Old Bardstown (“Estate Bottled”)

Nose: Light and a little bit antiseptic/medicinal There’s a little bit of corn, but also some scents of alcohol and a little bit of bandaid (similar to some scotches). Palate: The first sip caused a heat sensation in the top of my mouth. I got a lot of wood flavors in this one. Not only oaky but some sawdust as well. It isn’t really harsh, but does have a tiny bit of burn to it. It reduces quickly and turns into more of a warming sensation. It isn’t really all that sweet and it isn’t really all that rye spicy either. It is an odd, middle-of-the-road taste that doesn’t skew either way. The mouthfeel is kinda chunky and thick and the finish is medium but on the longer side. A second sip brought what may be some rye spice, but it has an interesting burnt quality to it. The third sip seemed to signal that my mouth was used to the heat and what was the heat is now pepper and also some light mint. Comments: I seem to remember this being better than I thought it was today. After all, not only is it FROM Bardstown, it is actually NAMED for Bardstown! And we should all know by now, that if there’s one thing I like, it it bourbon made in Bardstown! This clock in at 101 proof, so that probably explains the extra heat I got on it. Still, it wasn’t as devastating on the heat scale as it could have been. Nevertheless, today, it tasted like an odd duck. Not bad, but very different from he recent string of sweeter selections. I like it, but would definitely have to be in the mood for it….which I don’t think I was today. This is a Willett product. The label has changed, and it is now 100 proof “Bottled in Bond”. The mash bill is 73% corn, 13 % rye and 15% malted barley. It isn’t clear, but the version I have may have been sourced from Heaven Hill. Willett didn’t start producing their own until 2012 and transitioned from sourcing to their own juice in 2016. I’m pretty sure I bought this bottle before 2016, so it is likely to be the sourced Heaven Hill version.