In the rolling green hush of Kentucky’s bourbon country, a new whiskey emerges that feels like a bridge across oceans and centuries. Bardstown Bourbon Company’s latest Distillery Reserve release, the Hokkaido Japanese Mizunara Oak Barrel Finish, offers a small-batch invitation to explore two traditions that might seem worlds apart — until you taste them together in a single, luminous sip.
This limited release, launching July 11 in 375mL bottles at $99.99, marks the brand’s latest foray into boundary-pushing finishes. Following the acclaimed Cathedral French Oak (once featured on 60 Minutes), the Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Finish pushes further into the realm of exploratory maturation and artful blending.
Crafted from a blend of 9- to 18-year-old whiskeys, this creation then spent an extraordinary 28 months resting inside six rare 66-gallon barrels fashioned from Japanese Mizunara oak — wood so scarce and wild it’s been described as the “unruly poet” of cooperage. Grown in the volcanic soil of Hokkaido, these trees twist against snow and wind for decades, imparting a hauntingly complex character into the whiskey: sandalwood, subtle coconut, whispers of incense rising like temple smoke.
The journey of these barrels began in Bardstown’s Warehouse H, in a custom-built room that saw wild temperature swings and rapid extraction, encouraging the whiskey to deepen and reveal the oak’s true power. Later, the barrels moved to Warehouse E, one of Bardstown’s largest rickhouses, where the spirit mellowed and settled into its final, intricate shape.
“Mizunara oak is unlike anything else in the world,” says Dan Callaway, Master Blender for Lofted Spirits. “The wood’s unpredictable nature demands reverence, but the payoff is a whiskey that stands alone — a tribute to Japanese and American craftsmanship meeting at their highest levels.”
The final pour is a study in duality: rich caramel, toasted oak, and vanilla anchor the classic Kentucky foundation, while the Mizunara layers on ethereal notes of sandalwood and incense, creating a finish that feels almost spiritual.
Presented at 109.3 proof (54.65% ABV), the Bardstown Bourbon Hokkaido Japanese Mizunara Oak Barrel Finish is available exclusively at the distillery gift shop and Louisville tasting room. For more information, visit BardstownBourbon.com.
