Bardstown, Kentucky-based Bardstown Bourbon Co. will expand its core offerings with the addition of High Wheat Bourbon, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with a mashbill resulting from years of pushing the boundaries of innovation and never standing still.
Bardstown’s High Wheat Bourbon is comprised of one of the highest percentage wheated mashbills in the bourbon category at 39%. Combined with a low barrel entry proof, meant to extract maximum wood sugars, the result is imbued with ripe apricot and lemon, resting on leather and crème brûlée on the nose. A bold palate of oak and pastry leads to a lightly spiced, yet full-bodied finish.
Nick Smith, director of distillation and head distiller for Bardstown Bourbon Co., has worked alongside master distiller Steve Nally since the company’s founding. When the Hall of Fame “Wheat King” lauded Smith’s distillate, they knew they’d found a winner.
“Once we perfected the distillate, we focused on the aging modifications that would make this whiskey best-in-class,” said Smith. “The lower barrel entry proof of 108 pulls more wood sugars in from the onset, leading to a drinking experience that is elegant and complex.”
Origin High Wheat, the second wheated bourbon in the Origin Series, is comprised of 53% corn, 39% wheat, 8% malted barley and aged 6 years. It is presented at 106 proof (53% alc. by volume) and offered at a suggested retail price of $49.99 (750mL).
In time for the holidays, Bardstown Bourbon Co. will release the Origin Series Experience Tasting Kit, inviting consumers to explore the brand’s core product line through four distinct 6-year-old, 100% estate-distilled whiskeys. The collection features 50mL bottles presented in premium gift packaging including the brand’s ultra-premium, award-winning Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, wheated Bottled-in-Bond, an innovative Double-Barreled Rye Whiskey, and elegant High Wheat Bourbon. The tasting kit is available for a suggested price of $34.99 in all Bardstown Bourbon Co. markets.
The full series, all of which is distilled, aged and bottled at Bardstown Bourbon Co., boasts three multi-Double Gold award winners and the highest rated bourbon in the world, the 98-point Origin Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Following the series’ initial release, Bardstown Bourbon Co. was named 2023 IWSC Worldwide Whiskey Producer of the Year.
Since 2016, Bardstown Bourbon Co. has grown from a 600,000 proof gallon per year distillery to a top-10 American distillery by volume, custom distilling and bottling more than 18 million proof gallons per year. In this time, when many would release un-aged spirits, the brand has instead become known for its boundary-defying approach to bourbon blending, pulling from both old and newer stock, a variety of mashbills and origins to create single-release products. Bardstown Bourbon Co launched its estate-distilled lineage of expressions in 2023 featuring an innovative portfolio of Kentucky Whiskies. Founded in the spirit of bringing transparency to an industry often cloaked in secrecy and lore, Bardstown Bourbon Co. has established itself through not only custom distillation but also unprecedented collaboration with a number of the world’s most revered spirits brands.