The folks at Bardstown Bourbon Company in Kentucky, as we pointed out quite recently, are putting themselves through some aggressive expansion times as they aim to be one of the biggest and brightest in the heart of bourbon country. Having an actual product on the market will help in a big way with this, and for their first release they’ve teamed up with a Kentucky brandy distillery for some interesting offerings.
What’s being called Collabor&tion, according to those behind it, is the result of a partnership between Bardstown and Copper & Kings American Brandy Company. What they’ve done is release two distinct products made with 10-year-old straight bourbon whiskey – one finished in Copper & Kings’ American Brandy barrels and the other in Muscat Mistelle barrels, for more than 18 months in the Copper & Kings basement maturation cellar.
in a prepared statement. “Aging in brandy barrels not only accentuates these notes – it layers more on top of that foundation to create an incredibly rich, smooth and complex whiskey.”
“A Mistelle barrel is a unique vessel. Mistelle is unfermented grape juice (in this case Muscat) fortified with un-aged brandy (Muscat eau-de-vie) and then aged in bourbon barrels for 18 months,” added O’Daniel. “The empty barrels are deeply and highly caramelized with the grape sugars and fruit essences. The whiskey exiting these barrels is pure joy. A completely novel sensory experience; deep, deep rich whiskey – very soft and supple, mellow, and the taste goes on forever.”
Collabor&tion is a very limited release that’s only available in select Kentucky retail stores, at the BBCo and C&K gift shops, and a small selection of fine retailers across the USA.
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