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You must be 21 or over to enter this website. If you're not old enough to drink, then you're not old enough to read Breaking Bourbon.
Please read and drink responsibly.
Classification: Blended Straight Bourbons Finished with Oak Staves
Company: Lofted Spirits
Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Green River Distilling, and sourced from undisclosed Georgia and Kentucky distilleries
Release Date: Ongoing
Proof: 94
Age: Blend of 4, 5, 8, and 12 year old bourbons
Mashbill: Blend of 4 bourbons:
-20% | 4 Year | Green River Distillery | 70% Corn, 21% Rye, 9% Malted Barley
-26% | 5 Year | Bardstown Bourbon Company | 70% Corn, 18% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
-48% | 8 Year | Georgia | 80% Corn, 10% Rye, 5% Wheat, 5% Malted Barley
-6% | 12 Year | Kentucky | 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
Color: Light Gold
SRP: $65 / 750mL (2026)
Honey | Grain | Confectioner’s sugar | Cinnamon sugar | Cherry | Light toasted oak
Caramel | Light vanilla cream | Pear | Honey | Toasted oak | Thin mouthfeel
Cherry | Bubble gum | Rye spice | Orange | White pepper | Light pine | Light seasoned oak | Some oak astringency
This Bardstown Bourbon Company distillery-only, stave-finished bourbon is a blend of four different aged bourbons that ultimately tastes underdeveloped despite its interesting construction.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Small Batch Stave Finish Bourbon is a distillery-only release that is a blend of four bourbons from four different distilleries that are blended and finished with oak staves for an undisclosed amount of time. Given that almost 50% of the blend is 8 years old, and has been finished with oak staves, many would come to this sip with certain expectations. This bottle has other plans.
Given its taste, I really don’t know what the culprit is as it comes across as young and thin. Green River and Bardstown bourbons typically taste much fuller at this age and proof. That leads to the undisclosed Georgia portion, but at 8 years old, this seems odd. And its 12 year old Kentucky component (possibly from Heaven Hill), is a non-player here.
Though it doesn’t taste grainy or overly young, its main problem is that it tastes underdeveloped. This isn’t because of its proof either. Even being stave finished, its oak content is surprisingly light to the point of the stave finishing having no apparent effect on the final product’s taste. Though some of the lingering astringency may be a result of it.
It’s always nice when a company offers an exclusive bottle in its gift shop to give visitors something unique to go home with. While this release and its construction are in the right place, the end result is not. It’s too light, too underdeveloped, and lacks any meaningful impact.
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