Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon Review

Bardstown Bourbon Company
Origin Series
High Wheat
Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey
Age: 6 Years
106 Proof
MSRP: $49.99
Review

Please enjoy our Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon Review! (a wheated bourbon)

The latest addition to Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Origin Series is High Wheat, a Wheated Kentucky Straigh Bourbon Whiskey! It joins the Bottled in Bond Bourbon as the second wheated bourbon in the line. The other two whiskeys in the Origin Series, are a “high-rye” Bourbon and the Double Barreled Rye. The Origin Series was introduced in early 2023, and was the first release of whiskeys which were entirely distilled in-house at the Bardstown Bourbon Company.

The Details – Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon Review

High Wheat is made from a mash of 53% corn, 39% wheat & 8% malted barley. That’s quite a bit of wheat! For comparison, Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Origin Series Bottled In Bond Bourbon, which is also a wheated bourbon, has just 20% wheat in its mash bill.

In addition, Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon uses a low barrel entry proof of 108. For reference, most of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s whiskeys (for their own labels) use a barrel entry proof of 120. It turns out that a low barrel entry proof was much more common years ago, for a number of reasons. First, the legal maximum barrel entry proof was 110 proof, until it was raised to 125 proof in 1962. Second, is the barrel entry proof’s affect on flavor. That is because different chemicals are extracted from the wood depending on the proof of the distillate. According to Nick Smith, Director of Distillation and Head Distiller for Bardstown Bourbon Co., “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.”

Tasting Notes – Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat Review (a Wheated Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey)

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Sweet caramel, sweet dark cherries, tart orange peel and dried apricots; hints of wintergreen & sweet cinnamon; mild earthiness/grassiness; light dry oak; fairly noticeable alcohol for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Dark cherries, sweet simple syrup, caramel, black pepper, tart orange peel, mild spicy dry oak, & grassiness/earthiness
👉🏻Finish: Mild sugary sweetness; black pepper grows; dry oak, tart orange peel, light char, grassiness/earthiness; fairly long

Starts off Quite Sweet and Fruity

The nose of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s High Wheat Bourbon starts off fairly sweet, and with quite a bit of fruit. There are sweet, dark, cherries, dried apricots and tart orange peels. In addition, there is sweet, light caramel. In the background, are hints of wintergreen and sweet cinnamon, with subtle background mild earthiness & grassiness, and notes of mild dry oak. However, the alcohol vapor is somewhat greater than expected for the proof, and that persisted when I tried this wheated bourbon again, a few days after opening it.

The taste brings similar flavors, with quite a bit of sweetness from simple syrup, dark cherries, caramel, some mild black pepper, tart orange peel, and mild spicy dry oak. Also, there is again a subtle earthiness and grassiness in the background. The finish is fairly long with lingering mild sugary sweetness. However, growing black pepper becomes much more evident. Many of the other flavors remain, with tart orange peel, dry oak, subtle grassiness and earthiness, and light barrel char.

There are some underlying similarities between the Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon and the Origin Series Bottled In Bond Wheated Bourbon. However, the amplitude of the flavors are magnified in the High Wheat. For example, the sweetness and fruit seem more intense. There is much more noticeable tart orange peel, and the black pepper spice is of a greater degree, as well. There are a number of factors that account for these differences, including the lower barrel entry proof, significantly higher percentage of wheat in the mash bill, and the slightly higher bottling proof.

Conclusion

I have enjoyed all of the whiskeys in Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Origin Series, and the High Wheat Bourbon is no exception. If these full flavors sound interesting to you, then give this heavily wheated bourbon a try! Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon Review! (a wheated bourbon) If you would like to learn about visiting the Bardstown Bourbon Company, then check out our Bardstown Bourbon Company Tour Review! If you would like to read about the other Origin Series whiskeys, then check out our Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bottled In Bond Bourbon, Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Rye and Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bourbon reviews!

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