Raspberry | Dark cherry | Chocolate covered cherry | Light baking spices | Toasted oak | Rich

Flavorful red fruits | Chocolate covered cherry | Baked apple | Pie crust | Toasted oak | Velvety mouthfeel | Rich intensity

Light baking spices | Red fruits | Tapering toasted oak | Well balanced

Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish is the third and final 2025 release in the distillery’s Distillery Reserve line, which was launched earlier this year. Previous releases include Cathedral French Oak and Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Barrel Finish. Consistent with past releases, Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish is bottled in 375mL format, comes in unique packaging, and will be available exclusively at the distillery gift shop and Louisville tasting room. It is also available as one of the 6 bottles included in the company’s The Reserve membership, which retails for $999.99 per year and includes all three 2025 Distillery Reserve bottles, three additional bottles, and invitations to member-only events at the distillery. 

According to the company, Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish is “an elevated marriage of French tradition and American craft.” The company goes on to state, “Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish is a tasting experience borne of curiosity. Each 59-gallon Calvados cask was filled with a custom bourbon blend of stock aged between [12 and 13 years]. After a 28-month slumber, the whiskey settled into new, medium-toast American white oak, coaxing out layers of caramel, spice and roasted almond.” 

A bottle count was not provided, however Dan Calloway, Master Blender for Bardstown Bourbon Company notes that “over the course of these past two years, these five barrels have become the apple of my eye - the most attention per barrel project in Bardstown.” Based on this the maximum possible yield based on fully-filled 59-gallon barrels and no evaporation loss would be 2,975 375mL bottles at cask strength, so factoring in evaporation loss and proofing down the whiskey, we estimate the bottle count for this release to be approximately 3,000 bottles.

Calvados is a French brandy from the Normandy region (“Normandy” is the English name, while “Normandie” is the French name), which is produced by distilling fermented cider from over 200 apple varieties. Pear cider, known as “perry,” is used by some producers and typically included as a portion of the blend when used. It is customary to age Calvados brandy in 225-liter (59-gallon) barrels made from French oak, however other sizes and oak types are used. 

Bardstown Bourbon Company has really impressed us with their Distillery Reserve collection releases so far, and Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish continues that course. It is the most approachable whiskey of the three, with the lowest proof but also noticeably dialed-back intensity with respect to heat and spice. Not surprisingly, given its lengthy finishing time in Calvados brandy casks, red fruits form the core of the whiskey, with raspberry, cherry, and apple coming into focus. While the red fruit flavors are rich, they remain in balance against a supporting cast of baking spices, toasted oak, pie crust, and chocolate, which are delivered with equally rich intensity. 

While it doesn’t reach the extreme highs that the first two releases did in the Distillery Reserve collection, Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish is still an excellent whiskey. Bardstown Bourbon set a really strong benchmark with their inaugural Distillery Reserve collection this year, and I look forward to seeing what future years’ releases bring to the mix.