Background

In the past year, a lot has changed with my pet favorite distillery! In June of last year, Master Distiller Caleb Kilburn and COO Cordell Lawrence departed to start their own contract distillery. They brought in an Executive VP, Mike Young, who brings with him a ton of experience in the spirits industry. Word on the street is, this has been accompanied by a significant scaling back of Single Barrel picks. They had ramped up to ~150+ last year and rumor has it they are dropping that number back down to around 100 and then will slowly build back from there. Speaking of single barrel picks, John Wadell, who led (and I believe still leads) that program, has a new gig as Head Taster. If you have had the pleasure of meeting John before, you know this is exceptional news. He’s been responsible for many of the delicious distillery exclusive Single Barrels you’ll find in their gift shop.

And of course, there’s this new Toasted Bourbon release. Where their Double Oak bourbon and rye offerings are finished in a second, charred barrel, this release is instead finished in a toasted barrel. Both barrels originate from Kelvin Cooperage, which is music to my ears. Kelvin uses all natural wood flames to char their barrels, and I think is one of the secrets (along with the 107 barrel entry proof) to Peerless’ success. As this preamble now probably takes longer to read than it actually does to toast a barrel, let’s get into the review!

Background

The J.W. Rutledge Distillery website has not been updated in 4 years. I checked. So what happened and what’s with these Cream of Kentucky releases? Here’s a timeline:

• 2016: A year after retiring from Four Roses, Rutledge announces plans with partners to open a new distillery, crowdfunding starts.

• 2018: Crowdfunding does not go too well, seemingly neither does regular funding. But don’t worry, they should break ground in 2019! Meanwhile, they revive the Cream of Kentucky brand using sourced barrels.

• 2020: Covid happens, delaying plans further. Blue Run Spirits launches with Rutledge named “Liquid Director”, a position that I can only assume came with a Scrooge McDuck level of cash.

• 2021: Blue Run releases their first contract distilled release from Castle & Key, with Rutledge referred to as “Master Distiller” of this release.

• 2023: Blue Run is acquired by Molson Coors, Jim is going to stay on board. Cream of Kentucky 16 year is released.

Background

Welcome to year three of a comparison series that I expected to only be fortunate enough to do once! I originally wrote about this because A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength arrived on the scene with a huge splash in a year where George T. Stagg took a hiatus.

Last year, I was curious to see if the Bowman Cask Strength line could continue its success, or would go down as a one-hit wonder. Year two, in my opinion, not only improved on the first iteration, but slightly edged out its fearsome BTAC foe. Well it’s now time for the rubber match! As promised, my A. Smith Bowman lottery bottle is open and ready for review. This year’s A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength clocks in sub-hazmat and a year younger than the past two releases. Let’s see how these two high proof, hard to find behemoths compare.

Background

It's the second week of a three-Sunday tasting run for me at Jack Rose! Last week was dustys from the 1970s. This week, we're tackling Jack Roses’ two new Old Forester picks. This tasting also presents a Grade A opportunity to finally review Old Forester 1924, which I've been mindlessly drinking and searching for the right framing and mindset to review it. As usual with these reviews we’ll hop right in!

Background

You come to a dusty Jack Rose tasting, and you’ll inevitably get some Grade A Bill Thomas sourcing stories. It’s like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Defunct Liquor Store. I think I heard this from Bill at a past event, but I recall a tale about him having a plumber friend. Said friend responds to plumbing calls, and if he sees the house he’s at has a large bourbon collection he offers to connect them with Bill who is always interested in purchasing bottles. Supposedly, he found these particular bottles 48 hours before the tasting and just could not wait to try them. So here we are! I will stop rambling because there are SIX vintage whiskeys from the 1970s to cover:

Background

I’ll be honest, there is not a lot to write about Evan Williams that hasn’t already been written! Let’s start then with my favorite Evan Williams fun fact… all of that “Kentucky’s First Distiller in 1783” history on the side of the bottle, it’s entirely fabricated. As bourbon historian Michael Veach points out, the Filson Historical Society has a receipt for Evan Williams passage to America dated in 1784. Whoopsies!

Today’s review covers Evan Williams 12 and 23 year releases. The 12 year offering started as an export-only Japanese release until The Evan Williams Experience opened in downtown Louisville. Evan Williams 23 also was primarily exported to Japan, with some being made available in Heaven Hill gift shop over the years and again at the Evan Williams Experience- both places charge a cool $350. Worth noting two things before we get into the review: This particular Evan Williams 23 year release is distilled post Heaven Hill’s distillery fire. This Evan Williams 12 year is also a Japanese exported bottle, though I could not find any difference between the Japan releases and the US releases.

Background

Coincidentally, it’s been exactly one year since I last checked in with Bardstown Bourbon Company. That was the release of their Origin Series, but alongside it we tasted the delicious Bardstown Discovery Series #9. So after a number of nudges from my friends I took President’s Day as an opportunity to check out DMV Spirits, a new-ish DC shop that lets you try before you buy. Lo and behold, the proprietor Michael and I ended up sitting down to try Disco 10 and 11 side by side. What better excuse to write up a review!

I’ve long since given up trying to guess or track Bardstown sourcing, though specs for each are here (Disco 10) and here (Disco 11), respectively. I will call out two things before we roll into the review:

Background

Earlier this week, I put up Part One of my review of the Lady Luck Tasting Kit by Lucky Seven. That review covered the finished bourbons, and this one will cover the four remaining straight bourbons. Since four bourbons are plenty to cover in a single review, I’ll keep the preamble brief. What I do think worth noting is that all of these are Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, including the 15 year Proprietor. This means for roughly two years, Lucky Seven has continued to roll out 14 and 15 year Kentucky Straight Bourbon. They have done so while keeping the price a relatively steady $125-$150… which is impressive.

Background

Fun fact, Lucky Seven was my very first review! But it’s been quite some time since I checked in with their offerings; the last review comes in about a year and a half ago after they released their Frenchman offering. So when they released a 7 sample set, conveniently priced at $77.77, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to hit the whole lineup!

I’m going to split this set into two parts; this one will cover the finished offerings, which include The Frenchman (French Oak finished), The Holiday Toast (Double Oaked), and The New Yorker (Amburana finished). Part two will get into the straight bourbon releases. Without further ado, to the review!

Background

Joseph Magnus, it’s been a while! Last time I reviewed offerings from them was about a year and a half ago, and it covered Cigar Blend Batches 32 and 80. One of the things I continue to admire about Joseph Magnus, particularly Cigar Blend, is Master Blender Nancy Fraley’s willingness to provide exceptional amounts of insight into her process. In fact, she was kind enough to weigh in on my last review!

We’re going to start this review with Joseph Magnus’ flagship offering, which is a bourbon finished in Oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and cognac casks. We’ll then move into Cigar Blend batch #204, which is one of the newer batches available. With each round of Cigar Blend batches, Nancy and team release key details and notes on the corresponding run. Today’s review is covering batch #204, ‘Figgy Pudding’, which is derived from a “coupe mere” or mother blend of 18 bourbon barrels. Those barrels which went into six, 300-liter Armagnac casks. This mother blend is composed of 9-year-old MGP Bourbon from both 36% and 21% Rye Bourbon mashbills, 16-year-old Barton’s Bourbon, and 20-year-old MGP 36% Rye Bourbon.

Background

All aboard the hype train, choo choo! Last I looked, Found North: Peregrine had something like 8 straight 10/10 reviews on r/bourbon. My peers have written about it better than I ever will, and I suspect many will skip down to see if the streak of 10/10s continues (spoiler alert: great bottle but for me it’s not and that’s ok!) so I won’t bother with the SLIGHTEST bit of useful background. Read the fantastic u/Prettayyprettaygood‘s review if you want actual information.

Instead, I will tell you how growing up in my elementary school days I was fucking obsessed with the series Animorphs. I read them so much my 3rd grade teacher told my dad he was worried I was reading them too much. My dad, in a moment I still greatly respect, told my teacher to kick rocks because his kid was reading constantly so as long as I wasnt actually trying to leap off buildings like a bird who the fuck cared. That was my first exposure to Peregrine Falcons, as Jake, the Animorphs stoic leader, could morph into one. I’ll admit, I tumbled into a DEEP Animorphs wiki hole while writing this, I forgot it gets quite dark towards the end actually. Jake commits alien genocide and a bunch of them die. So yeah, Animorphs, thanks for teaching me how much Peregrine Falcons rule.

Background

I’ll start by saying I owe Basil Hayden’s bourbon. This was my gateway bourbon, and I have no trouble admitting. Thinking myself a sophisticated young twenty-something, I bought the classy looking Basil Hayden bourbon. I would then sip the robust 80 proof bourbon on ice, probably call it smooth, and consider myself having an elevated experience over my usual alcohol diet of Labatt Blue Lights (it was Upstate New York).

But then I started to branch out, try new things. Tastier things, higher proof things (important to again reiterate that higher proof does not automatically = tastier), and Basil Hayden got left behind along with all of its newer line additions. Basil Hayden’s Toast had this weird moment in the sun, but I looked at its 80 proof and turned my nose up. Who can keep up with every new line extension? Why spend time on this watered down entry line I snobbishly thought. Well, it’s time to return to my roots with Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish, let’s get into it!

Background

Ladies and Gentleman! Today’s main event are two whiskeys that need little introduction, both from heavy-hitter distilleries. In the green corner, hailing from Buffalo Trace distillery with an undisclosed wheated mashbill and weighing in at 90 proof… Weller Special Reserve!

And in the beige corner, 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley mash and 92 proof, all the way from Heaven Hill distillery in Bardstown Kentucky… Larceny Bourbon! Today’s fight will be three rounds: Nose, Palate and Finish, with the winner taking home the title of Cheap* Wheat Champ.

Yes, I know people go wild for Weller Special Reserve and that makes it hard to actually FIND cheap. But it’s supposed to be, and maybe (definitely) people are silly for paying ridiculous prices for it. We’ll find out!

Background

I want to take you back to 2020. Covid is raging, stimmy checks and pent up spending is burning giant holes in the collective pockets of any hobby with a secondary market, and all people keep telling me is that I have to try Smoke Wagon bourbon. So I worked my way through the Straight Bourbon, Small Batch, Uncut Unfiltered, enjoyed them all, and then honestly stopped thinking about Smoke Wagon for a while. The hype seemed to slightly outpace the whiskey, with Halloween or Fourth of July edition bottles having a really frothy market I didn’t totally understand.

What better time, then, to check back in on Smoke Wagon than with two single barrel rye picks! The first is an r/bourbon pick, a 6 year MGP barrel with a 51% rye/45% corn/4% malted barley mashbill. In comparison is a 5 year single barrel direct from Smoke Wagon that utilizes a 51% rye/49% malted barley mashbill. As is standard with Smoke Wagon, these barrels are then transported to Nevada for extra aging in the Nevada desert heat. Time to pour these up and see how they compare!

Background

A man walks into a bar-turned sandwich and bottle shop, and says “ouch”... because his wallet is about to be significantly lighter than when he entered. Dad jokes aside, it’s awesome to see such a creative development from the Jack Rose and Imperial teams in this space. Moving their covid derived, impromptu bottle shop from a single shelf in Jack Rose to a pop up sandwich and bottle shop is a really enticing expansion from a group that seems to do everything thoughtfully.

Ok, why did I start my Willett review waxing poetic about the new Premier Drams space? Because I happened to snag these two bottles as part of a Holiday Sales Special at Premier Drams, and these bottles made an appearance at Premier Drams (the event, not the space) back in 2018! I have heard from the Jack Rose team that Willett is no longer making wheated bourbon picks available as part of their single barrel releases, potentially due to their rumored switch over to using their wheated mashbill in Willett Pot Still. The rye, interestingly enough, is also sourced. My perception (and I have no actual stats on this so apologies) is that MGP sourced Willett rye was fairly common, but this one is notably Kentucky sourced which should make for a fun variation. Fortunately, a friend had the excellent idea to turn these two bottles into a bottle split, so the aforementioned pain in my wallet was considerably reduced while still being able to taste, review, and enjoy these whiskeys!

Background

I did not want to write this review. Honestly, I kind of still don’t. Binder’s Stash whole vibe is just not really for me. I should be clear that I have nothing particularly specific against Bill Binder. I just see a website that immediately notes “Bill Binder has created a name and brand for himself…”, I see the pictures of an influencer wearing a hat with a logo created from his own profile, and my brain just sort of shuts off. Not knocking the hustle, get that money, I’m just going to try not to engage in the influencer economy if I can.

I first heard about Binder’s Stash whiskey from a friend, who notes it is 14 year MGP, and it’s $750 a bottle. Oh, it also has Binder’s profile stamped on the bottle. Brain powering back down now. Again it’s not a repulsive reflex, I just don’t have approaching secondary price for George T Stagg money lying around to throw at a rich guy’s bottle project. In April I updated my Store Pick Rules to Live By and while this isn’t explicitly a store pick it shares some DNA with one given it’s coming from an established distillery with which I have some familiarity. I don’t have firsthand knowledge of Binder’s credentials, nor does spending $750 blind seem like strong common sense- that’s two strikes against my rules. Yet, another friend comes to the rescue and offers to address one specific concern: try before you buy. Alright, I’ll bite. Let’s see what the fuss is all about…

Background

“I don’t actually like this very much, but people come over and think the bottle is cool, so they drink it.” - My father-in-law, unintentionally summarizing the essence of Willett Pot Still. Anyway, it's the holiday season, and once again, I find myself raiding my in-laws cabinets for whiskey that has been open for comically long periods. I kid you not; my mother-in-law STILL has that same bottle of Bulleit open from two years ago.

So, here we are with Willett Pot Still, a somewhat notorious offering from a legendary distillery. The prevailing rumor suggests that Willett Pot Still now exclusively employs Willett’s wheated mashbill, potentially explaining the absence of new wheated mashbill single barrels from Willett (something Jack Rose has noted at past tastings). The last time I tried Willett Pot Still was during a virtual whiskey club tasting amidst the COVID lockdown. A shout-out to the DMV’s Neighborhood Restaurant Group and their excellent spirits director, Nick Farrell, for keeping me sane during lockdown. It has now been over three years since I last tasted this, so it's time I stop resisting its alluring bottle design.

Background

Are you familiar with Good Times? No? Well honestly, and I mean this sincerely, congratulations. I encourage you to close out this review and continue on being unfamiliar with Good Times. It’s a better life. It means you probably have avoided Facebook groups hawking their litany of picks, or whiskey bros showing off a Chocolate Caramel Coconut Fudge Sundae flavored (intentional word use- Good Times will claim finished, I will not) bottle with a pornographic sticker or marketed by some secondary group as an “Infinity Stone” pick.

If you’ve stuck with me so far, welcome to the pyramid scheme of the whiskey realm. The scheme goes something like: Groups or individuals buy flavored (that Good Times will call finished) picks, slap some stickers on them, foist them on novice collectors, novice collectors receive increased blood sugar. A quick list of the three funniest flavor picks I’ve personally seen:

• Mexican Neopolitan Raspberry Cask Finish Rye: Claims to use Raspberry Brandy, Mexican Vanilla, Bourbon Cacao barrels.

• Caramel Chocolate Coconut Cask Finish Bourbon: Claims to use Bourbon Caramel, Chocolate, and Coconut Brandy barrels.

• Vanilla Coconut Pineapple Cask Finish Bourbon: Claims to use Bourbon Vanilla, Coconut Rum, and Pineapple Brandy barrels.

Good Times- the whiskey for people who don’t want to taste whiskey! As you can see, these are deeply unserious people, so this will be a deeply unserious (but real! I actually drank this whiskey!) review. Without further ado:

Background

It’s been a big year for Jim Beam’s Hardin Creek line! They released a full experiment on terroir with their “Kentucky Series”, a trio of 17 year whiskeys from three different Jim Beam campuses. They also brought back last year’s Jacob’s Well label for a second batch, this time extending the age statement from 15 years to 17. Or, more specifically and in Beam parlance, 184 months to 211 months. No one from Jim Beam is going to read this… but on the off chance they do come on branding team just put years on the label. Some people (ok me) can’t do basic math, and might have to bust out their phone calculator (yup, still me) and type in 211/12 (I’m a liberal arts major I don’t know what you want from me).

Anyways, I reviewed the first iteration of Jacob’s Well last year and absolutely loved it. I quickly killed the bottle, sharing it excitedly with as many people as I could find, and haven’t revisited it since. Seems like as good a time as any to re-review it side by side with batch two and compare them. Before we get into the notes, thank you, Jim Beam, for seemingly abandoning the $80, two year releases and instead just dropping wild 17 year bottlings. Ok, let’s review!

Background

To say I’ve started to dread the Jack Rose tastings where they release their own Willett picks is probably a bit of an exaggeration. The picks are always delicious, the Jack Rose staff incredible, the tasting price reasonable, etc. But how to approach this with some tact- damn if it doesn’t bring out a set of enthusiasts with whom I have some differences of opinion on how to approach this hobby. Last year I was semi-bowled over by a crush of people rushing to the checkout counter post tasting to buy bottles. As I mingled towards the back of the line someone decided he had the perfect captive audience to show me his collection of closed Willett bottles. It was his first time at a tasting.

Nothing so egregious this year, but across two tastings so far this year (and a third coming up tonight) you could set your watch by seeing these bottles go up on secondary at a crisp $1200+ price point the moment the tasting let out. Anyways, my old-man-yells-at-cloud-moment about Willett insanity aside, let’s get to the tasting. There were 6 whiskeys in this tasting, but I’m only going to cover the two new ones. For those curious, the other four pours and (where applicable) my past review of each is below, and then we’ll roll right into the new reviews:

• Willett 8 Year Wheated

• Willett Family Estate Rye: Jack Rose “Eau de Vie” Pick

• Willett Family Estate Rye: Jack Rose “Voyage of the Beagle” Pick

• Willett Family Estate Bourbon: Bourbon Bonanza #4786