Banter

A collection of 475 posts

Banter

Is This Whiskey Worth This Price?

We’re at the point in the whiskey boom where everyone not asking these types of questions are successful chemists. Conveniently, they’ve also obtained degrees in immunology and constitutional law. A handful has even successfully schooled TTB agents on how to do their jobs.

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7 Things Whiskey Reviewers Wish You Knew

Back in May of 2017, I wrote a piece called The Life and Times of Whiskey Reviewer. The purpose was to tell you what the four worst questions folks ask us and what’s going through our minds when you ask them.

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Jefferson’s Ocean Spray Bourbon Review

Jefferson’s has done it again and just in time for the holidays! Never was there a more perfect release that pairs perfectly with Thanksgiving dinner. The gentle tartness of the palate will blend perfectly with the salinity of a well-brined turkey, and especially one with a crisp, fried skin.

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Introducing Jefferson’s Ocean “Spray” Voyage

Never one to miss an opportunity, word leaked recently that Jefferson’s is planning an extra special release of their popular Ocean series. This will be the first Voyage aged on traditional flatboats, and its location will make it an even more exclusive release than Jefferson’s Presidential series.

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Whiskey Wisdom: Age & Price Can’t Beat Taste

I write this article with the full knowledge and understanding that I’ll probably piss off a lot of folks in the whiskey industry: anyone from distillers to marketing teams to distributors to retailers. However, what I’m suggesting is being said without malice.

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Look at Me: The Private Barrel Sticker Craze

As I said earlier, custom stickers are a great way to capture and remember a barrel pick for years to come. It’s also a fun to express you or your group’s personality and creativity. And just like the whiskey in the barrel, people’s like or dislike of your label will be subjective.

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The 2020 Bourbon Heritage Month 30 Days of Bourbon Challenge

2020 has been a hell of a year so far. It seems as though every month offers something worse than the previous one. If you’re ready to turn things around for September, Bourbon & Banter has the solution.

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Independent Bottlers 101

Have you ever perused the scotch aisle of your favorite liquor store and seen what looks to be the same label on bottles that purportedly hail from different distilleries? These labels are those of independent bottlers and the juice inside those bottles might be some of the tastiest you’ve ever had.

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Kentucky Barrel Pick Trip Recap – Day 2

Lux Row Distillers is a new distillery, having had their whiskeys contract-distilled for over 40 years. We pulled up on a cloudy day, but the distillery site was still gorgeous. The location is prime bourbon real estate, in Bardstown.

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Kentucky Barrel Pick Trip Recap – Day 1

Almost two years to the day after the B&B team traveled to Kentucky to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Bourbon & Banter, we got the band back together to do it again. There were a few team members that were able to make the trip again and there were some new faces that were able to join.

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The Redo: Russell’s Reserve Barrel Pick

Two years ago, almost exactly to the day, the Bourbon & Banter team descended upon Louisville for our anniversary barrel pick trip. While we toured a lot of great places, the main focus of picking a private barrel of Russell’s Reserve – one of my favorite bourbons.

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2019 Bourbon Heritage Month Winners

It’s been almost three weeks since we closed out Bourbon Heritage Month 2019 and I’m finally starting to recover. As part of that recovery process I’m happy to report that we got all of the Bourbon & Banter issued prizes packed up today, and they will be shipping out on Monday, October 21st.

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Redefining Bourbon Appreciation

A few months back, I shared details about a trip to visit Davis Valley Distillery in the Blue Hills of Southwestern Virginia. Davis is an emerging player in the contract distillation space offering consistent quality sourcing of bulk American Whiskeys primarily, as well as Vodka and moonshine.

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And Just Like That…Bourbon Heritage Month 2019 Is Over

Blame it on the #30DaysOfBourbon Challenge or the excitement of giving away bourbon prizes to bourbon-loving folks across the country, but I can’t believe that Bourbon Heritage Month 2019 is over. I mean, who the hell invited October to the party?

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Join Us for the 2019 30 Days Of Bourbon Challenge

Four years ago I started a little something to celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month. You see, I wanted to go to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. The problem was that life happens, and I couldn’t make it work out.

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Double Gold / Double Blind: Results From Our Annual Blind Tasting

For the past 3 years, my friend Andy and I have helped curate and host a Spring blind whiskey tasting at Spirit World in Omaha. Laurie Hellbush loves her whiskey customers and she is kind enough to allow us to curate some fun experiments for them.

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Farewell To A Bourbon Brother

Several years ago, back when we first started Bourbon & Banter, I introduced a feature on the site called the “Member Spotlight.” It was a way for me to introduce some of the bourbon friends I had met along my bourbon journey and invite others to connect with them as well.

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Bourbon & Banter with Branford Marsalis

In the summer of 1987, my cousin Joe took me to the Newport Jazz Festival at the Fingerlakes in upstate New York. It was there he introduced me to the music of Branford Marsalis. I was mesmerized and thus began a lifelong appreciation of Marsalis’s music and his commentary.

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Bourbon, Banter & Jazz with Sean Jones

A friend of mine recently told a group of musicians “you never know how you touch people.” That’s often the case with musicians, especially jazz musicians. They communicate to the listener on a very intimate level, especially those that play in small clubs.

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Introducing the Whiskey Review Hall of Fame

Anyone who’s been drinking whiskey for the last few years knows that the industry has gotten out of control.

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Things To Do In Wisconsin When You’re Frozen (But Not Dead)

Polar Vortex. Snowpocalypse. Armageddon. Hell. Whatever you want to call it, I think everyone was aware of the once-in-a-generation cold blast that recently hit the Midwest.

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Burns Night, or How to Auld Lang Syne

When you write for a bourbon website with a tagline of #DrinkCurious you get unique opportunities to do just that. When you’re an adventurous couple with the family motto of “We do not let fear determine our future” you relish those unique opportunities to #DrinkCurious and expand your worldview.

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Basic Beer to Bourbon Bliss: A Tasting

For many, the holiday season is a time of cheer, thankfulness, and family fun. For those of us who have chosen to live away from our families, it is a time when there’s extra stress in planning meals, sleeping arrangements, and activities for said long-distance family who come to visit.

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Happy Whiskey New Year 2019

This time of year, everyone is publishing their “Best of” lists, remembering those who passed away in the course of the year, and making resolutions for the new year. It’s customary in the whiskey world for bloggers and writers to publish their versions as well. But here’s the thing.

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Bourbon Santa’s Tips for a Spirited Holiday Season

Join us as Banta (Bourbon Santa) shares his pro tips for enjoying a spirited holiday season.