There are times, as a whiskey reviewer, when I just feel badly writing the review. My intention when reviewing a bad product is to not be unnecessarily mean or vicious. However, when something is so offensive it makes my stomach turn, it ceases to be a simple review and instead becomes a Public Service Announcement.
Chivas Regal Mizunara Special Edition Review
While this, to me, is a poor man’s Japanese Harmony (which I also reviewed for Bourbon and Banter), it is not without its intrigue. If you research the use of Mizunara in whisky, you’ll find quite a bit of disdain for what Chivas is doing here. People say that the qualities that Japanese oak imparts on whisky can’t be rushed by using it as a “finishing” technique. While not being an expert on either whisky finishing or the qualities of woods that are grown half a world away, I think I respectfully disagree.
Elijah Craig Launches Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
View Post2019 Bourbon Heritage Month Winners
View PostAlacrán Tequila Blanco Review and Tasting Notes
I am not a tequila drinker. I’ve penned a tequila review before and it bordered on fairly useless. I’m a whiskey reviewer. That’s my jam. However, my wife, Michelle (a/k/a Mrs. Whiskeyfellow), is a tequila sommelier. While I did drink this alongside her to try and learn something about tequila, these notes are hers and I’m writing this under her guidance.
Alacrán is packaged in a beautiful, matte black bottle, giving the appearance of a luxurious spirit. It is cooked with water sourced from Alacrán’s own well and naturally fermented with Alacrán’s own yeast. It is distilled through an “exclusive and multiple distillation” process.
Bourbon & Banter 2019 Year-End Survey
With less than three months left in the year, we’re almost at the end of another trip around the sun. I hope it’s been a good year for you and your love of all things bourbon.
The Bourbon & Banter team will be heading down to Kentucky in a few week’s to re-pick our annivesary barrel of Russell’s Reserve and share some quality banter time together. I thought our gathering would also be a good time to start planning for 2020 and talk about how we’ll evolve the website and how we bring you information about your favorite whiskey.
To that end, it would be great to go into those conversations with a bit of research into what our readers thinking about all things bourbon. Therefore, as we’ve done in years past, we’d love to get your thoughts and feedback regarding what we’ve been doing, how we’ve done it, and what you would like to see different next year.
Old Soul Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review
I found Old Soul Bourbon to be an interesting addition to the craft market. A nice mix of creaminess and spice with just a hint of that young dough taste you get with a young craft bourbon. The taste is also helped by a little air in the bottle over a couple weeks. Also the blends from MGP over 4 years old help as well. I found over a period of time I found myself enjoying this more and more. Adding a cube to the whiskey took away some of the creaminess and increased the spice.
Old Fashioned from Watershed Distillery Review
Ask 20 different people to make you an Old Fashioned and you’ll likely get 20 different variations of this classic cocktail. While it has very few ingredients, the options within those basic ingredients can vary widely. Rye whiskey or bourbon? High proof or low? 1 oz or 2? Orange or cherries? Maybe you like both – or maybe neither. Then there’s the bitters… 1 dash or 5? Agnostura bitters? Orange bitters? Chocolate bitters? Even the sugar used will affect the taste. Raw sugar, refined sugar, simple syrup, agave syrup, artificial sugars… and so on.