Infectious Charm. Devastating Wit. Below Average Looks.
Few things in the bourbon world, or any world for that matter, surprise me anymore. When Maker’s Mark announced a proof reduction in their bourbon, their legions of fans went bat crap crazy and the company reversed course. The proof reduction didn’t bother me, however, since I don’t drink Maker’s much and I had some... Continue Reading →
Whiskies like George T. Stagg restore one's faith in the romantic allure of the whiskey hobby. We've all been there, especially in the beginning. Back then, everything about the whiskey world was cool, our palates primed for trying new things, we soaked in information and mash bill details like sponges, and we even believed most... Continue Reading →
There is a simple explanation as to why we have not yet reviewed the famed Elmer T. Lee bourbon from Buffalo Trace: the secondary market bubble ruined everything and everything sucks now. A more nuanced and sophisticated explanation would be that the popularity explosion of the whiskey world has created a vibrant and robust secondary... Continue Reading →
After years of never letting bourbon from a bottle of Michter’s touch my silken lips, and I have my reasons, the club finally got around to sampling their flagship US*1 Small Batch Bourbon. And after all these years, we spent the majority of the time during our tasting trying to figure out how to pronounce... Continue Reading →
Since pretty much everyone in the club is a crawling, creeping cheap-o, we all share an enduring appreciation of the value bottle. Old Forester is one of those said value selections as they produce some decent fairly stuff and request a reasonable price for it. Brown Foreman, owners of the brand, released Old Forester 1897... Continue Reading →
Elijah Craig did not invent bourbon. Chuck Cowdery, Bourbon’s Ballast, said so. Many times. Yet the myth persists, even gently pushed along by Heaven Hill. The push back, not that it would help, has prompted some to claim that maybe not bourbon, but he was the first to age the whiskey in charred barrels. But... Continue Reading →
Pursuant to our time honored and cherished tradition of offering write ups of whiskies that no longer exist, we present unto you a resplendent look at Elijah Craig 12. Formerly a value bottle mainstay of the mighty bourbon hunters, for years Elijah Craig could be procured for under $30. And for a 12 year old... Continue Reading →
The barrel gets all the glory. And I have my suspicions as to why. First of all, and this is especially true for bourbons aged in the cruel inferno of a Kentucky warehouse, up to 70% of a whiskey's flavor makeup comes from maturation in the oak barrel. You can employ exotic finishings, possibly altering... Continue Reading →
We continue our look at the Colonel’s line of whiskies from Buffalo Trace Distillery. We will not recount the painstakingly researched historical details concerning E.H. Taylor’s comically absurd life covered in our review of the small batch (click here for that), so we hope you are not turned off by banality. For slightly less banality,... Continue Reading →
You will all be sufficiently forlorn to learn that the Pappy craze, having gone from annoying, then evolving to insane, and now to a new “blood shooting from my eyes” kind of psychopathy, has jumped every kind of shark in the ocean. The secondary market of re-sold Pappy Van Winkle bourbons and rye whiskies is... Continue Reading →
Upon learning about the warehouse collapse at 1792 Barton Distillery earlier this year, my first cruel thought was, “phew, at least it was a bourbon I don’t drink.” That’s how much of a dirtbag I am. If a warehouse on the grounds of Buffalo Trace had come crumbling down like a bourbon soaked Jericho, I... Continue Reading →
God bless value bourbons. Especially the bottles that ain’t bad. Bourbon has long been a Helm’s Deep for whiskey people getting left out of the party by steeply rising prices for a decent bottle. Scotch skyrocketed. Irish, too. The good Canadian stuff is in the premium price category, and even the top end bourbon bottles... Continue Reading →
Henry McKenna was a sprite Irish gentlemen who upon arriving in Kentucky made good and fine use of the abundant grain around him. He did what any Scots-Irish worth his salt would do back then: distill everything and sell it. He also invented the Blarney Stone and loved U2. I normally don’t put much effort... Continue Reading →
In the olden days of my whiskey youth, Wild Turkey 101 was one of the first bourbons I became acquainted with. In fact, I had an early experience with Rare Breed that really catapulted my sense of bourbon’s aroma as well as a few nice evenings spent with Russel’s Reserve 10 year. My first memorable rye... Continue Reading →
Whiskey marketing isn’t all that bad. There are kernels of truth embedded in most of it, some kernels bigger than others. While reading on Knob Creek's 2001 Limited Edition release, I found myself a sucker. Any bourbon story involving Booker Noe passing down a bourbon tradition to his son, now Master Distiller Fred Noe, is... Continue Reading →
If you must know, Colonel E.H. Taylor was a janitor at Buffalo Trace distillery in the 1770’s. He then joined the military, became a Colonel, and single handedly won the Battle of Ticonderoga while plastered from drinking an allocated bottle of Sazerac Rye 18. He also invented bourbon with his best friend, Elijah Craig. Now... Continue Reading →
I remember the day I lost all of my whiskey connoisseur credibility. It was the day that Maker’s Mark reversed their decision to lower the ABV on their flagship Kentucky straight bourbon. This about face came as a result of severe push back from Maker’s Mark passionate consumer base. The mere thought of the red... Continue Reading →
Ezra Brooks was a Kentucky carnival barker who traveled from town to Kentucky town with his rainbow colored still selling magical bourbon whiskey for 5 cents a shot. His legend lives on today in such bottles as Ezra Brooks 12 Yr Single Barrel. And none of this is true. Everyone thinks Elijah Craig invented bourbon... Continue Reading →
One of the precious few bourbons I have ignored thus far in my whiskey odyssey is Bulleit Bourbon. No offense to Tom Bulleit, "The Proprietor," but having known for some time that every bottle of Bulleit bourbon is distilled at Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY, I figured I would just drink Four Roses and... Continue Reading →
Spokane Whiskey Club 