Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company– Bardstown, Kentucky
Proof: 100.0 (50.0% ABV)
Age: Six Years
Mashbill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley
MSRP: $50
A Polished Bottled in Bond. Proofed for Balance.
This Bottled in Bond release is a six-year-old bourbon built on a wheat-forward mashbill, bottled at 100 proof, and priced at $50. Rather than trying to stand out through barrel intensity or proof-driven muscle, this bourbon takes a quieter path, one focused on a clean structure, controlled sweetness, and polish.
This isn’t a bourbon will impress you in the first sip. Rather, it’s one that settles in quickly, shows you exactly what it is, and does not ask you to excuse or explain away any rough edges or youth. The question isn’t whether it’s bold. The question is whether its restraint works. For the most part, it does.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Bottled in Bond Bourbon Review: Tasting Notes

Nose – 4.0/5
Clean. Confident. Inviting.
Sweet corn leads immediately, followed by caramel apple and a light candied sweetness. Intensity sits at medium+, with no medicinal tones, raw grain, or ethanol bite pushing through. It Noses as finished well with more clean sweetness than layered complexity.
Strengths: Clear sweetness. No off-notes. No raw edges.
Why It’s Not Higher: Range is narrow, with not much depth beyond the core sweet-and-grain profile.
Rating Justification: Polished, appealing nose with good clarity and zero distractions.
Palate – 4.0/5
Smooth, sweet, and steady.
Candied apple and soft caramel carry the palate at a medium intensity. The wheat shows itself more through the roundness in the flavors and lack of any acidity type notes. Some very light bitterness appears late but never pulls the whiskey off balance.
Strengths: Balanced sweetness. Smooth and rounded. Clean delivery of flavors.
Why It’s Not Higher: The Palate stays put and doesn’t build or evolve much once the core flavors land.
Rating Justification: Strong execution and balance at bottled-in-bond proof. Limited development in complexity.
Finish – 3.5/5
Quick, clean, and uncomplicated.
The finish exits quickly with minimal oak presence and no lingering bitterness or aftertaste. It wraps up neatly, but it does without any deeper barrel notes or before any spice structure takes shape.
Strengths: Clean exit. No bitterness hanging around.
Why It’s Not Higher: Short length and minimal transition leaves little lasting impression.
Rating Justification: Pleasant. Too brief. Too simple.
Value – 4.5/5
At $50, this delivers on its bottled-in-bond credibility with six-year age, a wheat-influenced profile, and a consistently clean presentation. It doesn’t offer standout complexity, but it does offer reliable quality and balance at a price that undercuts many bottles trying to do the same thing but do so with more noise and less drinkability.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Bottled in Bond Bourbon Review: The Verdict
This is a bottled in bond bourbon that wins with composure. It drinks clean and steady with wheat-forward sweetness, and a profile that never gets rough or chaotic. The short, simple Finish keeps it from pushing higher. For bourbon enthusiasts who want a polished, wheat-influenced bottled in bond that prioritizes balance over bravado, this is an easy bottle to respect, and an easy pour to return to.
Verdict – 4.0/5

We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 4.5 – 5
- Gold – 4 – 4.5
- Silver – 3 – 4
- Bronze – <3

Mike Long is a staff writer at Bourbon Inspector and has an Executive Bourbon Steward designation from the Stave and Thief Society. He’s a former “wine guy” who discovered his love for bourbon years back at a spur-of-the-moment bourbon tasting he attended. He also loves traveling throughout America with his wife of over 37 years, Debby.
