Episode
476. New Year's Eve Sample Blowout: Calvados Casks to Mesquite Smoke
- Podcast
- The Bourbon Road
- Published
- Dec 31, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 2818
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
Happy New Year from The Bourbon Road! Jim and Todd ring in the New Year at the Bourbon Road bar with one final sample show to close out 2025. With the "Whiskey of the Year" episode just around the corner, the hosts are clearing the decks and diving into four distinct and intriguing pours that range from experimental finishes to classic Kentucky profiles. It's a diverse lineup that takes their palates on a journey from the coast of France to the American Southwest. The tasting begins with a luxurious offering from Bardstown Bourbon Company's Distillery Collection : the Normandy Calvados Brandy Barrel Finish . This blend of 12 and 13-year-old Indiana bourbons was finished for 28 months in apple brandy casks and an additional four months in toasted oak. Clocking in at 104.2 proof, it delivers a "flavor explosion" of honey crisp apple, vanilla cream, puff pastry, and a rich, compote-like texture that leaves the hosts searching for descriptors like "candle nose" and "apple pie." Next, they take a sharp turn to Oxnard, California, for Sespe Creek Distillery's Warbringer , a Mesquite Smoked Southwest Bourbon. This 98-proof experimental pour features mesquite-smoked corn and malted rye, resulting in a savory, polarizing profile. Todd and Jim pick up notes of "burnt all-beef hot dogs," barbecue smoke, and pumpernickel, describing it as a "smoky beast" that definitely ruffles some feathers but delivers on its promise of uniqueness. Returning to the Bluegrass State, the hosts sample the inaugural release from Jackson Purchase Distillery : the Full Proof . Produced in Hickman, Kentucky, by Master Distiller Craig Beam and Assistant Master Distiller Terry Ballard, this 4-year-old bourbon (roughly 117.8 proof) punches above its age class. It offers a definitive, classic bourbon profi…