Bardstown Bourbon Company Phifer Pavitt Reserve

A little background

So The Bardstown Bourbon Company is a proverbial new kid on the block within the bourbon world.  They have come out swinging with a state-of-the-art distillery and many recognizable names hired on in key positions.  Since their own distillate is still young they have made a name for themselves sourcing aged stock and finishing it in secondary barrels.  For this release they used 9-yr Tennessee bourbon and finished it for 19 months in Phifer Pavitt Cabernet Sauvignon barrels before being barreled at the cask strength of 107 Proof.  I’m not a huge fan of most barrel finished bourbons, so I’m interested to see if this release lives up to the $125 retail price.

(Tasted neat from a Cradle Glass.)

Color:  

Dark Red Hued Amber

Nose

Stewed plum, dark cherries, raspberry taffy, these confectionary fruit notes are layered on top of classic vanilla and burnt caramel scents.

Palate

Most of the fruit notes dissipate leaving sweet maple syrup and bitter dark chocolate to tussle for dominance.

Finish

Long and drying…It’s tannic with the bitter notes winning out. It really sticks to the cheeks and the roof of the mouth for several minutes after the initial sip.

In closing

Color me impressed.  This is an ever-evolving dram that transitions from sweet and fruity to bitter and drying.  So, is this worth the cost of admission?  I’m going to have to say yes! While expensive, the pricing is right in line with many sourced whiskeys at this time and it is much better than many other bottles I’ve had in this price range.  All I have left to say is this is a fine example of what can be accomplished when secondary barrel finishing bourbon. If you’d like purchase a bottle for yourself, it can be purchased online at Jensen’s.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Bardstown Bourbon Company.  We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review this wonderful whiskey!