was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. Locally Elijah Craig Barrel Proof can sell for as low as $64.99 for a 750 mL bottle when not on sale.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: 12 years old. 61.8% ABV.

Nose: Oak, caramel, almond, and vanilla.

Mouth: Spicy and sweet. Cinnamon, almond, caramel, vanilla, and oak.

Finish: Spicy and warm with cinnamon, cloves, dark chocolate, some oak, and a nice nuttiness.

Comparison with C920: Similar on the nose. The mouth of A121 is sweeter than C920. C920 has much more pronounced cinnamon and nutmeg notes, A121 having more of a "generic spiciness" with hints of cinnamon by comparison. C920 is also much hotter, as would be expected from a whiskey almost 10 degrees higher in proof.

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Thoughts: This is very good, as usual. It reminds me of a higher-proof version of the Small Batch Elijah Craig flavor profile. Which, yes, I understand how that sounds, but I've always found that Elijah Craig Barrel Proof had a more "stereotypical bourbon" flavor than Small Batch does. More focus on hanging all that proof on rich caramel and vanilla notes. But, I could also be talking out my butt too. It happens.

I gave the last two batches of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof a rare Heart rating. Not so this time. I like the bright spiciness of C920 better than A121. Not to say that A121 isn’t very, very good. A121 is delicious. It’s just that last time lined up perfectly for me flavor-wise. But don’t put too much stock in the difference between a heart and a smile I really liked one and loved another. It isn’t that big of a difference.

Plus, this is just reflecting the thoughts of a guy who bought a 25-pound bag of peanuts on a whim.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.