Bardstown Bourbon Company has built a reputation on one simple idea: collaboration. Rather than leaning on century-old origin stories or dusty rickhouse lore, they've made their name by partnering with producers from outside the bourbon world and asking a genuinely interesting question — what happens when we finish our whiskey in your barrels? The Collaboration Series with Maison Ferrand is one of the most compelling answers they've come up with.
Maison Ferrand, for the uninitiated, is one of the most respected Cognac houses in France. They produce everything from Plantation Rum to Pierre Ferrand Cognac, and critically, they have access to exceptional French oak casks that have held some seriously good brandy. Bardstown took their bourbon and finished it in those Cognac barrels, and the result is a whiskey that sits at a punchy 55.9% ABV with no age statement — though given the quality of liquid BBC typically works with, I'd wager there's some well-aged stock in the blend.
Tasting Notes
I don't have my detailed tasting notes on hand for this particular bottling, so I won't fabricate specifics. What I can tell you is that the Cognac barrel finishing does exactly what you'd hope — it introduces a layer of dried fruit richness and a certain vinous quality that bourbon on its own rarely achieves. The high proof means you're getting all of that flavour without dilution softening things into blandness. This is a bourbon that wants your attention, and at 55.9%, it commands it.
The combination of classic bourbon character — think corn sweetness, baking spice, oak — with whatever the Maison Ferrand casks contribute is the entire point here. It's a study in how finishing barrels can genuinely transform a spirit rather than just adding a surface-level veneer.
The Verdict
At £166, this isn't an everyday pour. But it's not trying to be. This is a bottle for someone who's drunk enough standard bourbon to want something that pushes the category sideways. The Maison Ferrand collaboration is, in my experience, one of the stronger entries in Bardstown's lineup precisely because Cognac casks and bourbon are such natural partners — the fruit and the grain complement each other without fighting.
A 7.8 out of 10 feels right. It's a genuinely impressive whiskey that delivers something you can't easily find elsewhere, and the cask strength presentation means you're getting the full experience. It loses a fraction of a point for the NAS designation — I'd love to know exactly what's in the blend — and the price, while justified for a limited collaboration release, does put it in competition with some outstanding bottles. But if you're after a bourbon that demonstrates just how good barrel finishing can be when both parties know what they're doing, this is well worth the investment.
Best Served
Pour this neat in a Glencairn or copita and give it ten minutes to open up. At 55.9%, a few drops of water won't hurt — in fact, I'd encourage it, as it tends to unlock some of the more subtle fruit notes the Cognac casks impart. If you're feeling adventurous, this makes an absolutely killer Old Fashioned: the extra proof stands up to dilution, and the fruit-forward profile means you can skip the orange peel garnish entirely and let the whiskey do the talking. A barspoon of rich demerara syrup and two dashes of Angostura is all you need.
