Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Trader Joe’s Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey Review

I am Mr. #RespectTheBottomShelf. I’m not afraid of “cheap” whiskey, and, in fact, when I see something super-affordable, it piques my curiosity.

Banter

Sometimes the Bourbon Hunt Comes to You

YES, THERE ARE BOURBON GODS. I am a big fan of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, but as I grow in my bourbon journey, I will admit I have limited my hunt for the BTAC more towards pours at bars then scouring the secondary market. My favorite is William LaRue Weller.

Cocktails

Reverse Manhattan – The Perfect Second & Third Drink

I love cocktails. Happy hour is 5 pm daily at our house, usually two rounds. I love Old Fashioneds and Manhattans, but two high-proof cocktails before dinner can be a bit much. As I get older happy hour seems to get shorter.

American Whiskey Reviews

Outryder Straight American Whiskey Review

A straight American whiskey with higher rye content than our Small Batch Bourbon, but short of a true rye whiskey. Different and great. Perfect for sipping or making cocktails. It’s crafted from two distinct mash bills distilled in November of 2011.

Banter

Happy New Year, Thank You & A Few Thoughts

In less than 24 hours until we say goodbye to 2016 and welcome in a brand new shiny year. Many folks online are going to write about how terrible a year 2016 was due to the election, wars, celebrity deaths, and soaring bourbon prices but I’m not going down that rabbit hole.

Cocktails

Big O Ginger Liqueur Review & Cocktails

Big O is a premium ginger liqueur handcrafted from high-quality, all-natural ingredients and artisan-crafted spirits. Prepared with hand-chopped fresh ginger, whole spices, citrus, wine-based vodka, and brandy. Big O is a smooth, warming drink that’s both flavorful and pleasing to the palate.

Drinking Accessory Reviews

HyperChiller Review

I am a coffee lover. I cannot get through the day without coffee. Hot coffee. I am essentially never an iced coffee person but when I started dating my boyfriend – who is a diehard iced coffee drinker – I began having to make concessions to satisfy both of our caffeinated preferences.

Cocktails

Pumpkin Bourbon Milkshake

For three years, my friend Molly and I have wanted to make bourbon pumpkin milkshakes. Each year, as the leaves begin to turn and the temperature begins to drop, we reignite the discussion.

Banter

Reflections In Bourbon Lead To Reflections In Life

The holiday lights twinkled in the Glencairn, home to three fingers of my favorite pour of bourbon. With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the shopping, wrapping, decorating, traveling, and just plain running around, it’s nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy a sip or two in quiet.

Scotch Whisky Reviews

Once, Twice, THREE times the whisky…Ardbeg Whisky Review

Just in time for the cooler weather, this month’s post features a trio of award winning scotch whiskies from the Ardbeg distillery. Over the years, Ardbeg has put out many special limited release bottlings, but the ones we will be looking at today make up their core range.

Food

Orange Bourbon Cranberry Bread

We are in full swing of the holiday season & my favorite holiday will be coming up this month, Christmas! I love this time of year! The holidays allow for us to take a step back from our every day lives, to reflect & enjoy what is most important, our families, friends & loved ones.

Drinking Accessory Reviews

How Valuable is that Drop of Cube in your Whiskey?

You’ve spent your hard-earned money on that bottle of whiskey. You want to really enjoy the experience as the Master Distiller intended. You want to open up the hidden flavors, so you add a bit of water or ice. If you’re adding ice, maybe you’ve got one of those fancy ice ball molds.

Industry News

Booker’s: Why This One Is Different

Beam Suntory has completed its trilogy of controversial 2016 announcements, as it confirmed late last week it would be raising the price of Booker’s from $59.99 to $99.99, and also reducing output from six batches to four.

Events

Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon and the New Hampshire Liquor Commission

Spend enough time as a booze aficionado, and you realize everything bad can be blamed on Prohibition. Okay, maybe not everything, but certainly the patchwork liquor laws across the United States.

Banter

Monks BBQ & The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection

“Oh Lordy, look what Monk has his hands on now! A bottle of George T. Stagg and a bottle of William Larue Weller. If you’ve never had the opportunity to try them, now is your chance.” So read the Facebook post from Monks BBQ. William LaRue Weller is my favorite bourbon.

Banter

I Talked to my Doctor and He Prescribed Whiskey

January 16, 1919 was a dark day for America. The 18th Amendment passed, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors in the United States. The Volstead Act was then passed to lay out the guidelines for enforcing the 18th Amendment.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

2016 Willam LaRue Weller Bourbon Review

William LaRue Weller is the best bourbon on the market. That is my humble opinion. I have never owned a bottle, but I have been fortunate enough to have tried every release since 2011 and my opinion has never swayed.

Book Reviews

Amaro: The Spirited World Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs with Cocktails, Recipes and Formulas Book Review

If you read articles on cocktails and drinking trends, the word “bitter” will inevitably come up. If you get serious about cocktails, you will inevitably go through a “bitter, brown, and stirred” phase. The Italian word for bittersweet is amaro.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Jim Beam Double Oak Bourbon Review

The first question that came to my mind after reading the press release was how would this new expression differ from Jim Beam Black. Like the new Double Oak, Jim Beam Black shares the same mash bill as the original White Label, but it’s aged for almost twice as long.

Banter

More Than Just A Great Pour, Whiskey Has Always Held A Place In Our History And In Our Lives

A fire was sparked and a whiskey romance was rekindled. But let’s face it, the attraction has always been there, from as long ago as the 1700’s.

Gear News

2016 Bourbon & Banter Holiday Gift Guide

It’s hard to believe but it’s that time of year already. Yep, time to stock up on gear for your favorite bourbon lover – even if that bourbon lover is yourself. Take our advice and be generous to yourself this year.

Banter

What’s in the Decanter?

About two years ago, I was given a beautiful, hand-blown glass decanter from a family member as a gift. I placed the decanter on top of the whiskey cabinet, and for a while, it sat there empty. I wasn’t exactly sure what to put in it.

Flavored Whiskey Reviews

Cleveland Christmas Spice Flavored Bourbon Review

My phone was humming on the kitchen counter and calling for my attention. “Guess who’s at Walmart?” the voice on the other end of the line said dryly. “What?” I asked. The mobile signal was momentarily choppy. “Guess who I just saw here at Walmart?” “Who?” “You’ll never guess.”

Events

Find Us AT Whiskey In The Winter

If you’ll be at Whiskey in the Winter this weekend we’d love to meet you and enjoy a drink together. But we know some of you can be a bit shy – despite the presence of 300+ whiskeys.

Flavored Whiskey Reviews

Camp Robber Whiskeyjack Review

If you’re going to make decent whiskey, you need a lot of time. But time is money, and your whiskey is going to need years. So how does a distillery make money in the meantime? The answer is usually vodka and its juniper cousin gin.