Very Old Barton 6 Years Bottled in Bond is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (KSBW) distilled by Sazerac, owners of Buffalo Trace, in their Bardstown distillery – the Tom Moore Distillery – and it’s a crying shame it’s not available on the West Coast. Why is that you ask? Well besides the score above being a dead giveaway this whiskey was put into a fairly epic blind Bourbon tasting at LAWS and nearly everyone was impressed with how well it stacked up against the competition that night.
I liked this Very Old Barton 6 Years Bottled in Bond so much that last year when I went to Tennessee and Kentucky I tried to track some down with the intention of buying a case and shipoing it back, but the search left me empty handed. Apparently the BiB expression has become much more difficult to find over the last few years and the 6 Year age statement has been replaced with just the number 6. Even value drams like this are feeling the pinch of the current demand heavy market.
Very Old Barton 6 Years Bottled in Bond Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Sazerac
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 15% Rye and 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 6 years
ABV: 50%
Price: $14
Very Old Barton 6 Years Bottled in Bond Review
EYE
Dark caramel
NOSE
Deep notes of dark fruit leather, caramel, oak, cherries, spice and butterscotch with a bit of citrus peel. It may not have layers of complexity but everything that’s there has a nice full presence – even the lighter citrus note. Lovely stuff.
PALATE
The spice has moved up followed by more rich notes of caramel, dark fruits, butterscotch, rye, roasted nuts and some light notes of grain and dill. Again, it’s not wildly complex but it is wonderfully tasty.
FINISH
Long and dry with notes of oak, caramel, rye spice and dark fruit.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced, full round body and a heavy warm feel
OVERALL
Very Old Barton 6 Years Bottled in Bond is a super tasty bourbon and right now all I want to do is get ahold of another glass! The aroma is inviting and warm and the flavor wraps the around the tongue like a soft fresh-out-of-the-dryer blanket and extends that coating warmth through it’s path to the belly. It’s something I think would have done quite well out West if Sazerac had pushed it this direction. After all, who’s ever going to complain about a great tasting value bourbon?
SCORE: 87-89/100 (B+, not consumed at home)
