Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series #1 Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

When I first called upon Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBCo), it was November 2016 and their distilling equipment had only just come online. Two duplications/expansions were still in the future, as was the construction of more rickhouses. Their in-house restaurant and bar was just unfinished space in the distillery.

At that time, the talk about BBCo was all about contract production, and the distillery has since become (in my opinion) the industry’s leader in that field, producing whiskey from three dozen mash bills for various clients. Nothing was said about the company venturing into releasing its own brand of whiskeys. Two and a half years later, though, that is what they have done.

The BBCo Fusion Series follows what is now a standard model for distillers who started out with sourced whiskey and are in the midst of transitioning to their in-house production: take some aged, mature sourced whiskey and blend it with your own young stuff. The recipe for this first release in the series is as follows:

• 42% BBCo bourbon made from a high rye mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley, aged 25 months.
• 40% sourced Kentucky bourbon made from 74% corn, 18% wheat and 8% malted barley, aged 11 years and 7 months.
• 18% BBCo bourbon made from 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley, aged 27 months.

The blend is therefore a peculiar mix of high rye and wheated bourbon, mostly coming from BBCo itself and aged for just over two years. BBCo Fusion #1 is bottled at 98.9 proof.

The Bourbon
The whiskey’s look bears out that point about most of it being not even 2 1/2 years old, as it takes a light amber coloring in the glass. Coating the interior leaves behind a sheet of tears.

The nose smacks of Nilla Wafers and Animal Crackers, with a sprinkle of wood spice to liven it up. A taste yields a rich creme brulee experience, once again spiced up with wood. The finish rolls off that last note, running with a light load of spicy woodiness.

The Price
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series #1 can be had for $59.99.