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I’ve written a lot about many different versions of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Series of whiskies. Their formula goes something like this: blend together sourced bourbon and rye whiskey and finish them in unique barrels from around the world. While I won’t go over each and every type of barrel finish they’ve used, they all typically revolve around casks that have held beer, wine or spirits.

One of the things that has irked me the most is BBCo’s odd devotion to finishing their whiskies for 18 months at a time. Seriously, almost every single one (with the exception of Ferrand) has been finished for a year and a half. That’s way too long to be finished. It has usually resulted in the final product tasting only like the finishing barrel and not the whiskey underneath. When I saw that the newest Collaborative Series release had also been finished for 18 months in Amrut casks, I did a heavy eye roll. Will they ever learn to finish a whiskey based on taste and not time?
Malt Whiskey from India meets Bourbon from Kentucky and Rye Whiskey from Indiana
Barrel-finished whiskies are a dime a dozen these days. The worst part about it is that most producers seem to hop on the same trend at the same time. Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen a flood of Mizunara-finished whiskies popping up and Amburana-finishes before that. Rum casks also seem to be finding inroads as well. But there is one type of barrel that hasn’t seen any love at all: Indian Malt Whiskey. That’s all about to change.

Bardstown Bourbon Company sourced a handful of Amrut casks that previously held peated and unpeated malt whiskey in them. Prior to ending up at the Amrut Distillery, they previously held either bourbon or Sherry Wine. But there is a key difference in aging whiskey in India compared to aging it in the cool, damp climate of Scotland or Ireland – the heat and humidity of the subcontinent are going to create much more interaction with the liquid and wood.
Indian Malt Whiskey – and Amrut in particular – isn’t as popular in the United States as it is in other parts of the world. But the worlds second-most populous nation is making waves in spirits production, so it was only a matter of time before their producers would collaborate with producers in America. Bardstown Bourbon Company was an obvious choice.
While I can’t speak to the quality or maturation styles of Amrut, I can expand on the base whiskies that Bardstown used.
The whiskies and finishing techniques used in BBCo Amrut
Bardstown Bourbon Company is one of the most transparent companies out there. Virtually every product they make breaks down all of the components in the blend on the side label. Even Barrell Craft Spirits doesn’t go that in-depth. You’re able to clearly see which state the liquid comes from, the age and the mash bill. The latter information is especially valuable if you know who makes which mash bills.
Based on what we see for this whiskey, about 2/3 of the blend is comprised of rye whiskey from Indiana (MGP). It’s not all the ubiquitous 95/5 recipe either, it also uses the high-corn version that MGP started to produce in 2013. All of that should translate to a whiskey that is much more spicy, herbal and bold than an ordinary bourbon.

The other 1/3 of the blend uses sourced, 14-year-old Wild Turkey barrels making up 17% of its blend. There are also 10-year-old barrels of Heaven Hill bourbon making up 15% and 11-year-old barrels of (presumed) barrels from Jim Beam making up the remaining 15%.
Bardstown Bourbon Company did something interesting when it came time to finish this whiskey. Instead of blending all of the liquid together, they only finished the rye whiskey portion in the Amrut barrels. I’m not sure on their exact reason, but I’ve noticed that Barrell Craft Spirits has tinkered with this partially finished blends before – particularly in their Cask Finish Series: Amburana. The reasoning was that the finishing cask imparts so much influence over the whiskey that they didn’t want the whiskey itself to be drowned out by the flavors from the secondary barrel. Or the reason could just be as simple as cost-cutting measures; it’s really a coin-flip in either direction.
Once the rye whiskey was finished in Amrut barrels and the Kentucky bourbons were blended together, the liquid streams were married (no word on how long it took) and then the whole blend was cut to 110 proof and bottled up.
So how does it taste? There’s only one way to find out, let’s get down to tasting. A special thanks to my friend Mike for the opportunity to try this. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: The nose comes off as soft and sweet, just like a sherried malt would. Notes of soft red wine, cherries and honeysuckle are sublime and light. The nose is very un-American in its profile. Beyond that are softer notes of vanilla, honey’d malt, ground cinnamon and brown sugar. There are a couple hints that the base spirit has some rye in it when I find lime zest and a touch of mint. Wrapping up the scents are fresh donuts and some hazelnut. Overall it’s complex and interesting each time I stick my nose in the glen.
Palate: Worried that this is going to taste like a malt whiskey, I’m pleasantly surprised that rye whiskey is the first set of flavors that I find. It’s green and floral with an undertone of light potpourri. Fruit flavors come by way of cherries and berries. Sweetness is mild with vanilla and honey buns. The spice notes begin to perk up a bit after seeing subdued on the nose. I can taste smoldering cinnamon and a hint of allspice. Tannins wrap everything up with a softer notes of oak and new leather.
Finish: The finish melts away into a sherry malted morass. But the rye notes from the palate are plentiful enough to remind you that what you just drank was primarily a rye whiskey. These two things contrast each other perfectly as I sit and ponder the sip I just had and it really is quite exquisite.
Score: 8.3/10
Does anyone else think that it’s strange that you can take a barrel that previously held a very soft, light spirit (like malt whiskey) and put a very heavy, robust American Whiskey into it and actually have the lighter flavors emerge as the dominant profile? That doesn’t make sense to me, but it’s what just happened here with Bardstown Bourbon Company Amrut.

Malt Whiskey made overseas and American Whiskey are unlikely bedfellows, yet if you look close enough, you’ll find a couple examples that show these two distinct profiles can compliment each other. The most obvious example is Old Forester 117 Series: Scotch Cask Finish with others that come close like Barrell Craft Spirits Cask Finish Series: Tale of Two Islands, New Riff Backsetter and Chattanooga Whiskey Co Experimental Series. These have been enjoyable to me, but I realize they’re not for everyone. If you’re the kind of person who can appreciate malt whiskey along with American Whiskies, then these should be right up your alley. If you’re not, at least find yourself a pour and see if you like it before dropping over $150 for this bottle.
Final Thoughts
Even if you don’t find many of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Series to be your cup of tea, you have to give it to them that they always have something new and interesting and different from the rest. Their Amrut finish is one of the better ones I’ve had, too. It’s well-rounded and elegant in its delivery. The price is always a sticking point with me and it feels like it could be slightly cheaper, but that seems to be an industry-wide problem, not just a BBCo problem.
If you’re into malt whiskies, this Amrut Collaborative Series release will taste very familiar with you. If you’re not into malt whiskies, this is a good way to dip your toes into a category without going out and buying a $150 bottle of Scotch or Indian Malt. But if you’re not convinced that you’ll like it, then don’t buy it. The best part is that we’re going to get another Collaborative Series release in another 6 months anyway. So you kind of win no matter what.
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