Bardstown Bourbon Company Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon Review

Bardstown Bourbon Company
Distillery Reserve Series
Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon
104.2 Proof
SRP: $99.99 (375mL)
Review

Please enjoy our Bardstown Bourbon Company Distillery Reserve Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon Review!

Background – Bardstown Bourbon Company Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon Review

Bardstown Bourbon Company culminated their inaugural year of the experimental Distillery Reserve Series with a release that blends French tradition with American whiskey-making. Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon takes inspiration from the history of Calvados, once restricted by Minister of State Jean-Baptiste Colbert to protect France’s wine brandy trade. Now, 5 barrels which previously held Calvados from Christian Drouin House, a renowned apple based French Calvados distiller, are being used to craft this latest release.

Normandie is the third and final Distillery Reserve Series expression for 2025, following Cathedral French Oak and Hokkaido Mizunara Oak. The first two releases focused on unique woods, whereas Normandie focuses on a classic spirit. To accomplish this, Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish was created from a custom bourbon blend aged between 12 and 13 years, then finished first in Calvados barrels and finally in toasted American oak.

Details – Bardstown Bourbon Company Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon Review

• Blend Composition: 76% 13-year-old bourbon, 24% 12-year-old bourbon
• Mash Bill: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley
• Distillation: Distilled in Indiana
• Initial Aging: Blend assembled from stock aged between 12 and 13 years
• First Finish: 28 months in 59-gallon Calvados brandy barrels from Christian Drouin House
• Second Finish: 4 months in new, medium-toast American white oak
• Bottling: 104.2 proof (52.1% ABV); 375mL format
• Release: Third and final Distillery Reserve release of 2025
• Series Context: Follows Cathedral French Oak and Hokkaido Mizunara Oak
• Availability: Extremely limited; Bardstown Bourbon Co. gift shop and Louisville Tasting Room beginning Black Friday, November 28, 2025
• SRP: $99.99

Tasting Notes – Bardstown Bourbon Company Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon Review

🛏 Rested: 15 minutes in a Glencairn

🎨 Color: Dark amber

👉🏻 Nose: Rich, syrupy and moderately sweet with lightly burnt dark caramel; sweet apple syrup and tart orange peel; alcohol vapor is appropriate for the proof.
👉🏻 Taste: Moderately syrupy sweet with apple syrup, sweet caramel, and tart orange peel.
👉🏻 Finish: Apple pie filling with hints of cinnamon sugar; lingering citrus; long, becoming somewhat dry later on with moderate spice, mild smokey char, and dry oak; the apple pie filling lingers as well; deep pleasant warmth.

Summary

The flavors of Bardstown Bourbon Company Normandie Calvados Finish Bourbon are fairly consistent throughout the sip, with the most noticeable shift coming in the finish when the added spice and touch of char appear. The apple flavors also evolve from a syrup in the nose to apple pie filling later on. Nonetheless, this relative consistency of flavors surprises me a bit given the well-aged bourbon components and the long finishing period. Don’t get me wrong—there is plenty of complexity here, although the core flavors remain present from start to finish. Regardless, it all adds up to a delicious pour. Normandie is essentially sweet caramel apple pie in a glass with a little hot chili oil drizzled on at the end and just a puff of smoke in the air.

This pour is quite befitting of the holiday season. Its dessert-leaning flavors may suggest pairing it with an actual dessert, but experience tells me that the rich, sweet flavors in both often cancel each other out. Therefore, Normandie would be a stand-alone dessert for me. Anything else would not do it justice.

Conclusion – Bardstown Bourbon Company Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon Review

While this release is nothing like the two preceding Distillery Reserve Series whiskeys—Cathedral Oak and Hokkaido Mizunara Oak, both of which showcased the oak influence much more prominently—Normandie is absolutely worthy of standing beside them. In fact, it’s so good that I doubt this bottle will last very long. Too bad I’ll be out of town on Black Friday for the release! Will you be, or did you, stand in line for this one? I definitely would have were I in town; it’s that good! Cheers! 🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Bardstown Bourbon Company Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish Bourbon Review! Next, why not read about the other whiskeys in this year’s Bardstown Bourbon Company Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Review and Bardstown Bourbon Company Cathedral French Oak Barrel Finish Bourbon Review.

Note: This sample was graciously provided by the Brand for my review. I appreciate it!

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