Bardstown Bourbon Co. High Wheat Bourbon Review

Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Co., one of the nascent powerhouses of the American whiskey industry, displayed a notable degree of patience as they waited (and waited) for the solo debut of their own aged whiskey. This day finally arrived last year with the arrival of the Origin Series, a trio of 6-year age stated bourbon and rye whiskeys, which worked to establish a baseline for the BBC house style going forward. After years of releasing highly touted blends of their own distillate with older sourced whiskey from various suppliers, the Origin Series finally gave BBC a chance to stand all on its own. And honestly? The results were beyond impressive, both in terms of the liquid in the bottle and the undeniably solid value that BBC was able to offer in them. Years ago, you wouldn’t necessarily have looked at a $50 price tag for a bottled-in-bond, 6-year-old bourbon and thought “That’s a great value,” but suffice to say, things are different now. And Bardstown Bourbon Co. being able to offer the same kind of value as the likes of Heaven Hill is a huge accomplishment for the company.

But now, it seems that the Origin Series can no longer be described as a “trio,” because it’s just added a fourth entry in the form of Bardstown Bourbon Co. High Wheat. This is essentially an evolution of the Origin Series Bottled in Bond, which is also a wheated bourbon mash bill, but as the name would imply the High Wheat takes this much further. Where the standard Wheated BIB bottle in the Origin Series is made from a mash bill of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley, the new High Wheat is 53% corn, 39% wheat and 8% malted barley, almost venturing into full-on wheat whiskey territory. It’s also a touch stronger at 53% ABV (106 proof), making it the strongest of the Origin Series–I expect that the team thought that another little wrinkle of individuality was probably needed to conceptually differentiate it a bit more than the prior wheated bourbon expression.

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The best part? Like the other wheated bourbon, it carries that $50 MSRP, which is always a welcome sight to see at a time when so many brands have ballooned their price points. So with no further ado, let’s taste this late-arriving addendum to the Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series.

On the nose, this is really bright, positively sunny in disposition, drawing you in. There’s a lot of citrus and fruit here, suggestive of orange slices and apricot jam. There’s also a very enticing caramel cream, along with vanilla and more subtle cocoa. Another thing that really stands out? A whole lot of bready, doughy wheat on the nose. One might say “well sure, with that much wheat in the mash bill,” but in my experience the actual aromatic character of the wheat grain isn’t something that tends to present very strongly in a lot of wheated bourbons. Here it really does, like toasted strands of wheat, adding a nice novelty to this profile. It closes with spice notes that are a bit like fennel seed, and the melding of chocolate and mild oak.

On the palate, this is quite rich and sweet in nature–I’m getting a whole lot of caramel and some honey candies, along with vanilla bean, more bright lemon and orange citrus, and peach crumble. There’s a malty depth to the sweetness here, and something like Cream of Wheat with brown sugar or molasses. There’s also a good degree of sweet oak, with some wood spice creeping in as well, and reprises of the cocoa from the nose. It drinks very easily for the proof point, with the ethanol being effortlessly integrated.

At the end of the day this is a very impressive, easy sipper with a lot of sweetness and a fairly unique flavor profile thanks to the way the wheat grain shines through in a way that is very much celebrating it. Add in the attractive price point, and everything about High Wheat really feels like a winner. In fact, it might be the best bourbon entry in the Origin Series to date–the only entry in the series that I might still like even more is the doubled barreled rye whiskey, although I think High Wheat could probably give it a run for its money. Regardless, it continues BBC’s recent hot streak in undeniably impressive fashion.

Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Co.
City: Bardstown, KY
Style: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
ABV: 53% (106 proof)
Availability: 750 ml bottles, $50 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.