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Bardstown Bourbon Company is no stranger to finishing whiskies in wine barrels. By my count, this is the fourth such wine-finished release (not counting ones finished in fortified wines) after The Prisoner, Phifer Pavitt Cabernet and Carter Cellars collaborations.
Wine-finished bourbon is always tricky to create. Imparting the flavors of even the boldest red wines can be difficult especially with a strong spirit like bourbon. This is why most whiskey producers choose fortified wine casks like Sherry, Port or Madeira to age or finish their spirits in. But the taste that fortified wines impart can be too bold or funky for some palates. This is why I don’t think we’ll ever see producers give up on using traditional wine casks as a finishing barrel.
Bardstown Bourbon Company knows this and has attempted to source some of the best wine barrels they can buy. This most recent release uses famed California winery Silver Oak Cellars mostly because of the premium product they produce. But the most important part of making a successful finished bourbon involves getting the base blend right. So what bourbons did BBCo decide to go with?
Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Silver Oak
The base blend that BBCo landed on was comprised of the following:
25% – 14yr Kentucky Bourbon sourced from Wild Turkey (75/13/12)
23% – 12yr Tennessee Bourbon sourced from Cascade Hollow (Dickel) (84/8/8)
5% – 12yr Georgia Bourbon sourced from Ivy Mountain Distillery (80/10/5/5)
22% – 10yr Kentucky Bourbon sourced from Jim Beam (78/13/9)
10% – 10yr Kentucky Bourbon sourced from Heaven Hill (78/10/12)
15% – 9yr Indiana Bourbon sourced from MGP (75/21/4)
Once again, I’m not pleased that BBCo is trying to sneak that Georgia Bourbon into yet another product. I think it’s a substandard bourbon that is capable of ruining blends (like this one) when too much of it is used. But they’ve already forked over the money for these barrels so I predict they’re going to continue using them in small percentages until it’s gone – just to get rid of it.
One of my other big gripes with Collaborative Series is the length of time they finish their whiskies in. Most of them average 18 months – which seems entirely too long. Silver Oak is no different. The bourbon was finished for 17 months! However, I may be willing to overlook that part since the finishing barrels held a liquid that was weaker compared to other casks that held spirits or fortified wines.
So how does it taste? Let’s find out. A huge thanks to my friend Mike over at Mostly Peaceful Bourbon for helping me out with this one. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: A surprisingly bright and floral nose. The wine influence offers a beautiful bouquet and also a lot of fruit (plums, sweetened red fruits, grape jelly). It’s a great way to start this dram. Vanilla blossoms blend with brown sugar and light caramel sauce. I don’t find much oak on the nose, but I do find some cherry Swisher Sweets cigarillos
Palate: A nice layer of barrel char, oak and sweet winey flavors gives this dram ample body. There is nothing strange or unusual about what I’m tasting, it’s all classic bourbon and familiar red wine notes. The palate is soft and fruity with mild spice notes like white pepper, ground cinnamon and nutmeg. There is a familiar nuttiness that shows itself every now and then. The sweetness comes from both caramel and fruit juice. Speaking of fruit, citrus fruit flesh, fig, cherries and a hint of mint add layers to each sip. My overall thought as I’m drinking this is how well this has all come together.
Finish: A tiny prickle of spice is detected way back on my tongue while flavors of fruit salad (heavy on the grapes) and tannins (oak, barrel char) remain. Dusty fig and a bit of honeycomb linger while old oak furniture and a bit of cigar wrapping paper keep things interesting as the flavors fade away.
Score: 8.4/10
The thing I liked most about this bourbon is how layered everything was. I felt like the assorted fruit, wine and various caramel/brown sugar flavors were balanced in a way that other wine-finished bourbons sometimes can’t get right. This bourbon also goes light on the spices and tannins which allow you to experience the full scope of the Silver Oak casks used to finish it. I was worried that all I would taste was the wine or that I wouldn’t taste much at all. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. Bardstown Bourbon Company managed to find that perfect length of time to finish the bourbon in. I guess 17 months was the right amount of time after all
Final Thoughts
When I think about Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Series, the first thing that comes to mind is how expensive it is. These bottles continue to increase in price year after year. And it’s not like there’s just one release per year either – there are typically 2 or 3 Collaborative Series releases every year. If you’re someone who loves finished whiskies, you’d have to drop over $500 per year to buy them all. That’s not an insignificant amount of money.
So where do you draw the line? Get the ones that interest you. I have ignored most of their beer finishes and liqueur-finished ones but I must admit, all of their wine ones have turned out far better than I expected. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I recommend buying this bottle, but if you’re on a budget, then decide which finish suits your tastes best and make a plan to buy that one. You shouldn’t be disappointed.
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