Rye Whiskey Reviews

Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Rye 4 Year Review

In all honesty, I chose this bottle for my review submission to be a bit contrarian. I’ve had this bottle on my bar for a while and when I first cracked it I was not a fan of it at all.

Cocktails

Camomile Sour Cocktail Recipe

Now, I’m not here trying to suggest that the whiskey sour is a drink that is at all unfamiliar to readers of these august pages. A venerable classic of the first cocktail age, and a drink that has survived many affronts to its decency in a 145 year history.

Banter

A Proposed Bourbon Journey

How long does a bottle of whiskey last? A week? A month? 2 months? 2 years? I realize there are many different factors that contribute to how you will answer that question, and undoubtedly, it will not be the same for every bottle you buy.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Perfect Pairing – Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon & Ashton VSG Tres Mystique Sun Grown Petite Corona

THE BOURBON Since 1954, Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon has been one of the country’s best selling small batch bourbons. The mainstream bourbons are created with corn, malted barley, and rye. Maker’s Mark, on the other hand, is a ‘wheated’ bourbon.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

David Nicholson 1843 Bourbon Review

Attach the names Van Winkle or Weller to a bourbon brand and a good story instantly begins. This one started in 1843 when grocer David Nicholson began distilling an original bourbon whiskey recipe at his St. Louis general store.

Cocktails

Old Jonas Cocktail Recipe

Blizzards are quite possibly the best reason to drink. You can’t possibly drive anywhere and your greatest risk is falling asleep on your couch, floor, stairs or bathroom instead of your own bed.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Willett Exploratory Cask Finish Review

The Willett brand, owned by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Limited, has taken a 7-year-old rye and finished it for 90 days in French Curacao casks. If you’re unfamiliar, curacao is a liqueur made with the laraha citrus fruit grown on the island of Curacao.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon Review

Everyone has seen the increase in the price of bourbon recently too, along with more and more bottles becoming highly allocated. It is nice to have a bourbon that tastes good, isn’t $100, and you don’t have to sign up for a lottery to get a bottle.

Canadian Whisky Reviews

A Canadian Whisky Tasting

A Canadian Whisky the World’s Best for 2016! shouted the headline on November 20th 2015. This was a first for Canada and the whole country was thrilled to hear it. The next day the whisky (Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye) was sold out.

Cocktails

Black Walnut Bourbon Cocktail & Pork Chop Recipes

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something……. Bourbon? Yes! We are talking bourbon today and I’m going to show you a twist on two ageless classics, The Old Fashioned & Pork chops. Some would say that bourbon has become my obsession, but let’s just say it’s my passion.

Banter

2016 Presidential Candidate Bourbon Pairings

The election season is upon us and the requisite attack ads and name calling has begun. I prefer a more positive approach to dealing with election year politics. To help you with this, I have compiled the following bourbon pairings with your favorite or not so favorite political candidate.

Banter

A Bourbon Oasis Where You Would Least Expect It

Rock Hill Farms!!! I am in a restaurant/bar and they have Rock Hill Farms! Maybe not unusual for Kentucky. Very unusual for any place in my home state of Virginia. I am in neither. I am in Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

WhistlePig Boss Hog Review

With the rye whiskey renaissance, it was only a matter of time before someone decided that ryes needed something that would make a statement as big and bold as any old, high-proof bourbon. Turns out that someone is WhistlePig. WhistlePig is a rye whiskey company.

American Whiskey Reviews

Balcones Single Malt Whisky Review

The Bourbon Renaissance is in full effect and continues to become even more prominent as the demand for bourbon grows. Traditional distilleries continue to make great product, but the bourbon fervor has led smaller guys to jump into the game.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Four Roses Single Barrel Review

In choosing a bourbon to review, I started with my own collection and learned that Pops had reviewed them all; in fact, I think I bought each based on his reviews! Consequently, I hopped in my snow-capped Fusion and five minutes later stood before a newly-expanded selection at a local store.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon Review

Is J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon is the best bourbon you’ve never heard of? Most bourbon fans have noticed an explosion in the craft distillery market these last few years with an influx of pricey bourbons with tall tales as backstories.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Four Roses Yellow Label Review

Sometimes, you break out the good stuff. You sit down, you get your favorite Glencairn glass out, and you sip the night away. You might add a little water, maybe a single ice-cube, but nothing else.

American Whiskey Reviews

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection 1838 White Corn Review

Woodford Reserve’s latest Master’s Collection expression, its 10th such annual release, is the 1838 Style White Corn. With a limited release of only 30,000 bottles worldwide, the WRMC hit shelves in select markets in November 2015.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Four Roses Super Premium Review

When I first received notice that I had been selected to write a piece for Bourbon & Banter, my initial excitement almost lead me to drop everything I was doing, pouring a glass of Bourbon, and firing up the laptop. It was then that I started thinking though.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

A Midwinter Nights Dram Review

What to drink on a blizzardy night here in North Carolina? So much to choose from but one bottle stands out as appropriate–High West’s “A Midwinter Nights Dram®.” Being originally from Kentucky I begrudgingly admit liking High West products.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Isaiah Morgan Small Batch Bourbon Review

Being a West-By-God-Virginian, I wanted my first review for Bourbon and Banter to be for a West Virginia bourbon. Face it Kentuckians, we ain’t so different. Time to put the feudin’ behind us.

Food

Bourbon Toffee Cookie Recipe

February 14th is but a pour n swig away! In a perfect world we’d all adhere to the rhetoric that every day of the year is an opportunity to be extra loving to our better halves. Poppycock I say! The fact is most of us are typical casualties in the rat race of life.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Rebellion Bourbon Review

These days it is getting more and more difficult to figure out what to try when you are feeling a little adventurous in the Bourbon aisle. There is the temptation to go back to the brands and bottles you know and love.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked Bourbon Review

Woodford Reserve is another proud whiskey brought to you by the fine folks at Brown Forman. Woodford Reserve is their flagship bourbon and is known as a premium bourbon, which many bourbon and whiskey enthusiasts can always enjoy.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Elmer T. Lee Bourbon Review

America was built on the blood and sweat of patriotic Americans who took the word “No” as a polite suggestion. Elmer T. Lee is as American as they come. A native of Kentucky, Elmer enlisted in the military two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.