Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C924 Review: 129 Proof Bourbon Excellence

The finish ties it all together expertly with torched sugar, chocolate mint, and lingering notes of marmalade and chai tea. It's perhaps not the stunner we were given at the end of 2023, but there's certainly nothing to complain about here.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Bulleit 10 Year Bourbon Review: Aged Perfection at 91.2 Proof

I'd have an incredibly hard time understanding any bourbon fan wouldn't like this amazingly reliable, well-made and well-aged bourbon. It embodies everything that's right and unique about America's native spirit...

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Industry News

Bourbon slowdown is officially and undeniably real

Whether viewed from the 10,000 foot perspective of a publicly traded global company or the grass roots of 'Merica, the story is the same. The whiskey industry that we’ve fallen in madly in love with—and sometimes hatefully mad at—is no longer the juggernaut it was 10 years ago.

New Brand Releases

Woodford Reserve’s Beloved Double Double Oaked Makes National Debut

Double Double Oaked is handcrafted by finishing fully-mature Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon for an additional two years in a second, heavily toasted, lightly charred, new oak barrel (hence the name Double Double Oaked).

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Larceny Barrel Proof Batch C924 Review: A 125.1 Proof Wheated Bourbon Gem

Pound for pound, there's no better value in barrel-proof wheated bourbon right now. I'm not sure why the price hasn't increased along with Heaven Hill's other annual barrel-proof trio, Elijah Craig, but I'm not complaining.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

First Taste: Four Roses New Single Barrel Collection

The deep copper color of these bourbons all but screams, “I’m 7 to 9 years old and one heck of a bargain at $49.” It’s a good visual reminder of the high-quality product in the glass and the fact that Four Roses simply never disappoints.

Get To Know

Bourbon de Luxe’s tiny relaunch is a hit, but market headwinds concern its owners

Barrels don't sell like that; they sell in lots. You’re allowed to try a couple from each lot, and you pick the lot you want. Anyone that tells you that, “I tried 1,000 barrels,” can go kick rocks. That's not how it works.

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BITB Club

Replay: BITB Live Tasting #11

Our final Bourbon in the Blind (BITB) Live Tasting of 2024 was held on December 30th. We capped off a fantastic year of blind tastings with a monster sample kit featuring a total of nine (9) whiskies. It was a high-spirited tasting if you know what I mean.

Members only

This Round's Mine

Top Bourbon Resolutions for 2025

I am declaring 2025 the year of the Big Bottle Share. Bottle shares are a cornerstone of the whiskey community, but with so many folks stocked to the gills with bottles hoarded from the pandemic and subsequent bourbon boom...

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This Round's Mine

8 Bourbon Trends We Want Gone (or to Stay) in 2025

If you've never visited Punch.com, it's a great booze-centric website with great info, stories and cocktail recipes. The site's crew did a running commentary of which drink trends should disappear next year, and we thought it so good that we decided to do

Industry News

MGPI CEO to resign as sales slide, inventories swell, stock sinks

MGPI’s struggles with soft sales and high inventory appears to reflect similar battles being fought at American whiskey makers large and small. Since about the middle of 2023, all American whiskey sales have declined steadily.

Members only

On The Road

Behind the scenes of a Four Roses barrel pick

Not everyone can snag a spot on a Four Roses barrel pick, but we’ve got you covered. We documented the whole experience to give our entire community a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be part of a Bourbon & Banter Four Roses barrel pick

Get To Know

Fred Noe turned Jim Beam’s 90th anniversary party into a masterwork in storytelling

In August, the James B. Beam Distillery threw itself a 90th post-Prohibition anniversary party. The event centered on stories told by co-master distillers Fred and Freddie Noe while sips of seven Beam whiskies were poured for guests over a few hours. As the audience was invited to ask questions, the

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: