Bourbon fans are always searching for the next big thing. This often manifests in jumping on certain bottles or trends, be it barrel finishes, high age statements, eye-catching blend components, or otherwise. Producers are acutely aware of this almost free-flowing desire and appear happy to oblige with corresponding products. Customers are fickle, however, and tastes can rapidly shift before brands can promptly time their latest bottlings. Whiskey and other aged spirits are particularly susceptible to this, given the nature of laying down liquid for release months or years in the future.

Admittedly, if whiskey is showing any sort of downturn in popularity, it’s only ever so slightly. Yet the sheer quantity of options—namely novelty products—has well and fully crossed the point of market saturation. The real pushback to this might not hit for a while, but I wouldn’t be surprised if overall whiskey consumer tastes revert to simpler, less “adventurous” expressions before long. What does this uneducated market speculation have to do with the subject of today’s review? Stage setting.

Bardstown Bourbon Company is hardly a foreign name to the modern whiskey enthusiast. And while casual shoppers may still be out of the loop when it comes to brand recognition, I predict that’ll change in the next five or so years. 2024 marks the company’s tenth anniversary, and in that time, they’ve amassed a more-than-considerable amount of stock comprised of both sourced and in-house products. Although the distilling giant included their own whiskey in the since-retired Fusion series, it was never meant to be a highlight—merely a contributing factor. This changed in 2023 when the aptly named Origin Series released.

Comprised of three bottles (two bourbons, one rye whiskey), Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Origin Series is meant to stand as the brand’s core lineup intended as everyday options. The one I wanted to try the most was their bottled in bond release, a wheated bourbon aged for six years with an MSRP of $49.99. I’ve long craved for wheated products to get their time in the spotlight, namely on store shelves where folks may finally have more options beyond Maker’s Mark, Larceny/Rebel, and maybe Wilderness Trail. The Origin Series ostensibly helps set the stage for other distilleries to hopefully follow suit, considering how much momentum the producing party has amassed.

Of course, this is ultimately speculation with nothing said for the whiskey itself. So let’s dive in for a taste, shall we?

Nose: Leads with traditional vanilla and light brown sugar while a dusty cereal essence makes its presence clear (almost like Cheerios). A touch floral with mildly sweetened almond and a faint layer of freshly whipped cream sits in the background. Post-sip sees the almond and light brown sugar coalesce nicely, along with flavored black tea.

Palate: Honey-sweetened cereal with a combination of corn and almond dust form the backbone. Vanilla and light brown sugar become more apparent with subsequent sips. The mouthfeel has a light silkiness to match the mostly delicate flavor profile. Strikes a decent balance between grain and oak, but the former is bringing more to the table.

Finish: Some oaky warmth while the brown sugar and almond notes hit a collective stride, treading into almond torte territory as they develop. The consistency also seems to get creamier after sitting on a few sips.

When I think of an ideal wheated bourbon, I imagine a sweet profile with assorted dessert-like flavors backed by enough richness to tie the whole experience together. The Origin Series Bottled in Bond treads this territory with a tangible yet balanced level of sweetness. Depending on who you ask, this could be either welcome or discouraging sign. It’s probably of little surprise then that I’ve had a back-and-forth relationship with this bottle. The most striking association I made for the first third of the bottle was almond torte, which is dessert-y without being particularly sweet. Over time, the bourbon reveals more baking spice and floral notes, with the latter leaving far more of an impression on the finish. Rest assured that Origin Series Bottled in Bond is a different beast than Weller, Larceny, and Maker’s Mark, but I struggle to point out a single distinguishing note. Whether that’s for better or worse is up to personal taste.

Wheated bourbons can be tricky to pull off, especially when they come across as underdeveloped. Despite boasting a welcome age statement at six years old, the grains in Origin Series Bottled in Bond are ultimately doing most of the talking. It doesn’t give off those distracting, farm-like youth notes typical of lesser whiskeys, but its time in the barrel feels a touch short-lived. The experience is so close to hitting that right mark that it’s frustrating to not get that final push.

To be clear, I don’t think younger tasting automatically equates to an inferior product; Wilderness Trail’s bonded wheated bourbon pulls this off in a way that no other wheated bourbon with similar specs does for me. By contrast, I can’t say that Bardstown Bourbon Company’s first go at a wheated bourbon release pulls me in enough to consider with any sort of consistency. I do think it’s well-crafted overall and has the potential to win over drinkers who are more apprehensive to wheated products without as much age on them. I just wish I could get a little more out of it.