Distillery Reserve: Extraordinary Bourbon
Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Distillery Reserve is where obsession meets craft. Each limited release starts with aged Kentucky straight bourbon and ends in a barrel that has never touched whiskey before — Garryana oak from the Pacific Northwest, 300-year-old French oak from the Berce Forest, Japanese Mizunara from Hokkaido, and Calvados casks from Normandy. Four expressions. Zero compromise.
Discover
Estate-Distilled
Our Award-Winning 100% Estate-Distilled collection has been produced, aged, and bottled onsite defining the essence of Bardstown Bourbon Company
Cascadia Garryana Finish
A blend of straight bourbon whiskey finished in Garryana oak barrels
Normandie Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish
Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished for 28 Months in Calvados Brand Barrels then 4 Months in Toasted Oak
Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Barrel Finish
A Blend of Straight Whiskies Finished for 28 Months in Japanese Mizunara Oak Barrels
Cathedral French Oak
A Blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskies Finished in 300 Year Old French Oak Barrels
Bardstown Distillery Reserve: Rare Barrel Finishes, Extraordinary Bourbon
Four ultra-limited releases, each defined by a single rare barrel type. Cascadia finishes a three-bourbon blend 10 months in hand-toasted Garryana oak from Oregon. Cathedral rests Kentucky straight bourbon in 300-year-old French oak harvested to restore Notre Dame. Hokkaido finishes 9- to 18-year whiskies 28 months in Japanese Mizunara. Normandie finishes bourbon 28 months in Christian Drouin Calvados casks from France.
What Makes Each Distillery Reserve Expression Unique
Cascadia (107.5 proof) uses Garryana oak — also called Oregon white oak — a wood so dense and scarce it is harvested only from fallen trees. Its tight grain slows oxidation and imparts clove and nutmeg character closer to French oak than American. Cathedral (110.1 proof) is finished in oak from the Berce Forest in France, the same ancient trees harvested to restore Notre Dame Cathedral after the 2019 fire. Hokkaido (109.3 proof) is a distillery-exclusive finished 28 months in Japanese Mizunara, drawing out sandalwood, coconut, and incense alongside the bourbon’s caramel and vanilla foundation. Normandie (104.2 proof) is finished 28 months in five seasoned Calvados casks from Christian Drouin, then rested four additional months in medium-toast American oak — baked honeycrisp apple, butterscotch, orange zest, and puff pastry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bardstown Bourbon Distillery Reserve?
The Distillery Reserve is Bardstown Bourbon Company’s most experimental collection — a series of ultra-limited releases, each finished in an exceptionally rare barrel type. Current expressions include Cascadia (Garryana oak), Cathedral (300-year-old French oak), Hokkaido (Japanese Mizunara), and Normandie (Calvados brandy barrels). Most are available exclusively at the distillery or in very limited retail allocations.
What is Garryana oak and why is it used in Cascadia?
Garryana oak, also known as Oregon white oak, grows in the Willamette Valley of the Pacific Northwest and is one of the rarest cooperage woods in the world. It is harvested only from fallen trees or sanctioned cuts. Its exceptionally dense grain slows oxidation and evaporation during finishing, imparting clove, nutmeg, and spice notes more reminiscent of French oak than standard American white oak. Cascadia rests a three-bourbon blend for 10 months in 10 custom Garryana barrels, each hand-toasted for three hours by Oregon Barrel Works.
What is the Cathedral bourbon and why is it finished in Notre Dame oak?
Cathedral French Oak is a blend of Kentucky straight bourbons finished in 300-year-old French oak barrels from the Berce Forest — the same ancient timber harvested to restore Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following the 2019 fire. The wood’s age and extraordinary density give it an intricate grain structure that imparts deep complexity unavailable from standard French oak. It is bottled at 110.1 proof and available in 375ml.
What is Mizunara oak and how does it affect the flavour of Hokkaido?
Mizunara is a rare Japanese oak species prized in Japanese whisky production for its distinctive aromatic profile. Extremely porous and difficult to cooperate, it imparts sandalwood, coconut, and incense notes that are impossible to achieve with American or French oak. Bardstown’s Hokkaido expression finishes a blend of 9- to 18-year-old whiskies for 28 months in Mizunara barrels from Hokkaido, Japan. It is bottled at 109.3 proof and is a distillery-exclusive release.
What is Calvados and how does it influence the Normandie bourbon?
Calvados is an apple brandy produced in the Normandy region of France, aged in oak barrels that carry residual apple spirit and orchard fruit character. Bardstown’s Normandie expression finishes Kentucky straight bourbon for 28 months in five seasoned Calvados casks from Christian Drouin — a three-generation Normandy producer with over 289 gold medals — then rests the whiskey a further four months in medium-toast American oak. The result layers baked honeycrisp apple, orange zest, and puff pastry over the bourbon’s caramel foundation. Bottled at 104.2 proof in 375ml.
Where can I buy Bardstown Distillery Reserve expressions?
Distillery Reserve releases are ultra-limited. Hokkaido is a distillery-exclusive available only at the Bardstown Bourbon Company distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Cascadia, Cathedral, and Normandie are available in limited retail allocations — use the store locator at bardstownbourbon.com or purchase through authorised online retailers including Seelbach’s. Sign up to the newsletter to be notified of future Distillery Reserve releases.