Dark Arts 13 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Double Oaked in French Oak Casks, 125.2 Proof
Mash bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley.
Dark Arts seems to have its finger on the pulse of bourbon enthusiasts. French oak finishing is especially popular right now, and from a personal perspective, double oaking with French oak is one of my favorite finishing techniques. However, I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a double-oaked bourbon this old, so this Dark Arts 13 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Double Oaked in French Oak Casks review should be interesting. This is a first pour review of this 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Festival release.
Nose
The nose begins rather simply, with soft, dry oak, brown sugar, and toffee. There is only a touch of ethanol, which is impressive for a 125.2-proof Kentucky straight bourbon. As some of the sweeter notes dissipate, the spices come to the forefront. Even though the mash bill contains only 10% rye, I’m picking up a little rye mint mingled with clove and cardamom.
Let’s take a sip and see what changes.
After the first sip, those baking spices remain and continue to linger. An interesting floral note also emerges in the aroma, although it is subdued, much like the rest of the nosing experience.
Palate
The first sip delivers a solid 125.2-proof punch. What’s interesting is how restrained the sweetness is. Toasted oak and semisweet toasted brown sugar tend to dominate. There is also a substantial amount of tannin. Once the bourbon reaches the mid-palate, those tannins settle heavily on the tongue, causing the entire palate to turn dry.
I let the glass rest for a minute or two to give my palate a break. When I returned to it, the heat was still there, but considerably more caramel sweetness began to emerge. The profile then shifted back toward toasted notes, charred dark brown sugar, and mint.
Finish
On this first pour, the finish is dominated by dry oak and tannins, that tart, drying sensation often associated with dark red wines. In this case, those tannins are clearly coming from the double-oaking process. The heat on the finish is moderate and, in many ways, restrained for a bourbon with such a high proof.
Overall
Overall, this Dark Arts 13 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Double Oaked in French Oak Casks is a solid and fairly straightforward bourbon. Don’t expect it to blow you away with complexity, at least not on the first pour, which this is for me. It will be interesting to see how it develops after the bottle has had some time to open. I’m hoping additional sweetness will emerge because, at the moment, this is a little drier than I personally prefer from a double-oaked Kentucky straight bourbon.
Disclosure: This whiskey sample was provided by the distillery at no cost and with no expectations or obligations. As always, the opinions, tasting notes, and conclusions expressed in this review are entirely my own.