Redbreast 12-Year Single Pot Still Whiskey Review Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in copper pot stills, Redbreast 12 boasts the flavour complexity and distinctive qualities of Pot Still whiskey.
Irish Whiskey Reviews Redbreast 21-Year Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Review There’s not a thing wrong with this. It’s a beautiful, elegant and indulgent whiskey. Having gone deep down into the rabbit hole of American single barrel, barrel-proof stuff, such soft but flavorful whiskeys take some adjustment.
Banter Wyoming Whiskey: Well Worth the Lone Prairie Journey The discussion to create a distillery was born of Kate Mead’s pitch to her husband to build a winery. Her notion was, in common spouse-dismissal fashion, prompt and pointed. According to co-founder David DeFazio, “Brad thought she was crazy and told her, ‘No one grows grapes out here.’”
Events Bourbon & Barbecue Louisville Equally overdue is a festival linking these two. This year’s inaugural Bourbon & Barbecue Louisville, however, will end that silly streak. On Nov. 11-12 (Friday-Saturday), 20+ chefs and pitmasters will team up with 20+ whiskey makers to show how well these two favorites go together.
On The Road Breckenridge Distillery & Laws Whiskey House – Worth the Visit and Purchase Our visit to Breckenridge Distillery began later that day with a tour. Our guide, Davis, was entertaining and generous with a tasting that regular tourists don’t get. (Yay, whiskey media!)
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Hardin’s Creek: Colonel James B. Beam Bourbon Review As a proof of concept, Freddie Noe knocked this expression out of the park. With notes of strawberry puree, that familiar Jim Beam peanut brittle, and flavorful baking spice to go along with a truly satisfying Kentucky hug, Hardin’s Creek: Colonel James B. Beam has a lot to like on the palate.
Drink Reviews Blind Barrels Box Is Creative, Clever and Professional The Blind Barrels tasting experience solves all that in a terrific and beautiful package. According to its owner, Bobby DeMars, the point is remove bias builders like brands and costs to let drinkers focus solely on the liquid before them.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Hardin’s Creek: Jacob’s Well Bourbon Review Hardin’s Creek: Jacob’s Well has generated a swirl on intrigue ever since its TTB label filing went public. So, with all the hype surrounding this release, I was curious to see how it would ultimately taste. The result?
Banter RTD Cocktails Are Fine, But Not Yet Great Such people are the ideal audience for ready to drink cocktails, a.k.a. RTDs. My friends enjoy variety in flavor and spirits, but more importantly, they like it delivered by someone else.
Banter O.H. Ingram Whiskey Proves River Aging Is a Delicious Thing River barges don’t seem large until you’re about to enter one. The vessel before me is 200 feet long, 24 feet wide and 24 feet tall: not diminutive by any stretch. (That a barge pilot and towboat can link together 35 of these and squeeze the lot through a river canal lock is just beyond me.)
Rye Whiskey Reviews Michter’s 2022 US*1 Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey Review Michter’s 2022 US*1 Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey is a great whiskey. Always has been and, hopefully, always will be when Michter’s own maturate from its Louisville plant is bottled in the future.
Rye Whiskey Reviews New Riff Sherry Finished Malted Rye Whiskey Review The success of New Riff’s 5-year Malted Rye release in 2021 gave its team an idea: Finish this vibrant whiskey in 12, custom-made 53-gallon oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks for a year, then vat the whiskey from each for another six months.
Banter Jeff Arnett To Innovate with Finished Whiskeys at Company Distilling Contrary to what some have suspected, Jeff Arnett didn’t leave because he disliked the master distiller’s post at Jack Daniel’s. Even after 12 years in the high-stress role as the person in charge of whiskey making at the world’s most prodigious whiskey plant.
Banter BBC’s Nally ponders slowing down after 50 years in distilling Seeing Steve Nally in a suit and tie is unusual. Six-foot-four and broad-shouldered, the master distiller at Bardstown Bourbon Co. (BBC) has as good a frame for fine couture as any 71 year old.
Bourbon News HEAVEN HILL TO BUILD $135 MILLION DISTILLERY IN BARDSTOWN Bardstown, Ky.-based Heaven Hill Distilleries announced it will spend $135 million to begin construction on a new distillery there this spring. According to a news release, construction of the plant is expected to conclude in late 2024.
Food Stuff Reviews Does SOBAR really help slow alcohol absorption? Does SOBAR really help slow alcohol absorption? After writing a commentary about drinking less in 2022, I received an email from a representative of SOBAR, a producer of what the company calls, “The snack designed for drinking.”
On The Road Whiskey Tourism To Make A Profitable Footprint In Townsend, Tenn Townsend, Tenn., markets itself as “the peaceful side of the Smokies,” and indeed, it’s quieter than the fabricated expanse of Pigeon Forge and the din of crowded Gatlinburg. Townsend has the feel of a village scattered in plots over a several-mile stretch of Hwy. 321.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews American Highway Reserve Bourbon Review When it comes to American Highway Reserve, despite some older whiskey in this blend, it all smells young: new wood, green apple, cooked corn, dried rye and ethanol. Initially, the aroma is faint, but a few vigorous swirls moves it from non-existent to hot in the nostrils; from “Is anybody home?” to
Bourbon News CASTLE & KEY PREPARES FOR LARGE CROWD ON BOURBON RELEASE DAY On Saturday, March 26, Castle & Key Distillery will release Batch 1 of its first bourbon, a much-anticipated 4-year-old sweet-mash spirit. As head blender for the distillery, Connors is concerned about the crowd expected at the historic Old Taylor site in Millville, Ky.
Banter OH, BROTHER! TALES OF THE COCKTAIL ADDS NEW SPIRITS COMPETITION Drinkers need another spirits competition to tell them what to buy about as much as spirits makers need these medal-fests to tell them their products are great. Yet despite having several of these competitions annually, we’re getting another.
Heads & Tails HEADS & TAILS: ST. PADDY’S DAY ’22 EDITION Drink up, lads and lasses! It’s St. Patrick’s Day! (Well, it’s a workday, too, so perhaps you should obey that directive after 5 p.m.) If you’re compelled to drink some Irish whiskey today, why not have it in the most classic of all Irish drinks.
Heads & Tails HEADS & TAILS: “SMOKE AND BARRELS” EDITION According to a news release, the world’s largest cooperage saw the increased popularity for spirits with “smokey” character and decided to develop a barrel offering smoke characteristics not achievable by traditional toasting or charring methods.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17-Year-Old Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review This is a delicious mature whiskey, far from overly oaked, and full of complexity and nuance. The nose is loaded with cooked dark cherries, warm dark chocolate, macaron, green apple and Juicy Fruit gum. On the palate it’s rich and mouth coating, not drying at all.
Banter Rigorous testing is the norm for every Maker’s Wood Finishing Series Referring to a pair of upcoming Wood Finishing Series fall 2022 releases, Jane Bowie, the brand’s director of innovation says, “These whiskeys will be further away from our normal taste profile than before. … With what we’ve done in the past, I believe we’ve earned the trust of consumers..."
Heads & Tails Heads & Tails: The Bulked Up Edition The old saying, “Flaunt it if you got it,” applies well here. Even better, “Auction it if you’ve got it, and help others in the process” is even cooler. Distilleries prove time and again that they’re generous businesses.
