Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company.
Proof: 118.1.
Mash Bill, Age & State of Origin : 73% 13-Year KY – 75% Corn/ 13% Rye/ 12% Malted Barley.
21% 10-Year KY – 78% Corn/ 13% Rye/ 9% Malted Barley.
6% 6-Year KY – 68% Corn/ 20% Wheat/ 12% Malted Barley (aged in French Oak).
MSRP: $140.00.
Appearance: Auburn.
Nose
First up is maple and caramelized brown sugar, butterscotch, and milk chocolate, with nutty flavors of peanut brittle and pecans. More nosing brings out nutmeg, and vanilla bean, with a mix of dark cherries, dates, apricots, and baked apples. I also get a hint of lemon citrus that brings out some brightness with herbal flavors like black tea and sage. Underneath is a delicate layer of cinnamon spice with mature oak and subtle tobacco. As the glass empties, caramelized brown sugar, and oak become more pronounced with red berries replacing the cherry. I love this complex and incredible nose.
Palate
The nose moves onto the palate first with maple and dark brown sugar, toffee, milk chocolate, nutmeg, subtle peanut brittle, vanilla bean, and herbal black tea with lemon peel. Pitted and stone fruits of cherries, apricots, and baked apples enter the sip with a moderate amount of cinnamon spice and rich oak. The nutty flavors on the palate are more subtle than the nose. The mouthfeel has a very good creaminess to it but it’s not as viscous as I expected. This is a complex palate with flavors I love in a classic Kentucky bourbon profile. Every sip emphasizes something a bit different with a great balance that drinks below its proof.
Finish
Cinnamon spice continues to linger with rich toffee, nutmeg, cherry, and lemon peel. Toasted pecans and herbal black tea come back around with cocoa and tobacco to close out this very long and tasty finish.
Conclusion
I appreciate Bardstown Bourbon Company’s transparency in listing the blend percentage, state origin, age, and mash bill on their bottle. But there are times when this information can leave a lot of room for speculation. In an interview discussing the Fusion Series sourced Kentucky bourbon component, Dan Callaway said, “With non-disclosures, we’re not able to say what company they came from but we’re able to put their mash bill, and a quick Google will get you right there” . But what if two major Kentucky distilleries use the same mash bill?” If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m referring to the 75/13/12 mash bill that’s commonly known to be used by Jim Beam and Wild Turkey. Although this mash bill can be found in other series such as Discovery Series #1 and Fusion Series #5, its source has been a significant topic of discussion in Discovery Series #11. Why is that? First off, this is the first time we’ve seen the 75/13/12 mash bill aged at 13 years being 73% of a Discovery Series. That alone got my attention. I always assumed the 75/13/12 was from Jim Beam but recently the rumors started flying about it being from Wild Turkey. As far as I can tell this started when Jason C of the YouTube channel Mash and Drum said the “73%” was from “one of his favorite distilleries”. Fans in the comments section said Jason meant Wild Turkey. Others have reported hearing the same information from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s staff.
What about the 78/13/9 mash bill? I’ve heard comments about that too, though not nearly as much as the other. Besides this mash bill also being used in Discovery Series #10, it sounded familiar, but it’s not found in the usual Kentucky mash bill websites. More digging led to some non-distilling producers that sourced using the 78/13/9 Kentucky mash bill. One of them was Augusta Distillery. That’s where I heard of it having talked to them and tasted their Old Route 8 single-barrel bourbon at the Kentucky bourbon festival. To me, it tasted just like Heaven Hill. On earlier versions of Old Route 8, the back label said, “Distilled and Aged in Bardstown KY” and this bourbon didn’t taste like Barton. The newer Old Route 8 bottles leave out the city, “Bardstown”. Another clue is how similar I found Series #11 to the Lux Row 12-Year Double Barrel, which is sourced from Heaven Hill. Particularly in the milk chocolate, brown sugar, and butterscotch flavors.
Just for fun and curiosity, I tasted Series #11 side-by-side with other Wild Turkey, Heaven Hill, and Jim Beam bourbons around the same age and proof. For what it’s worth, my guesstimate is that the 73% portion is Wild Turkey, and as I mentioned, the 21% portion is Heaven Hill. What I’m wondering now is, has the 75/13/12 mash bill in the Discovery and Fusion series been from Wild Turkey this whole time? I think that’s a good possibility.
Having said all this, my conclusions for what’s in Series #11 are purely speculative based on what it tastes like to me and why. Except for the 6% portion, I don’t know with 100% certainty where it originated, and wouldn’t bet my life on it. What’s more important to me is how good it is, and I’m here to say Discovery Series #11 has become my favorite Series to date. I love this delicious, classic, and mature tasting Kentucky profile that touches on my favorite bourbon flavors. Series #11 is pricey, but for what it delivers in terms of flavor and complexity, it’s worth it in my book. If it’s been a while since you’ve purchased a Discovery Series or have been on the fence about buying them, Discovery Series #11 is the one to try.
Rating: 9.3/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
