Bardstown Discovery Series 13 Bourbon Whiskey
The Stats
- Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company
- Location: Bardstown, Kentucky
- Type: Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Age Range: 8–15 Years
- Proof: 110.8 (55.4% ABV)
- Blend: 45% 9 Year (KY) / 22% 9 Year (KY) / 20% 15 Year (KY) / 13% 8 Year (KY)
- Mash Bill: Undisclosed (Blend)
- Barrel Finish: Double-Barreled in American & Hungarian Oak
- Release: Series 13 / 2025 Limited Release
- Price: $140
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Bardstown’s Discovery Series has become the unofficial honors program of modern bourbon. Each release is a new masterclass in blending, technique, and boundary-pushing creativity. Some entries lean traditional. Others get experimental. But every new blend pushes the boundaries of what a blended bourbon can be.
Discovery Series #13 arrives as one of Bardstown’s most thoughtful and expressive blends to date. A double-barreled construction built entirely from Kentucky distillate, shaped through both American and Hungarian oak, and layered with age in a way that feels more like design strategy than tradition.
This isn’t just another Discovery release. This is Bardstown showing its work.
A Kentucky Blend With Purpose
Bardstown leans into blending as an art form, and Discovery 13 is one of their most intentional expressions yet. The blend brings together 8-, 9-, and 15-year Kentucky bourbons in a structure that’s layered, progressive, and confident, built for nuance and built to evolve in the glass.
The clean silhouette of the bottle with its crisp white label and subtle color accents is understated by design, letting the craftsmanship inside take center stage. It’s a modern, minimal package that quietly signals what this bourbon delivers: clarity, complexity, and purpose.
Tasting Notes
Aroma
The nose opens with dark cherry, vanilla cream, and warm baking spices, quickly drifting into toasted oak and a peppery lift. As it breathes, deeper notes appear: blackberry jam, a touch of pumpernickel, and a faint fall-like sweetness. It’s layered, evolving, and genuinely complex.
Taste
The palate fires immediately. Rich, warm, and expressive, it drinks like a toasted fruit cobbler, caramel, apple fritter, baked dark fruit, and a drizzle of maple over warm pastry. Depth from the 15-year component, brightness from the younger stock, and that double-oak warmth all converge into something both comforting and dynamic. Every sip shifts slightly, rewarding repeat tastes.
Finish
The finish brings a confident, warming hug. It’s gently dry, with lingering oak, fruit sweetness, and steady spice. Not the longest finish in the Discovery line, but absolutely premium and satisfying.
Artfully Bourbon Rating
9 / 10 - Excellent
Discovery Series #13 is a standout in the modern blending world. It’s fruit-forward, toasty, rich, and unmistakably intentional. The double-barreled structure enhances complexity without overwhelming the blend, and the fruit-oak interplay keeps every sip lively.
At around $140, it’s undeniably premium, but it drinks like it. For blend nerds, Bardstown fans, or anyone who appreciates a bourbon with layers, this one deserves a spot in the rotation. It’s inventive without gimmicks, bold without losing balance, and easily one of Bardstown’s most compelling Discovery releases in recent years.
A smart, artful Kentucky blend that proudly earns its place on the shelf.
