If you’re anything like me, you love a good rum-based, tropical cocktail. There’s nothing quite like a Mai Tai or Rum Punch on a hot, humid summer day. Especially if you’re floating on or sitting near a large body of water. But you don’t always want a rum-centered drink, and whiskey just doesn’t have the tropical flair of its sugarcane-based cousin. That all changes now, because Bardstown Bourbon Company just released a whiskey that’s the best of both booze-soaked worlds: Victoria Pineapple Barrel Finish Whiskey.
Victoria Pineapple Barrel Finish Whiskey
As the name suggests, this whiskey gets its name from the popular Victoria Pineapple, which is known for its over-the-top sweetness. This expression begins as a blend of mature bourbon and rye whiskeys. The bourbon was aged between 10 and 11 years, and the rye whiskey was aged for 11 years. After blending the whiskeys together, it’s finished in Caribbean-sourced pineapple rum casks for 27 more months. But that’s not all. Fresh pineapple is also added to the barrels to intensify the tropical, sweet aromas and flavors.
According to Bardstown Bourbon, this results in a sublime, sippable 106-proof expression that begins with scents of tropical fruits, peppery rye, and allspice. Sipping it reveals notes of dried cherries, toasted oak, vanilla cream, and toffee. The finish is lingering, warm, sweet, and spicy, leaving you craving more. This memorable whiskey is best enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or mixed into your favorite whiskey-based cocktail to add a tropical kick.
“The goal was never to make whiskey taste like pineapple,” Dan Callaway, Master Blender, Lofted Spirits, says.
“The goal was to understand what made these barrels so special in the first place. We followed that trail all the way back to the creation process and found our way to a whiskey with bold tropical fruit, surrounded by rye and allspice,” he says.
“Finishing with staves gave us the balance that helped integrate the pineapple character without losing the depth and complexity of the whiskey itself,” he adds.
Where can I buy it?
This limited-edition whiskey is available in extremely limited quantities exclusively in Kentucky, at the Bardstown Bourbon Co distillery and Louisville Tasting Room, for the suggested retail price of $139.99.
