Cinnamon buttercream frosting | Coffee-flavored ice cream | Melted caramel | Sweet charred oak | Barrel-aged maple syrup | Leather

Cocoa powder | Vanilla | Leather | Tobacco | Toasted marshmallow

Cinnamon toasted oak | Chocolate graham cracker | Black pepper spice | Allspice | Candied walnut | Light roasted malt | Dry oak

Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish is the first 2026 release in the Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Distillery Reserve line, which was launched last year with three releases: Cathedral French Oak, Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Barrel Finish, and Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish. Consistent with past releases, Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish is bottled in 375mL format, comes in unique packaging, and will be available exclusively at the distillery gift shop and Louisville tasting room. It is also available as one of the six bottles included in the company’s The Reserve membership, which retails for $1,150 per year and includes all three 2026 Distillery Reserve bottles and invitations to member-only events at the distillery.

Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish features a blend of three bourbons aged between 9-10 years, originating from Kentucky and Indiana. The blend was then finished for 10 months in   Garryana oak barrels. Garryana is a type of oak species native to the Pacific Northwest and is most commonly used with American single malts, like those from Westland Distillery.

Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish opens in the best of ways. Its aroma is a bakery delight thanks to rich, sweet scents of cinnamon buttercream frosting, coffee-flavored ice cream, and melted caramel before turning a touch deeper with sweet charred oak, barrel-aged maple syrup, and leather. Its palate is a bit more straightforward but still effective with notes of cocoa powder, vanilla, leather, tobacco, and toasted marshmallow. The finish is more dynamic, with a strong note of cinnamon toasted oak at the start, followed by chocolate graham cracker with a sudden ramp up of black pepper spice and allspice, before receding with candied walnut and roasted malt. The sip ultimately concludes on a noticeable dry oak note that lingers.

All of Bardstown Bourbon Co.'s 2025 Distillery Reserve releases were excellent, and the first one of 2026 follows suit. Most will find its soft, sweet flavor profile and excellent aroma hard to resist. The flavors work exceedingly well together, and its spice kick and dry finish are unexpected but work in their own way. Bardstown Bourbon Company Distillery Reserve: Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish is a well-crafted bourbon that shows the attention that went into it. It’s gentle but deliberate, and proofed to allow a perfect balance of flavor intensity and drinkability. Though the price remains high and availability low, those who come across a bottle won’t regret it.