Distillery: Barton 1792
Proof: 125
Age: No Age Statement (Their release says 8.5 years)
Mashbill: Undisclosed (Rumored to be 75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley)
Price: $50-$70
Company
Established in 1879, the Barton 1792 Distillery is the oldest fully operational distillery in Bardstown, KY. It’s situated on 196 acres and has 29 barrel aging warehouses. The distillery was named in honor of the year Kentucky joined the United States.
Production
According to their site, this bourbon underwent a distinct filtering process, forgoing the typical chill filtration and passing only through a late and frame filter. This allowed the bourbon to maintain a robust proof and rich, full flavor.
Nose – 88/100
A somewhat expected nose that was light with hints of sweet fruit, brown sugar, and caramel. There was also a faint hint of cereal grain, which was kind of odd.
Palate – 78/100
This is where things start going south. The palate is somewhat traditional with notes of vanilla, oak, and caramel, but the cereal grain from the nose carries through majorly. It was almost like a weird soapy grainy flavor that was hard to forget.
Finish – 75/100
The finish starts with a big blast of heat, then more cereal grain and soapiness with pronounced oak and leather.
Value – 77/100
The price isn’t too bad for a full proof offering, but I certainly wouldn’t buy this over other $50 bottles. It may have just been because I got a store pick, but this was easily the most disappointing bourbon I’ve tried. I’ll have to go try another one at some point at a bar because there’s no way I’m buying it again.
It’s so strange because 1792 is amazing. Small Batch and Single Barrel are exceptional. And then Full Proof is a complete flop. It makes you wonder what the heck happened?
I’d easily buy Small Batch over this for half the price.
Verdict – 79.5/100
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 95+
- Gold – 90 – 94
- Silver – 80 – 89
- Bronze – <80
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.