A little background

Bardstown Bourbon Company is at it again with yet another Collaborative Series release! This time, they partnered with Chateau de Laubade to create an amazing finished whiskey. Bardstown Bourbon Company started by buying barrels of 12 year old Indiana bourbon (MGP), then they finished it in Chateau de Laubade armagnac barrels for 18 months. This produced only 2000 bottles, making it an extremely limited release. Something that amazed me is that they were able to keep the whiskey at a stunning 118.4 proof! You do not see that too often with finished whiskies. Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau de Laubade has a suggested MSRP of $124.99.

(Tasted neat from a Halo Glass)

Color

Amber

Nose

The nose is dark and sumptuous. It begins with heavy notes of apricot, dark stewed berries, and figs. Upon a heavier nosing, blackberry jam (the homemade kind, not store-bought), sweet red apples, toasted chestnuts, dark grapes, and drunken blood oranges become known. You can’t nose this too hard, as the proof does come through, but only in such a way that elevates the flavors.

Palate

The palate is medium-heavy bodied, with a bit of a syrupy consistency. It bursts with notes of dark stewed berries, cinnamon, blackberry jam, and dark imported figs on the mid palate. On the mid-back palate, dark grapes, oak spice, honey, and grape leaves.The front palate has a slight tingle of honey and oak spice that remains there throughout the duration of the sip. This is a very well put-together palate; all of the flavors cling on as soon as you take a sip and refuse to leave well after the whiskey is swallowed.

Finish

The finish is long, you can take couple of minutes between sips and not miss a thing. The dark berry and fig notes remain on the mid palate, as well as a tingle of oak spice on the mid-back palate. This is where the armagnac shines, it gives the whiskey enough viscosity to hang on to the tongue and cheeks for a long time.

In closing

Bardstown Bourbon Company has outdone themselves. These collaborations just keep getting better and better! I was excited for this release before it even came out, seeing a 12 year MGP bourbon finished in armagnac barrels raised enough excitement for me, especially given the proof. Everything about this is fantastic, from nose to finish. The price is around what I would expect something of this caliber to be, and I can assure you that I will personally be buying a few bottles of this. I have not been disappointed with a Bardstown Bourbon Company release yet, and this one is the best one I have had so far! Well done.