Hard Truth Barrel Finish Reserve French Oak is a straight bourbon from Hard Truth Distilling Co., based in Nashville, Indiana. It blends two sweet mash bourbon mash bills, BW-1 (73% corn, 19% rye, 8% malted barley) and BW-5 (82% corn, 18% rye), aged in custom-toasted American oak before finishing in toasted French oak casks from one of France's oldest cooperages. The 23-barrel limited release is bottled at 106.1 proof (53.05% ABV) and retails for $65 to $75.
This one delivers on what it sets out to do. Over the past year, American whiskey has seen a run of exemplary French oak releases, and Hard Truth adds another to that momentum.