Marshmallow | Kentucky cream pull candy | Gentle oak | Light rye spice | Toasted almond | Olive oil cake | White peppercorn | Well mingled scents

Rye spice | Creamed corn | Peppercorn mix | Sweet cinnamon spice  | Vanilla frosting | Fantastic oily mouthfeel

Aged oak | Rye spice | Light leather | Touch of sweetness | Lingering spice & heat

Bardstown Bourbon Company West Virginia Great Barrel Co. kicks off the company’s cooperage collaboration. According to the company,  “Our first cooperage collaboration celebrates the forward-thinking West Virginia Great Barrel Company. Our synergy in modern production led to a custom blend aged in cherry wood barrels toasted with infrared technology. This truly unique flavor exemplifies the potential of two brands at the forefront of innovation.” The blend is made by using West Virginia Great Barrel Company Cherry Oak Barrels which are toasted with what the company states is “state-of-the-art infrared technology.” These barrels are first filled with 6-year-old Indiana rye for 10 weeks followed by the company adding 12-year-old Canadian whiskey to the blend.

The premise seems mad at face value, yet the end result is a delicious easy-to-sip whiskey that is very enjoyable. The sip opens with sweet scents that all play off one another incredibly well, and leads into a nicely composed palate with an absolutely fantastic mouthfeel. The finish is less dynamic compared to the rest of the sip, offering a more straightforward traditional approach without the nuanced flavors displayed in the nose and palate. The flavor profile will be considered an untraditional rye (even if it’s a blended rye) in many people's books, however, the Bardstown Bourbon Company West Virginia Great Barrel Co. release is one to seek out.