*Sincere thanks to MH and Common Ground PR for the sample. Ezra Brooks is one of those days-of-yore sounding bourbon names that could easily make you think he was the inventor of the high rye mashbill or the "Louisville Limp" technique of rolling a barrel from rickhouse to rickhouse.* In fact, the name Ezra Brooks … Continue reading Ezra Brooks Straight Rye Whiskey – Review
American
Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review
*Sincere thanks to Clyde Mays and Conecuh Ridge Distillery, Inc. for the sample. Well, shit...where to begin. Clyde May was an actual, real person. This is somewhat important to note because the bourbon world is full of people who actually were not really people. Ol' Clyde was apparently an Alabama moonshiner and bootlegger of some … Continue reading Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review
Yellowstone 2016 Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Review
*Sincere thanks to MH and Common Ground PR for the sample. In his 2004 book, Bourbon Straight, Chuck Cowdery wrote about the Yellowstone brand, "There is no justification for a bourbon to be this bad...The venerable Yellowstone name deserves better. It should be put out of its misery." Harsh words for an apparently harsh whiskey. … Continue reading Yellowstone 2016 Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Review
Rebel Yell 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review
*Special thanks to MH and Common Ground PR for the sample. I have no idea how to write a review of Rebel Yell without addressing its racially charged name. The Luxco-owned line of whiskey takes its name from this high-pitched, kind of squealing, not-all-that-frightening tactic used by Confederate soldiers as they fought the Civil War in an … Continue reading Rebel Yell 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review
William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection – Review
*Thank you very much to AP and Buffalo Trace for the samples! This wheated bourbon is perennially one of my favorites from the Antique Collection. According to the brand literature, this year's William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon seems to have a bit in common with the 2014 edition in terms of where the barrels … Continue reading William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection – Review
Sazerac 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, 2016 Buffalo trace Antique Collection – Review
*Thank you very much to AP and Buffalo Trace for the samples! Perhaps the most anticipated and interesting of the five Antique Collection bottles this year, the Sazerac 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is for the first time since 2003...a new whiskey. Starting that year through 2014, the whisky used in this expression was … Continue reading Sazerac 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, 2016 Buffalo trace Antique Collection – Review
George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection – Review
*Thank you very much to AP and Buffalo Trace for the samples! I wonder how many liquor stores dread this time of year. When all these highly allocated, even more highly sought after bottles are released, stores must get the full range of desperate assholes asking for all sorts of preferential treatment just for a … Continue reading George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection – Review
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey, Buffalo Trace 2016 Antique Collection – Review
*Thank you very much to AP and Buffalo Trace for the samples! The youngster of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Aside from the barrels being plucked from different locations, and a couple of months of aging, the main difference between this years Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey and those of the last couple of … Continue reading Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey, Buffalo Trace 2016 Antique Collection – Review
Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon, 2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection – Review
*Thank you very much to AP and Buffalo Trace for the samples! The 2016 Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon, like the 2015 version before it, is actually a 17 year old whiskey. While that might seem like an obvious thing to point out given the name, previous editions of the Antique Collection's Eagle Rare 17 … Continue reading Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon, 2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection – Review
Blood Oath Pact No. 2 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review
*Sincere thanks to Common Ground PR and Luxco for the sample. Off the top of my head, I can think of only three blood oaths, one historical, one cinematic, and one musical. Personally, I've not yet taken a blood oath, but while I'm pretty sure the opportunity won't arise, one never says never. Perhaps the most … Continue reading Blood Oath Pact No. 2 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review