Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Latest Distillery Reserve Release Blends Bourbon With Japanese Whisky — And We Got an Early Taste

(Photo: Bardstown Bourbon Company)

Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Distillery Reserve program had a remarkable debut in 2025, landing two top-15 entries in our 100 Best Whiskeys of the Year rankings. The latest release more than belongs in that elite company.

Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend is a collaboration with Japan’s Mars Distilleries, and it goes further than most cross-cultural whiskey projects, which usually start and end with a simple barrel finish. Rather than finishing one spirit in a cask that previously held the other, Bardstown and Mars blended bourbon and Japanese single malt together and allowed that blend to rest in the barrel for a year, letting the two fully integrate. The result is available May 29 exclusively at Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s distillery gift shop and its Louisville tasting room, in the Distillery Reserve’s signature 375-milliliter format, for $99.99.

“This project is about more than blending — it’s about true integration,” Bardstown Bourbon Co. Master Blender Dan Callaway. “By aging Japanese single malt whiskies together with Kentucky bourbon in the same barrel, we’ve created something entirely new. The result is a seamless conversation between two traditions, where neither overpowers the other, and both are elevated.”

Breaking Down the Blend

The blend is divided up as follows:

• 69%: 10-year-old Kentucky bourbon (74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley)
• 20%: 5-year-old Komagatake single malt aged in Umeshu (plum liqueur) barrels
• 8%: 16-year-old Kentucky bourbon (75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley)
• 3%: 5-year-old Tsunuki single malt aged in Sakura (cherry wood) barrels.

The components were blended and then aged for an additional year before bottling at 109.8 proof (54.9% ABV).

Our Review

We had the chance to taste this whiskey ahead of its release — and we can safely say it’s excellent. The Japanese components may represent only 23%, but they punch well above that weight in the glass.

The nose is fruit-forward and confectionary: custard and buttercream frosting weave around soft oak and baking spice (cinnamon, gingerbread) with a big apple note that starts quiet and opens up considerably with air.

The palate is wide-ranging but cohesive, a testament to the blending prowess. Significant tasting notes include apple strudel, cherry, plum, oak, salted caramel, cranberries, clove, sassafras, cinnamon, tobacco, sesame oil and balsamic — a lot is happening, but none of it feels out of place. The finish delivers a rush of clove, toasted barley, sea salt, plums, blackberries and cherries that gives way to leather, dark chocolate and a deep, jammy blueberry compote note.

For our complete review and score, click here.

At $99.99 for a 375-milliliter bottle, it’s not cheap on a per-ounce basis, but it’s also not absurdly priced given the quality. Given the track record of the Distillery Reserve program and the ambition of this release, the price is fair.

Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend will be available available May 29 at Bardstown Bourbon Company’s distillery gift shop and its Louisville tasting room in limited quantities.

What’s Next?

Mars President Kazuto Hombo framed the collaboration as the beginning of something larger.

“We are hopeful that this collaboration will open up new possibilities in the art of whiskey-making,” he said. “By fusing the techniques and philosophies each company has cultivated, and by utilizing carefully selected base whisky, aging environments, and delicate blending techniques, we aim to create a new whiskey experience that combines depth and elegance.”

A second collaboration is already underway — this time in reverse, with Kentucky bourbon aging at Mars’ Tsunuki Distillery in southern Japan. We eagerly await to see what comes of that release.

As for Bardstown Bourbon Co.: If the Distillery Reserve Series follows the same formula in 2026 as it did in 2025, we can expect one more release this year. We got Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish in March and now this in May. Last year, the third Distillery Reserve release came in November, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled to see if Bardstown Bourbon Co. has one more in the chamber for this year.