Bardstown Bourbon Company Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend Review

Proof: 109.8 (54.9% ABV)

Age: Undisclosed Blend of 10- and 16-Year Kentucky Bourbons with Mars Komagatake & Tsunuki Single Malts

MSRP: $99.99

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Bardstown’s boldest experiment may also be its most divisive

Bardstown Bourbon Company has continues to build its reputation around experimentation. With this MARS release, the lines are blurred between categories in a way that feels more intentional than gimmicky.  Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend may be one of Bardtown’s more ambitious examples to-date, blending two mature Kentucky bourbons with two Japanese single malts, Mars Shinshu’s Komagatake and Tsunuki then allowing all four whiskeys to co-age in a single barrel for a year.

The concept feels uniquely and intentionally designed to stand apart in the increasingly crowded premium whiskey market.  A 10- and 16-year bourbon core provides maturity and familiar structure, while Komagatake single malt aged in Umeshu plum liqueur barrels and Tsunuki single malt matured in Sakura wood promise fruit, spice, and some nuance that would make the blend feel “uncommon”.  Bardstown positions the release not as a secondary finished whiskey, but as an integrated whiskey shaped by shared by blending and co-aging.

The question is whether the whiskey delivers something meaningfully distinctive enough to justify both its ambitious concept and its effective $200 full-bottle equivalent price.  More importantly to enthusiasts, does the unusualness deliver a rewarding whiskey, or just different?

Bardstown Bourbon Company Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend Review: Tasting Notes

Nose – 4.4/5

Corn Sweetness.  Cherry.  Malt.  Nuttiness.  Mature Oak.  Damp Wood.
Strengths:  Familiar bourbon notes of corn sweetness, caramel, and cherry are balanced with a rather quiet underpinning of malt and nuttiness which take effort find.  Allowing the whiskey to open, brings  mature oak in a way that feels more like aged wood than fresh char.  The notes flow together naturally, creating a whiskey that feels composed rather than experimental simply for experimentation’s sake.  Interestingly, despite the unusualness of the blend, the Nose is grounded enough in bourbon familiarity that without the backstory, this Noses more like an interesting mature whiskey.
Why It’s Not Higher:  Moderate intensity rather than especially expressive, particularly for a 109.8 proof whiskey.  Balanced and mature.  Mostly reveals itself early and never fully becomes a glass that repeatedly pulls you back in to explore deeper notes.
Rating Justification:  Mature and thoughtfully integrated notes.  Succeeds in quietly blending bourbon familiarity with a subtle malt influence.  Never becomes especially captivating or dynamic in nature.  Successfully establishes a distinctive identity.  Doesn’t lose itself to novelty or gimmick status.

Palate – 4.6/5

Sweet Corn.  Savory Grain.  Malt Spice.  Roasted Malt.  Cherry.  Oak.
Strengths:  This is where MARS fully reveals itself.  Moves through multiple distinct waves of flavors, beginning with a savory sweet-corn quality before building into increasingly expressive malt spice and roasted grain notes.  Rather than flattening out, the whiskey builds and succeeds at creating something genuinely different without feeling gimmicky.
Why It’s Not Higher:  While the whiskey evolves in an impressive manner, the shift toward the Finish begins introducing flavors that feel disjointed from the strong entry and mid-Palate goodness.
Rating Justification:  Bold.  Layers of notes.  Highly distinctive.  Rewards curiosity and exploration. Succeeds in creating something unusual.  Maintains enough bourbon identity to feel familiar and yet, unique as the Japanese malt character increasingly takes center stage at mid-Palate.

Finish – 3.4/5

Sour Malt.  Beer Bitterness.  Lingering Spice.  Mid-Palate Warmth.
Strengths:  Remains consistent with the whiskey’s evolution toward a malt-forward.  Respectable medium length.  Lingering spice and mid-Palate warmth help to make the progression feel continuous, not disjointed or strange.
Why It’s Not Higher:  Beer-like sour bitterness feels out of place relative to the sweeter and more compelling notes that came before.  Rather than landing on mature oak, refined spice, or more sweetness, the Finish fades on a note that feels oddly disconnected and distracting.
Rating Justification:  Supports distinctiveness but ultimately is its weakest moment.  It feels intentional rather than flawed.  Lands in a way that leaves you wishing the whiskey had faded differently.

Value – 4.0/5

At nearly $100 for a 375mL bottle, Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend enters into dangerous pricing territory.  Viewed strictly as a whiskey purchase, the full-bottle equivalent pricing makes this difficult to justify.  Yet evaluating Value here purely through the lens of everyday drinking completely undersells what Bardstown has created and would miss the mark.

This is a whiskey for enthusiasts who enjoy unusual pours, experimental efforts, and the opportunity to build conversations around a whiskey that shows what can happen when traditions overlap.  It feels particularly suited for bourbon enthusiasts who are curious about the Japanese whisky influence or longtime Bardstown fans who appreciate their willingness to push boundaries.  This feels like a bottle you share with friends who enjoy debating what they’re tasting and whether they agree with your conclusions.

Bardstown Bourbon Company Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend Review: The Verdict

Bardstown Bourbon Company succeeds in creating something genuinely distinctive with Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend.  The whiskey feels like it successfully balances enough bourbon identity to remain familiar while allowing Japanese malt character to meaningfully and successfully reshape the experience.

At its best, the whiskey delivers layers of notes and a Palate that rewards curiosity.  At its most frustrating, the Finish lands on a beer-like sour bitterness that feels oddly out of step.  The result is a whiskey that earns admiration for what it attempts and largely achieves, even if it never quite becomes something that you would crave again and again.

This is not a bottle I would recommend to someone seeking classic bourbon comfort or easy value.  But for enthusiasts who appreciate experimentation and enjoy pours that spark discussion, Bardstown has created something memorable enough to gather friends around a glass and ask: “What do you make of this?”

Verdict – 4.1/5

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