Bardstown, Distillery Reserve Mars Japanese Blend
An improbable collaboration between Kentucky's Bardstown Bourbon Company and Japan's Mars distilleries, this blend of Kentucky straight bourbon and Japanese single malt is hard to categorize. Two five-year-old Mars single malts — the umeshu-plum-aged Komagatake and the Sakura-cherry-wood Tsunuki — were shipped to Bardstown and filled into barrels alongside 10- and 16-year-old bourbon, then co-aged together for 12 months before bottling in a novel 375ml format. The result, the makers say, is a first-of-its-kind co-aged whisk(e)y.
Nose
Milk chocolate, rancio, dulce de leche
Palate
Roasted coffee, malted barley, pear
Finish
Apple crumble, fruitcake, roasted nuts
This unique blend of Japanese single malts and well-aged bourbon is not easily identifiable as either category. After a year spent aging with one another in Kentucky barrelhouses, the resulting liquid is delicately spiced with heather and incense wood in the nose. Powdered chocolate and espresso roast are the leading stars on the mid-palate, before baked fruit desserts dominate the finish; the cereal grain notes of the malted barley are dancing just below the surface. The finish is a complex procession of desserts, ranging from freshly baked cobblers to stewed peaches and candied nuts. A gentle drizzle of barrel spice helps tie it all together sensibly. It's an unusual potpourri, to be sure. But it's a compelling one nonetheless.
