Distiller: Willett

Release: 2021

Whiskey: Old Bardstown Bottled-in-Bond

Region: Bardstown, Ky

Price: $25.00

Proof: 100

Age:  No Age Statement

The Barrel Cellar Score:  88 Points

Review Date: 01/10/2022

About the Bourbon: Old Bardstown BIB is an inexpensive, entry level bourbon produced by the celebrated Willett Distillery. Found on the bottom shelf of many liquor establishments, it is often passed over by bourbon drinkers for more “namesake” budget bourbons (such as Evan Williams, or Old Fitzgerald). Considering the reception Willet’s higher valued bourbon and rye whiskies get, it was time for me to give this one a shot.

I enjoyed the whiskey for this review using a set of Prestige diamond whiskey glasses.

Color: Golden Brown

Nose:  Cinnamon, honey, and green tea. 

Palate: Cinnamon, powdered sugar, creamed corn, caramel, and oak.  Drop a couple of cubes in and notes of corn bread and lemon zest emerge. 

Finish: Cinnamon red-hots, fresh mint, and oak.

Assessment: Old Bardstown is the very definition of a value bourbon. It drinks great, and it is priced great. Will it impress your bourbon snob friends in a blind tasting? No, but for what this bourbon lacks in complexity it makes up for in enjoyability. It’s a nice easy drinker.

Old Bardstown BIB is silky in texture, has a great overlying sweetness, and a unique flavor profile. The dominant palate profile reminds me of a funnel cake dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. It conjures images of my youth, sitting on my front porch and watching the local fall festival going a few blocks down, it was a time of year I looked forward to back then, and the bourbon is a pour I can thoroughly enjoy right now.

The Barrel Cellar gives Old Bardstown Bottled-in-Bond 88 points.

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