Banter

Whiskey Writer, Steve Coomes, Named Editor of Bourbon & Banter

Patrick “Pops” Garrett, founder of Bourbon & Banter, has appointed Steve Coomes editor for BourbonBanter.com. The global top 10 whiskey-centric website includes a podcast and virtual bourbon club for its nationwide membership.

On The Road

Get To Know: KO Distilling

Now that 2021 is in the rearview mirror, I thought it would be a good time to revisit one of the team’s favorite experiences from the past year – our road trip to visit KO Distilling in Manassas, Virginia, during Bourbon Heritage Month.

Banter

Whiskey Advent Calendar Scam

Christmas is over, the New Year is here, and you may have received a whiskey advent calendar that you ordered online after seeing multiple ads. The sales were terrific, and dammit, this was just a super-cool idea! You clicked on the ad.

Podcast

Storytime with Dan Gardner – Bourbon & Banter Podcast #21

The 21st episode of the Bourbon & Banter podcast – Storytime with Dan Gardner – is now available for your listening and drinking pleasure. The Bourbon & Banter team celebrated our 10th anniversary earlier this year, and we let the mics roll a few times.

Cocktails

Holiday Spice Old Fashioned Recipe

This time of year, I am frequently asked for holiday cocktail recipes. Though I have dozens of ideas, I love to come back to a simple twist on my all time favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned.

Book Reviews

Buffalo, Barrels & Bourbon Book Review

Buffalo, Barrels, & Bourbon by F. Paul Pacult is a study of how the bourbon gods giveth and taketh away.

Podcast

This Little Piggy Drank Some Bourbon – Bourbon & Banter Podcast #20

The 20th episode of the Bourbon & Banter podcast – This Little Piggy Drank Some Bourbon – is now available for your listening and drinking pleasure.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Old Soul High Rye Bourbon Review

As the great Yogi Berra once said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Here we have yet another bourbon with this mash bill. I think this may be the fifth I’ve tasted this year. This bourbon by Cathead Distillery is their second release of Old Soul Bourbon.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

KO Distiller’s Reserve Bottled-In-Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Review

This is a very good and interesting rye whiskey. Interesting because of the orange vanilla notes mixed with the rye spice. Creamy on the front of the tongue with the rye spice coming through on the back. It is very enjoyable.

Drinking Accessory Reviews

Whiskey Advent Calendar Review

This isn’t just your average flimsy cardboard advent calendar that is typically filled with chocolate or candy that you don’t really want to eat. This one is filled with your favorite type of spirits.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Bare Knuckle High Rye Cask Strength Bourbon Review

This is a great bourbon. Distilled by MGP, aged in Virginia. When KO Distilling opened, they sourced bottles from MGP and aged them here in Virginia. If care and feeding of aging barrels makes a difference, they nailed it on this one.

Tennessee Whiskey Reviews

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release: Coy Hill High Proof Review

Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher continues to hit it out of the ballpark with their end-of-year Special Releases.

New Brand Releases

Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill High Proof Release

Today, Jack Daniel’s announces the release of the 2021 Single Barrel Special Release, Coy Hill High Proof. This high-proof Tennessee Whiskey was aged on the top ricks of the oldest barrel houses on Coy Hill, the highest hill on the Jack Daniel Distillery property in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Industry News

Lux Row Distillers Distillery Expansion Announced

Lux Row Distillers – the Bardstown, Kentucky, home of the Ezra Brooks, Rebel, Daviess County, David Nicholson and Blood Oath bourbon brands – will undergo a $4 million expansion beginning in November.

Banter

Bourbon 101 – A Primer for Bourbon Novices

If you’re new to the world of bourbon, this post is for you. This post is written with the novice-to-intermediate bourbon drinker in mind, so please read on for a primer. It is essentially a condensed and compiled list of information I was curious about at the start of my own bourbon journey.

Bourbon News

Old Elk Distillery Introduces A New Collection of Finished Whiskeys

Old Elk Releases a Tetrad of Cask Finished ProductsFort Collins, CO — The wait is over. Old Elk Distillery just unveiled their four new releases as a cask-finished series built off their award-winning and innovative Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon: Sherry, Port, Cognac, and Armagnac Cask Finishes.

Podcast

Visiting KO Distilling – Bourbon Podcast Special Edition

The Bourbon & Banter podcast is no stranger to craft distilleries, although many of them wish we were…. Our craft shoot segment has become a favorite of listeners, but not necessarily of distilleries. So when we say there’s a craft operation to keep an eye on you know we’re on to something. Enter KO

Bourbon News

Blue Run Spirits Unveils Its First Bourbon From Bourbon Hall of Famer Jim Rutledge

The first Blue Run Spirits whiskey with Bourbon legend Jim Rutledge serving as the contracted master distiller is now available. Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon Whiskey can be found in select retailers in the U.S. and Canada, as well as online at BlueRunSpirits.com.

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?

Podcast

Taking One for the Team – Bourbon & Banter Podcast #19

The 19th episode of the Bourbon & Banter podcast – Taking One for the Team – is now available for your listening and drinking pleasure. Sit back, grab a pour, and join the biggest and MOST HONEST podcast in bourbon as we take our tastebuds to a place they’ve never been before.

Banter

Buffalo Trace 2021 George T. Stagg Non-Release Review

Every year, I wait longingly for the release of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, praying to snag just one bottle. This set of five ultra premium, highly prized whiskeys from Buffalo Trace garners a wild-eyed, cash-throwing frenzy from bourbon collectors and flippers alike.

Banter

Top 5 Most Overrated Bourbons

Top 5 Most Overrated Bourbons – Now that Bourbon Heritage Month is in the rearview mirror, the fall release season will be picking up steam and we are sure to see email announcements, raffles, charity auctions, and lawn chair tater lines wrapped around liquor stores across this great land.

On The Road

Nashville Barrel Company Redefines the Honey Barrel

A gourmet chef, a beekeeper, and a brewery owner walk into a bar… Waiting for them are Mike Hinds and James Davenport, the two gentlemen behind the meteoric rise of Nashville Barrel Company.

Cocktails

The Ultimate Guide to the Old Fashioned Cocktail

If you know any whiskey cocktail, it should be the Old Fashioned. Made well, the simple marriage of whiskey, sugar, and bitters yields one of the most delightful cocktails you will ever enjoy. Made poorly, it will undoubtedly sour you on the drink, and for some, whiskey cocktails in general.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Watershed Distillery Bourbon Review

I tried this after tasting the Watershed Bottled-in-Bond, figuring the apple brandy might taint my palate in a way a straight bourbon wouldn’t. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter. Even after three tries, I just couldn’t find much flavor here.