Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Discovery Series has always been an exhibition in blending prowess, on par with the team at Barrell in weaving various distilleries together into a cohesive, better-than-the-parts product. Before now, though, the series had always stayed in the US for its sources.

Enter Discovery Series #7, the first in Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s line to go international. In addition to the usual suspects of Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, #7 also contains 12 year old corn whiskey from Ontario, CA as 21% of the blend.

There are plenty of distilleries in Ontario, but my guess for the source here is Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario. Hiram Walker is the largest distiller and blender in Canada, itself a significant feat, and has the volume to sell to BBCo for the blending. Today, Hiram Walker is owned by Pernod Ricard, with selected brands co-owned by competitors like Beam Suntory.

For Indiana and Tennessee, the sources are obvious based on the mashbills (MGP and Cascade Hollow, respectively), but the Kentucky ones are murkier. The 78% Corn,10% Rye, 12% Barley is almost certainly Heaven Hill (LuxCo technically has the same mashbill, but their Ezra Brooks is sourced from Heaven Hill).

The 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley is used by multiple heritage distilleries including Wild Turkey and Jim Beam (for its bourbons not including Old Grand-Dad and Basil Haydens, which use a different bourbon mashbill).

Now, each of these three are different bourbons. Jim Beam uses a #4 char and enters the barrel at 125 proof. Wild Turkey also uses a #4 char but enters at 114 proof (with, if we’re honest, yearly variations). Heaven Hill also enters at 125 proof like Jim Beam but uses a #3 char.

There isn’t a person alive who could tell from the Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Discovery Series #7 which Kentucky distilleries are in it. Even assuming Heaven Hill makes the 25% of the blend that’s 78/10/12, that still leaves either Jim Beam or Wild Turkey for the 31% of 75/13/12 recipe, the biggest plurality in the blend. If you really think you can pull that out, congrats, but I don’t believe you.

Diving into my notes, I was struck by how the nose did not match up at all with those from Bardstown Bourbon Company. Their notes start out:

Walnut and brown sugar with bursts of white flowers and tangerine create a delightful aroma

*Photo courtesy of Bardstown Bourbon Company*

My “aromas” (read: nose) were completely different. I got strawberry Nerds candies, cherries, and a corn backbone. I can kind of see the walnuts and brown sugar in the Cracker Jacks notes I wrote, but the white flowers and tangerine were absent for me on both tastings. The palate was a bit closer, though the dark chocolate took a long time to arrive (it was clear as day once it did, but it took its time!).

Perhaps the most intriguing profile I got was that of a wheated bourbon. The chocolate, before it arrived in full, was subtle and enhanced the corn-forward nature of this blend. Out of this pairing came a slightly artificial grape flavor and expired clove and cinnamon spices.

The late palate and finish bring it all together. The spices become fresh and piquant, the fruitiness is elevated by creamy oak, and the proof, while powerful, mellows nicely to a pleasant burn after a few sips.

This blend is exciting. Adding in the corn whiskey from Canada - sorry, whisky - adds a rich roundness and caramel corn note built upon by the Kentucky bourbons. The MGP rye adds some much-needed spice to balance out the fruitiness and brown sugar/Cracker Jack notes. An excellent new entry into the Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series.

Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #7 Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Blended Whiskey

Origin: Undisclosed Distilleries in IN, TN, KY, and Ontario

Mashbill: See chart below from Bardstown Bourbon Co.

Proof: 114.5 (57.25% ABV)

Age: 7 Years Old to 17 Years Old

Location: Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Ontario

Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #7 Whiskey Price: $140

Official Website

Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #7 Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Fossilized amber. Syrupy rims and tight droplets, no legs.

Nose: Strawberry Nerds, fruity and tart. Stonefruits, especially cherry, and a gentle corn backbone. No proof, minimal oak. Cracker Jacks enter the picture, old cinnamon sticks, and rice pudding.

Palate: Still fruity, a grape and strawberry Nerds combo. Proof hits the front of my tongue hard, oaky and peppery. Cracker Jacks continue to build. Almost tastes more like a wheater, despite no wheat in any of the blend’s components. Mouthfeel is spicy and peppery, not astringent at all. Warm and custardy feelings follow, not coating but also not thin. Cloves quickly dry lacquer the tongue.

Finish: Stays spicy for a few seconds, then cinnamon and clove go from spicy to sweet and allow the fruit back in. Dutch cocoa powder joins at the very end of a long, complex finish.

Overall: Balanced and dynamic, bouncing between spice and fruit with cinnamon and creaminess in the back the whole way. Spice is a touch too strong at first, but it mellows to a drinkable level quickly.

Final Rating: 7.1

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Has promise but needs work

1-3 | Let’s have a conversation