Heads & Tails Heads & Tails: The Stray Cats Edition Early sips of the HHHC release bode well for an upcoming review. No sample yet for the OFBIB, but I’ll be interested in tasting this very, very Old Fitz. In recent years I’ve tended to like younger Fitz releases better. But who knows? Maybe this geezer bottle will impress.
Bourbon News Buyout of Bardstown Bourbon Co. leaves some concerned, others hopeful As of March 7, Bardstown Bourbon Company is the property of Pritzker Private Capital (PPC), a Chicago-based private equity owner of several manufacturing companies.
Heads & Tails Heads & Tails: Barrels and Blending Edition Oy, have we got a marketing story here! This one reaches all the way back to J. Frederick Hillerich, a German woodworker who immigrated to Louisville in 1842. Hillerich’s core business was barrel making.
Heads & Tails Heads & Tails: “THE ONE MORE DREADED ‘CELEBOTTLE’” EDITION File this under “We wish could have made this up, but it’s fo’ real.” Top-ranked UFC fighter and Lafayette, La., native Dustin Poirier has launched a new bourbon named Rare Stash.
Irish Whiskey Reviews Egan’s Conviction Irish Whiskey Review This is an elegant and well-mannered whiskey; balanced, velvet soft, delicately honeyed while delivering a bit of spice across the palate. Easy, easy sipping that deserves some classy nibbles (think caviar and smoked salmon).
Banter Maybe it’s time to ditch the term ‘craft distillery’ If you’re a whiskey drinker who likes variety and isn’t hidebound to a single notion of what “bourbon should taste like,” then I’d love to pour you some whiskeys you probably haven’t had. Ryes and bourbons from distilleries making a 2,000 to 3,000 barrels a year—or less.
Banter Heads & Tails: “Back in the Grave” Edition In Chuck Cowdery’s early 2022 edition of his quarterly print piece, “The Bourbon Country Reader,” he says MGP should kill off the George Remus brand and find another name for the otherwise good bourbon created for that SKU.
Heads & Tails Heads & Tails: I Wouldn’t Wish For It Edition Ever played this whiskey dork game? You go to a bar or restaurant and rapid-survey the bottles while thinking, “Had it. Haven’t. Have it. Hate it.” When I looked at this list of 20 top-selling whiskeys in the U.S., I added a new response. “Who drinks that?”
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Kentucky Owl St. Patrick’s Limited Edition Bourbon Review This bourbon is truly delightful to drink. Too many multi-whiskey blends lack the synergy and symmetry that this bottle presents in spades. Its sibling, Kentucky Owl: The Wiseman Bourbon, released last September, was one of those.
Bourbon News Owensboro has ‘no regrets’ about Green River Distilling Co. Roughly six years after Terressentia Corp. began making respectable whiskey at the O.Z. Tyler Distillery here, the properly renamed Green River Distilling Co. staged a blowout release party for its namesake 5-year-old bourbon.
Banter Heads & Tails: Are Single Barrels Illegal Edition That’s the growing concern at Kentucky distilleries, where thousands of whiskey fans sample whiskeys from thousands of barrels every year.
Banter 13 Must Haves for the Perfect Bourbon Bar When the Urban Bourbon Trail was created in Louisville, Ky., in 2008, member bars were required to list at least 50 bourbons. Is 2021, does 50 sound like too few to have at a dedicated bourbon bar? I don’t think so. Then what is the ideal number?
Banter Bourbon Food Pairing 101 Want to make your bourbon taste even better—without spending a penny more on it? Do that by pairing bourbon with food. Wine’s gotten the food-pairing nod for centuries, and for good reason: It’s made for food. But bourbon—any good whiskey, really—is worthy of the same role. Trust me.
On The Road Wine Plays Fine Role In Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Tourism Strategy I also love Maker’s Mark, arguably Kentucky’s prettiest distillery, but a handful of challengers, most notably Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBC), have entered the distillery beauty contest. In a runoff, the 6-year-old BBC property might lose only because of its campus.
Scotch Whisky Reviews The GlenDronach Port Wood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review This is a really nice whiskey, super approachable and easy sipping, a go-to when evangelizing for Scotch. From entry to finish, it’s delicate, flavorful and fun. Do I want to spend $90 on it? Nope. It’s not that remarkable to me.
Tequila Reviews Expresiones Del Corazon William Larue Weller Añejo Tequila Review Over the past couple of years, I’ve tasted multiple iterations of Sazerac-barrel-rested Corazon tequilas, and with each, the influence of those barrels has increased. At first blush, I like that. I mean, why make a reposado or añejo unless you want to taste the oak influence?
Industry News SAP56 Canadian Maple Whisky Honors Maker’s Heritage and Taste Memories SAP56 references the 56 days required to harvest and process pure maple sap into a Grade A syrup. (I repeat myself: syrup making is work! Think about that the next time you wince at paying high prices for a bottle of such deliciousness.)
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Chicken Cock 15 Year Old Barrel Proof Bourbon Review This is a swell whiskey. It’s balanced, bold—even muscular—and pretty much what a properly aged 15-year-old bourbon should taste like. Some sourced whiskey shows the talent or luck of the barrel hunter, so let’s call Grain & Barrel Spirits’ master distiller Gregg Snyder talented.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Blade and Bow 22-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review Despite the inviting nose—which revealed layer after incredible layer of aromas the longer it rested—whiskey is for drinking, and that effort ended the fun for me. I get that others like some of these extra-long-aged bourbons; in fact, I appreciate it.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Angel’s Envy Limited-Edition 2020 Cask Strength Bourbon Review I’m really pleased with this release because of its port-forward notes. Some recent Angel’s Envy Cask Strength releases tasted more like delicious, polished bourbon while lacking the distinctive port finish components of early releases.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Old Forester 2020 Birthday Bourbon Review Old Forester’s 100 proof standard is a super-versatile and amazingly affordable favorite of mine. Some of this year’s special distillery releases (such as the 150th Anniversary Bourbon, Batch 2, which I reviewed here) have been brilliant.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Heaven Hill 85th Anniversary Single Barrel Bourbon Review Straight out of the bottle this bourbon’s inviting nose led me to jump in and taste, which was a small mistake. It was surprisingly oaky and tannic, especially for a 13-year-old. So, I poured a little more and abandoned it for about 20 minutes to let it open up, and it did.
Bourbon News Barton 1792 Distillery Debuts Thomas S. Moore Trio of Cask Finished Bourbons Bardstown, Ky.-based Barton 1792 Distillery announced the release of its first ultra-premium brand, Thomas S. Moore Extended Cask Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The three-expression lineup is named in honor of Moore, who built the distillery known today as Barton 1792 Distillery.
American Whiskey Reviews Little Book Chapter 4: “Lessons Honored” Review Every Little Book release is, to my palate, unique and extraordinary. Fans will recognize they’re Beam whiskeys, but no standard Beam whiskeys.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews Old Forester 150th Anniversary Bourbon Review Don’t let Old Forester 150th Anniversary bourbon’s potent proof fool you, this bourbon can be rolled around the mouth and savored. The finish on it is beautiful, silken and long; it’s a real pleasure to drink. This is Old Forester at its purest, boldest, most enticing and exciting.
