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Bardstown and Copper & Kings release brandy-finished Bourbons
Bardstown Bourbon Company has partnered with Copper & Kings American Brandy to craft a set of 10-year-old whiskeys finished in American brandy and Muscat Mistelle barrels – called Collabor&tion.
Collabor&tion is a set of 10-year-old whiskeys finished in American Brandy and Muscat Mistelle barrels
Bardstown Bourbon Company’s master distiller Steve Nally and Copper & Kings’ head distiller Brandon O’Daniel hand-selected the Bourbon for the project; blending it until it achieved the right flavour profile.
The liquid was then matured in Copper & Kings’ brandy barrels and Muscat Mistelle barrels for more than 18 months in the distillery’s basement maturation cellar.
“Exceptional bourbon will always carry beautiful dark fruit notes – figs, raisins, dates – as well as apple and pear to complement the classic honey, spice and butterscotch,” said Nally.
“Aging in brandy barrels not only accentuates these notes – it layers more on top of that foundation to create an incredibly rich, smooth and complex whiskey. I’ve been doing this a long time, and this is an amazing spirit – something I will share with my good friends with real pride.”
The Bourbon used to produce Collabor&tion was distilled in Indiana in 2006 by Lawrenceburg Distillers – now MGP – and is made from 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.
The Copper & Kings American brandy barrel-finished Collabor&tion expression is bottled at cask strength of 56.5% abv. The Mistelle barrel-finished variant is bottled at cask strength of 47% abv.
“A Mistelle barrel is a unique vessel,” added O’Daniel, “Mistelle is unfermented grape juice – in this case Muscat – fortified with un-aged brandy (Muscat eau-de-vie) and then aged in Bourbon barrels for 18 months.
“The empty barrels are deeply and highly caramelised with the grape sugars and fruit essences. The whiskey exiting these barrels is pure joy. A completely novel sensory experience; deep, deep rich whiskey – very soft and supple, mellow, and the taste goes on forever.
“The whiskey notes are amplified by a softness and smoothness that is singular – to say the least. I could literally sip this for the rest of my life.”
Collabor&tion is available in select Kentucky retail stores, at the Bardstown Bourbon Company and Copper & Kings gift shops, and a small selection of retailers across the US.