Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company.
Proof: : 115.2.
Mash Bill, Age & State of Origin :
48% 14-Year KY – 75% Corn/13% Rye/12% Malted Barley.
29% 10-Year KY – 78% Corn/10% Rye/12% Malted Barley.
15% 10-Year KY – 78% Corn/13% Rye/9% Malted Barley.
8% 6-Year BBCo. – 60% Corn/26% Rye/10% Wheat/4% Malted Barley.
MSRP: $140.00.
Appearance: Auburn.
Nose
Crème brûlée, caramelized brown sugar, maple syrup, dark chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla icing, with a lot of red cherries, berries and apples, lemon peel, black tea, nutmeg, floral, hazelnuts, and allspice. There’s enough complexity to keep you busy picking out flavors that change focus as the session continues. I love the rich caramel and chocolate barrel character and cherry combination. It’s like a cherry-flavored tootsie roll in a glass.
Palate
The nose moves onto the palate with crème brûlée, caramelized brown sugar, milk chocolate, maple, vanilla beans, red cherries and berries, lemon peel, black tea, tobacco, nutmeg, hazelnuts, and a moderate amount of allspice that lasts through the finish. The palate isn’t quite as rich and complex as the nose but still features a delicious blend of rich caramel and chocolate with upfront red cherries and berries. The herbaceous notes in this profile also add complexity with a perfect balance of allspice. The mouthfeel is on the thin side, but other than that, this is a well-balanced, enjoyable sipper.
Finish
Allspice lingers with brown sugar, cherries, apples, chocolate, floral, black tea, lemon peel, toasted oak, and pipe tobacco. Eventually, this long finish leaves you with lingering spice, pipe tobacco, and oak at the very end with some dryness.
Conclusion
First, I want to say that Discovery #12 was a hard release to review because, like many of you, I’m always thinking about how this compares to Discovery #11. I’ll get to that in a minute. On its own, Discovery #12 has a profile that’s right up my alley, featuring tons of caramelized brown sugar, milk chocolate, red cherries, and a well-balanced amount of spice. But I wish the palate was as complex as the nose and had a better mouthfeel.
Discovery #11 and #12 share some of the same characteristics, but Discovery #12 has a brighter, sweeter, and fruitier profile with more butterscotch, hazelnuts, and floral. Although both releases include cherries, chocolate, and similar herbal notes, #12’s cherries resemble a red maraschino with sweeter milk chocolate. Discovery #11 has a richer, nuttier profile, with dark Luxardo cherries and dark chocolate, more spice throughout, and a slightly creamier mouthfeel with a stronger finish. There’s a lot to love in Discovery #12, but in the end, I preferred Discovery #11. I can also see how others would have the opposite opinion depending on their preference.
Although Bardstown Bourbon Co. created an enjoyable and excellent Kentucky blend in Discovery #12, I’d like to see the next Discovery Series release feature a wider range of mash bills from different origins.
Rating: 8.8/10.
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.
