Bardstown Bourbon Co. Foursquare Rum Finish

Taste was neat in glencairn, fresh crack but let sit for 30+ minutes. Nose - brown sugar, maple, caramel, has a light tropical note of citrus and banana, oak, little bit of cinnamon. If you’re an avid whiskey drinker you can tell Dickel is lurking in the mix but subtle. Palate - brown sugar, maple, and caramel, decent amount of barrel char/oak, pick up hints of the rum, molasses, light almond and banana, mid palate goes to pepper and baking spice, get hints of the sweetness but this is very much a rye forward pour. Again the Dickel pops up but extremely light. Finish - spice hangs on pepper and cinnamon, oak, leather, hints of the brown sugar and molasses stay put. Finish is moderately long. This grew on me. Its well balanced, its got good flavor, little bit of complexity, but its not intense flavors. There’s a fair amount of spice but for 107 proof I thought this drank pretty easy. I enjoyed the finish on this more than I have a lot of others, its slightly drying but you can tell the rum is hanging around. The IN (MGP) rye is good but it’s the heavy hitter in this one. I would’ve rather seen this blend use the IN high rye bourbon as opposed to the rye. I’m assuming the theory was the bourbon with the rum would’ve been too sweet, the rye balances it out but I personally would’ve liked to seen the sweetness kicked up a notch. It’s good and I’m not sure what else on the market you’d get with this kind of rum influence amd this being a really good rum at that. With these collaboration series not uncommon they fall into the $130+ range. This would be a bordeline try before you buy or outright buy. Looking forward to see how this one opens up.

Bardstown Collaborative Series Foursquare Rum Distillery is a blend of 90% 7-year-old Indiana rye and 10% 17-year-old Tennessee bourbon, finished in Foursquare rum barrels, and bottled at 53.5% ABV. This sells for around $150. Bardstown is the bourbon brand that I have tried more than any other; Foursquare is the rum distillery that I have tried more than any other. I have never had a disappointing bottle of Bardstown or a disappointing bottle of Foursquare; you put the two together, and obviously you have a solid product. Because this expression is mostly 7-year-old Indiana rye, you seem to be overpaying for the spirit, but a steep price is always justifiable when something is the best at what it does; and this is the best rum-influenced bourbon/rye that I have ever tasted, if you are looking for a harmonious balance between the American and the Caribbean styles. The baking spices and vanilla from the American side of things hold hands lovingly with the molasses, dark fruits, and lightly roasted coffee from the Caribbean side. The small amount of old bourbon in this blend buttresses a spicy finale with a leathery, oaky linger. This feels like a natural progression towards the bourbon/rye end the spectrum from the well-loved ex-bourbon matured Foursquare rums from their Exceptional Cask series. This is the perfect bottle to buy for someone who enjoys good rum almost as much or about as much as they enjoy bourbon and rye. The base blend is nothing special, but the perfect amount of influence from a high-quality rum finish is where the value lies with this Bardstown release.

Was quite approachable. Decided to share it on Memorial Day weekend with family and was a very simple pour to enjoy. Single cube, can smell and taste the rich sweetness of the rum right away, which I found I liked as I was looking for something a bit more robustly flavored without going down the heat path of say a Bookers or such. Oddly, if I think it retrospect, one of my favorite drinkers is Woodford Double Oaked, and this was very much like that but with a rum forward perspective. Lots of bourbon is now priced like its all allocated, but was worth the money due to sharing with family and something to try. Am a Bardstown fan in general, so I was surprised.

Very good bottle and one of the best rum finishes I've had. On Fresh Crack - Alot of typical bourbon notes, vanilla and caramel sweetness to start off along with the rum barrel funk, spice and peppery bites. 2 Weeks After Opening (80% Remaining) - Barrel funk is gone, caramel and burnt brown sugar comes first, followed by a much mellower/smoother spice and pepper. I like this one alot, I'd give it a higher score if it was cheaper.

Lovely combination of molasses, tropical fruit, cherry cola, peaches, nuts, and cinnamon. Nose: Caramel, Marshmallows, Molasses, Bananas, Plums, Milk Chocolate, Cinnamon, Sparemint, Apricots, Cherry Cola, Pineapples Palate: Peaches, Molasses, Plums, Cloves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Bananas, Marzipan, Almonds, Hazlenuts Finish: Peaches, Molasses, Cinnamon, Cherry Cola, Bananas, Honey, Toasted Walnuts, Hazlenuts

Heard and read great things about this brand, i have tried a few thinga like Disco 11, but this is the only ine that i own. The nose shows some rum characteristics, but for me the palate is where this came home. The notes of tobacco and leather reminded me of some of Foursquare ECS releases. The finish is long, peppery. I really like this one.