Rival Rye Review! Bardstown West Virginia Great Barrel Company vs 2020 Thomas H Handy
Note - this review was originally posted in r/bourbon in December 2022.
Background
Ready for the longest named whiskey I can remember? Enter: Bardstown Bourbon Company West Virginia Great Barrel Company Blended Rye Whiskey Finished in Infrared Toasted Cherry Oak Barrels.
Who’s still with me? Ok, let’s explain what all that means!
Bardstown Bourbon Company: Notable NDPs/Contract Distillers, soon to release their own distillate.
West Virginia Great Barrel Company: Innovative cooperage based in, you guessed it, West Virginia. We’ll get to why they are innovative in a second.
Blended Rye Whiskey: Blended, because this is 6 year 95/5 MGP rye blended with 12 year 100% corn Canadian Whiskey. Bardstown does not disclose the exact percentage of the blend.
Infrared Toasted Cherry Oak Barrels: Ok here’s where it gets interesting. West Virginia Barrel Company uses Infrared Heat to toast their barrels, as opposed to a more traditional wood chip fire. They claim infrared heat penetrates deeper into the barrel to draw out more sugars and vanillin.
Now, why stacked up against THH? Pretty simply, a buddy poured this for me and we both noted that it tasted THH-esque in how fruit forward it is. The immortal Alex @ thewhiskeyshelf.com also named checked THH in his review of this new Bardstown release, so let’s put them side by side and compare!
Bardstown Bourbon Company West Virginia Great Barrel Company Blended Rye Whiskey Finished in Infrared Toasted Cherry Oak Barrels (6 Years, 110 Proof)
Nose: Cranberry ocean spray, vanilla, polished wood.
Palate: Sweet & sticky, mulling spices and cherry syrup, a healthy dose of vanilla. The sweet notes are cut nicely by an undercurrent of wood.
Finish: Medicinal cherry, though not in a way I mind, licorice, and a wave of barrel spices bring the sip home.
8.5/10
Overall: Deliciously fruity from start to finish, it’s a wonderfully balanced whiskey that only occasionally teeters on a bit too wood forward. That’s absolutely picking nits on a fantastic pour, this is one of the best Bardstown Bourbon Company offerings I’ve ever had, right up there with Discovery Series 4.
2020 Thomas H Handy (6 Years, 129 Proof)
Nose: Gummi fruit wedges, lemon, orange, a bit of mint on the nose.
Palate: Sticky orange soda, licorice, hints of cinnamon candies and lemonheads. Compared to the wooden notes on the Bardstown, this is like a gusher.
Finish: Warhead candies, cherry syrup, anise, a bouquet of tropical fruits. Drinks WAY below its proof.
9/10
Overall: Ok ok, I’m a little disappointed the significantly cheaper/more available Bardstown offering does not conquer THH side by side. That said, 2020 is the strongest year THH I’ve personally tasted. The Bardstown offering absolutely holds its own, and I suspect against other weaker years it would definitely triumph. This THH just POPs with so much fruit and flavor, it’s really hard to beat.
Last but not least, ranking scale and some examples:
1 | Disgusting: Town Branch Single Barrel Reserve
2 | Poor: Black Maple Hill Oregon Straight Bourbon Whiskey
3 | Bad: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
4 | Sub-par: Blue Run High Rye Bourbon
5 | Good: Four Roses Small Batch Select
6 | Very Good: E.H. Taylor Straight Rye
7 | Great: Wilderness Trail 8 Year BiB
8 | Excellent: Stagg Jr Batch 17
9 | Incredible: A Smith Bowman Cask Strength (Batch 1)
10 | Perfect: George T Stagg 2020
