Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

TX Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review

This tastes like too many other 90-proof American whiskies on the market: ordinary and even cautious. This tastes as if it was made to risk offending no one. It's inoffensive in every way possible, but that also renders it quite plain.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Angel's Envy 2024 Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels

This year's port note is more wine like that's driven by the addition of tawny port barrels to the finishing regime. Where earlier port notes were sweeter and pleasantly candied, this is more intriguing: fermented, tarter, angular and dark cherry-candied.

Industry News

Beam Launches "Beam Private Barrel Club"

Jim Beam®, is excited to announce the launch of the Beam Private Barrel Club, a community of whiskey fans and enthusiasts who, for the first time, can buy and personalize their own single barrel directly from the distillery, creating an entirely new way to experience the iconic distiller.

Australian Single Malt Whiskey Reviews

Pinhook Collaboration #3 Australian Single Malt Whisky Review

Classic single malt notes of honey and dried raisin dominate the palate before warmed oatmeal and cream weave into the mix. Spice character is the only thing hinting at its respectable 114.8 proof, yet it's so delicate at that proof–well below it, I'd swear, were this a blind tasting.

New Brand Releases

Still Austin Whiskey Co. Launches Tanager Cigar Blend Whiskey

“Tanager represents the culmination of years of careful blending and aging expertise. By using the Petites Eaux technique, weʼve created a whiskey that offers a unique complexity, with layers that reveal something new with each sip,ˮ said Nancy Fraley, Master Blender at Still Austin.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Hard Truth Bottled-In-Bond Wheated Bourbon

A first sip serves up fruit and spice: golden apples, ripe banana, cinnamon, cocoa and a bit of black pepper. Keep after it and you get a bourbon toddy that, given its high corn and wheat mashbill, needs no warming or honey; it's sweet and subtle enough on its own.

Get To Know

Marlene Holmes's distiller stories are great, but now her own story is rivaling those

By 2018, Holmes had logged 28 years at Beam and was looking for a new challenge in distilling. At age 59, she enjoyed her work, but she'd begun sniffing around opportunities in craft distilling. Ironically, it would be another Beam employee who’d steer her to Milam & Greene.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Mary Dowling Toasted Double Oaked Wheated Bourbon Review

It's truly dynamic on the palate, shifting from toasted oak to baked fruit then twisting sideways to toasted cinnamon bread and poached spiced apples. Every sip lays down another layer of dark flavors (tobacco, fig a little leather) to build up the rich finish.

This Round's Mine

Will U.S.-based Stoli Group’s bankruptcy ground Kentucky Owl?

Recent releases of Kentucky Owl and Wiseman whiskies weren’t building brand confidence either. What made the Kentucky Owl bourbon created by founder Dixon Dedman and partners Mark and Sherri Carter so fantastic were deep stocks of rare, old and high-quality sourced barrels. Either those dried up...

Cocktails

Chinola Passion Fruit Old Fashioned: A Tropical Twist on a Classic

Enter Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur. When I first discovered it, I snatched it off the shelf quicker than a flipper picking up a bottle of Blanton's. It's been on my bar ever since. I use it like a Frank's Red Hot of sorts...

Annual Summit

2024 Bourbon & Banter Summit Recap Report

Join us as we recap the Bourbon & Banter Summit 2024 in Louisville, featuring exclusive tours, tastings, and unforgettable experiences.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Safai Straight Bourbon Review: A $300 Kentucky Contender?

BOTTLE DETAILS * DISTILLER: New Riff Distillery * MASH BILL: Not fully disclosed, though honey-roasted malt is mentioned. * AGE: 8 years * YEAR: 2024 * PROOF: 112 (56% ABV) * MSRP: $300 * BUY ONLINE: Safai Bottle Shop STEVE'S NOTES SHARE WITH: Any whiskey fan who likes weighty, slightly woody bourbon. WORTH THE PRICE:

This Round's Mine

Marketing genius, powerful pricing and misguided tequila thieves in the news

Apparently, the black-market value of Santo Tequila, a celebrity spirit backed by rocker Sammy Hagar and TV food personality Guy Fieri, has a far higher value than I’d give it. But to at least someone, it’s worth risking prison time for stealing lots of it.

Gear Reviews

Kentucky Alchemy Julep Cup Candles

The brand was created out of a realization that the bourbon boom was extending across American borders. “I lived internationally for many years and whenever I’d say I was from Kentucky, the only thing most people knew was KFC.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Remus Repeal Reserve VIII Review: A 2024 Bourbon Blend with 17-Year-Old Depth

Your home bar deserves a bourbon like this, just special and approachable enough to sip through slowly and enjoy, but not so precious (or crazy high in proof) that it starts gathering dust on the shelf.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Chattanooga Whiskey High Malt Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Spring and Fall 2024 Reviews

The product development team at Chattanooga is a prolific bunch, churning out endless experiments with–based on those I've tasted–terrific outcomes.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Non-Review

The 2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is back, and yeah, we know—it’s been talked about more than your buddy’s “secret” bourbon stash. So, we’re flipping the script.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B Bourbon Review

There is zero, zip, nada to dislike about this whiskey except for the egregious price. If you've got the money to get it, get it. You'll thank me for it.

Tequila Reviews

Alto Canto Blanco, Reposado and Still Strength Tequila Review

When I first tasted all three, I thought they were "tight," i.e. needing some head space in the bottle and time to loosen up a bit. After many weeks and revisits, they did round off nicely, so I set out to review all three.

On The Road

Bearface Whisky is more nuanced, subtle than its name

“One reason I chose to do this in Canada was the rules for Canadian whisky aren’t so strict as they are for bourbon, I wanted to have more freedom to do something different."

New Brand Releases

Minden Mill launches premium estate distilled whiskeys

All the whiskeys are aged in climate controlled rickhouses tied to specific weather stations in whiskey regions that inspired the distiller: the Speyside region of Scotland for the American single malt and Nelson County, KY for the bourbon and rye.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Jimmy Russell's 70th Anniversary 8-Year-Old Bourbon Review

Campari could have easily made this another three-figure limited edition like Generations, but they didn't. I'm not sure who we thank for that, but I'd like to think Jimmy had some input.

New Brand Releases

Four Roses Unveils Single Barrel Collection

The Single Barrel Collection will feature the first three new 100 proof Single Barrel bourbons  – OBSF, OESK, and OESO – alongside the flagship Single Barrel, OBSV.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Good Trouble Bourbon Review

The whiskey is light on the nose and not overly complex, which belies its high rye content. Still, there are pleasant aromas to savor. Honey, cherry blossom, maple syrup and toasted oak lead the way with some pleasant powdered donut notes bringing up the rear.

This Round's Mine

MGP to slow whiskey production; potential Trump tariffs; what's their impact on U.S. drinkers?

If the biggest, best-connected bulk supplier in the market is turning away from that portion of its business, does that open the door for other contract suppliers? Or are they also facing excess inventories that will force them to slow down?