Barton 1792 Just Released a New Cognac Cask Finished Bourbon
Buffalo Trace might be the best known of Sazerac’s American distilleries, but there are a couple of sibling operations worth paying attention to as well. One of those, Virginia’s A. Smith Bowman, I’ve covered a few times because of the excellent whiskey it produces. Another one is Barton 1792, and the news arrived today this this Kentucky distillery is adding its first cask-finished expression to the core lineup, a bourbon that spent time in Cognac barrels.
Barton 1792 is located in Bardstown, Ky., the rural town that is the spiritual home of bourbon. It was founded in 1879 and is said to be the oldest continuously operating distillery in the state, although obviously it has gone through major physical changes and different owners over the years. Sazerac acquired the distillery in 2009, and now the 1792 line anchors the portfolio, although some other brands are also produced there like Kentucky Tavern, Very Old Barton, and the Kirkland bourbon you can find at Costco.
The core 1792 range includes bourbons like Small Batch, Single Barrel, Bottled in Bond, and Full Proof, all of which are quite good. There was previously a limited-release, cask-finished expression that spent time in port barrels, but the new Cognac Cask Finish is the first of its kind to join the permanent lineup. “We’ve experimented with a range of premium cask finishes, but Cognac immediately stood out for how naturally it complements our Small Batch Bourbon,” said Barton 1792 master distiller Ross Cornelissen in a statement. “Extended finishing in Cognac casks reveals dessert-like notes and layered complexity, while showcasing the full-bodied character of the Small Batch Bourbon and its signature high-rye recipe.”
The new bourbon was initially aged in new charred oak barrels, as is required by law, before being transferred to French oak Cognac casks for a secondary maturation of about six months. Those casks were placed on the top floors of the rickhouses, where it is hotter, so that the interaction between whiskey and wood would be faster and fiercer. The result is a tasty 95-proof bourbon with notes of ripe berries, cinnamon, dark chocolate, tannic oak, and black pepper on the palate.
It’s worth noting that this is not the only new Cognac-finished bourbon to hit the market this month. Hirsch Selected Whiskeys just announced the launch of a new expression of the Cask Strength that was finished in Cognac barrels. This whiskey was aged for five years and eight months, and then spent almost two years in 30-year-old Hine Cognac XO barrels in Bardstown, KY. There are, of course, other examples out there to try, including one from Redemption Whiskey and another under the Thomas S. Moore label, which is also produced at Barton 1792. If you’d like to try 1792 Cognac Cask Finish for yourself, you can find it at stores around the country now (SRP $38), and at websites like Total Wine.
