Bardstown Bourbon Company – Phifer Pavitt Reserve
This is the second in our series of articles on The Bardstown Bourbon Company releases. You can read about their Fusion Series 1 here.
OK, so by now you are getting the idea now that this “noob” who has inexplicably found himself in the role of “Bourbon Writer”, will introduce you to bourbons that are worthy of both praise and derision and whom, admittedly, often doesn’t know the difference.
HOWEVER….
Under the wise direction of our editor, my pap will be followed by some instruction in bourbonism by our adroit expert who happens to be my son and is far wiser than his sponsor about such things. Let’s get to it.
This bourbon is aged per the usual prescription for TENNESSEE WHISKEY, which is somewhat similar to Kentucky bourbon whiskey. (if you are reading MY portion of this article, you probably don’t care about such trivia). Anyway, AFTER that 9 year gestation, the bourbon is transferred to wine barrels previously used to age Phifer Pavitt Cabernet Sauvignon wine. This “second birth” is 19 months. From their website:
2015 PHIFER PAVITT XROADS CABERNET SAUVIGNON (NAPA VALLEY)
A supremely sensual wine, that offers something beyond more. Aromas of blackberry preserves, raspberries, vanilla bean, juicy fruit, pearmint, rich roasted meats, and cozy cinnamon spice. The focused unctuousness of the mid palate turns creamy and round with gobs of black and blue fruits, juicy red apples, toasted coriander, and a supple well-heeled finish. Drink now through 2035.
My caveat – if there is anything I know less about than bourbon, it is Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Anyway, after a maturing period that I liken to a marsupial post-birth maturing in the pouch like a wombat, koala or kangaroo, the final product is bottled. I hope my analogies have not put you off to trying the resultant brown water because IT IS HEAVEN to my palate.
I have come to appreciate many of the complexities of bourbon at my learned son’s direction, but admittedly I still cannot articulate exactly what I taste and what I love about it. So, let me give you his estimation of this collaboration. And please forgive my dog’s excited heavy breathing throughout the recording: :
Dallas Steiden tasting notes:
Personally, as a bourbon newcomer, this iteration opened my mind to all that a bourbon could be. MORE than corn, caramel and oak, MORE even than that rich petrichor that so many of us in the south adore. It’s a taste of the world beyond what we might expect when sipping our Kentucky legacy. The synergy of it is literally palpable in this collaboration! I suggest, no, IMPLORE you to expand your bourbon palate with this spirit from Bardstown Bourbon Company. I’m sure you will thank me.
