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Seeing as how this is the first time I’m reviewing any bottle from The Bardstown Collection, I figured I should start by saying what exactly it is before getting into the whiskey that’s in these bottles. The Bardstown Collection started in 2022 as a way to celebrate National Bourbon Week (June 9-15) with a special release from distilleries in (and around) the Bardstown area – which is already known as the Bourbon Capital of the World. The proceeds from the sales of these bottles are typically used to benefit the town of Bardstown.
Each year, the number of distilleries that participate have grown from the original five that participated in 2022. But the distillery I’m looking at today is Jim Beam. Jim Beam does not have distilleries or aging warehouses in Bardstown, but they do have some obscure history tying the brand to the town. I don’t need to hear justification as to why they were allowed in, I’m just glad they were. To some people, Beam might be one of the more uninteresting distilleries in this collection, but that’s only until you read about the type of bourbon they’ve used in them.
Jim Beam’s contribution to The Bardstown Collection
For starters, the 2022 release saw all participating distilleries releasing what was supposed to be two single barrels. Beam decided to blend their two single barrels together and used a 15-year-old barrel of Beam’s standard mash bill along with a 16-year-old barrel of their “High Rye” (Old Grand Dad) mash bill. This decision resulted in 192 bottles being produced at a barrel proof of 109. For avid Old Grand Dad fans, this was also the first time we heard of confirmation that Beam had barrels of that recipe aged that long. Up until then, it was assumed that Basil Hayden 10 Year Bourbon was as old as it got.
The 2023 Bardstown Collection grew to six participating distilleries. With the success that came from the first year, each distillery was encouraged to release three barrels instead of two. Beam’s contribution went harder than any other distillery for not only The Bardstown Collection, but maybe out of all distilleries. They plucked the 10th, 11th, and 12th millionth barrels that were filled at the Clermont plant (distilled in 2005, 2008, and 2011 respectively) which made the blend range from 12 to 18 years old. Having a release tied directly to milestone barrels was an incredible idea and the barrel proof of 118 made it even better. The price was $200, but to the 400+ people that got one, it was priceless.
The following year in 2024, Beam went older – this time using three barrels that had been aged for 20 years. The bourbon was said to have all been standard Beam low-rye mash bill and (this is just my opinion) were probably from the same stock of barrels that would be used for 2025’s Knob Creek 21 Year Bourbon. The proof for this release once again clocked in 109, just like the 2022 release. The three barrels were all pulled from the first floor of a nine-story rickhouse at Clermont (it was not disclosed which warehouse this was) and the yield from these three resulted in 259 bottles being produced. The MSRP for this release rose to $250 and was available only at the distillery.
Thanks to my friend James who is more knowledgeable than me (and also very generous), I was able to sample all three of these releases side-by-side-by-side. So what did I think? Keep reading! I’m going to do something I don’t usually do and condense these tasting notes since I’ll have three different bottles to review. I sampled all of them neat in a glencairn.
2022 Release Tasting Notes
Nose: A good amount of seasoned oak on the nose followed by cherries, hazelnuts, citrus oil, chocolate, toffee, Pledge Wood Cleaner and a touch of Tiramisu.
Palate: The high rye profile stands out to me – which is something I totally hoped would happen. I find a good amount of spice (cinnamon stick, nutmeg) coupled with some floral flavors and a hint of citrus zest. For tannins, the oak and tobacco leaf really picks up and brings a little dryness to it. Sweetness is courtesy of caramel candy corn, but it’s not as sweet as a standard Knob Creek. The OGD must be tamping some of it down. This is fine by me as sometimes straight Beam can get a little too sweet. Enjoyable, full-bodied mouthfeel.
Finish: The dryness picks up just a little bit with plenty of tobacco, sweet oak and oak spice to be found on the tongue. There’s also quite a few baking spices like cinnamon and allspice. Sweetness is courtesy of a nutty cinnamon bun with vanilla icing.
Score: 8.5/10
2023 Release Tasting Notes
Nose: The nose on this smells sweeter than the 2022 release. In fact, I’d say that the nose is almost a dead ringer for the Hardin’s Creek Kentucky Series: Clermont release. That would probably make sense if these barrels came from there. It’s classic Beam in all the right ways, Toffee, “Cow Tales,” seasoned oak and slightly nutty.
Palate: Outwardly, this tastes like it has a little less age than the 2022 release. This is probably not something I think most people would say since it does have an 18-year-old barrel in it, but I’m going to put it out there. Nutty and proofy with much more barrel influenced sweetness (caramel, maple and vanilla custard) than I’d normally get. This is classic Beam really ramped up.
Finish: Baking spices, seasoned oak, sweet tobacco, hard caramel candies, cherries and red pepper flakes.
Score: 8.7/10
2024 Release Tasting Notes
Nose: My first sniff seems to grab a ton of fruit notes than the previous two releases. The longer I sniff it, I realize that this isn’t just a passing thing, it really is fruitier. There are oxidized cherries, anise-infused orange blossom tea and apricot jelly. I also find plenty of oak and vanilla along with one of my favorite whiskey scents – butterscotch!
Palate: The fruit assault continues with the same medley that I found on the nose. Cherries, orange and apricots. It almost doesn’t taste like a Beam product. Is this what happens when a barrel of Beam sets on the bottom of a warehouse for two decades? I also find chocolate after-dinner mints and lots of oak. This oak isn’t the sweet or seasoned kind, it’s the musty kind that probably only grows at the bottom of a warehouse. This imparts a flavor that attaches itself to everything and has really wow’ed me.
Finish: The fruit notes remain on the finish, but the sweetness begins to taper off. Caramel, vanilla, butterscotch and oak all remain and if I had to describe the finish in only one word, it would be “balanced.” The oxidized and antiqued “must” transcends everything. What a unique dram!
Score: 8.9/10
Conclusion
Going into the review, I assumed that the 2022 Beam Bardstown Collection bottle as my favorite of the release. As far as profile notes go, I love the OGD mash bill and fully believed it helped achieve a more well-rounded bourbon experience. It’s just something that standard Beam doesn’t really do for me. But my assumption was proven wrong with the first sip of the 2024 release. Somehow. all of these beautiful oxidized and fruit-forward notes sprung out of nowhere to win me over. The crazy part is, I don’t believe any of these barrels were the high rye mash bill leaving me to wonder: “Does Beam really change its profile depending on where it was aged?” I know many enthusiasts would say it absolutely does, but it’s rare for me to have ever drank a standard Beam product and think it’s anything other than Beam (well, except Knob Creek 12, even that impressed me).
The 2023 release is also awesome, but it stands out from the 2022 and 2024 by simply being the best version of Beam’s standard profile. I know this might get a lot of hate, but I think I prefer any of the Hardin’s Creek Kentucky series over this one. I wouldn’t kick any of them out of bed and can recognize the specialness of something that used the barrels it did.
For fans of the Jim Beam brand, these bottlings represent the pinnacle of bourbon. And while I can’t tell you to drop the multiple hundreds of dollars these bottles are going for on the secondary, I can tell you that no matter what you’re doing during that second week in June, you should make an effort to drive to Clermont Kentucky and try to score the next release. It’s guaranteed to be one of the best offerings in the Bardstown Collection.