Still Austin has become one of the more interesting newer distilleries to watch out of Texas. Its private single-barrel program permits retailers and distributors to select individual barrels and bottle them at cask strength under their own branding. This particular bottle, called “The Unwanted,” was dumped on January 3, 2024 and bottled at 116 proof. … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Still Austin Single Barrel Cask Strength “The Unwanted”

Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old has been around for years, and while I have enjoyed it, I have always found its 90-proof presentation a little too restrained for bourbon carrying that much age. The new Elijah Craig 15-Year-Old Single Barrel, bottled at 108 proof, solves that problem nicely: it preserves the mature Heaven Hill profile while giving … Continue reading Elijah Craig 15 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon-A Better Balance Than 18

Heaven Hill’s 2026 Heritage Collection is a 22-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon bottled at 129.2 proof and, in my view, it earns both its premium presentation and its $319.99 retail price. It is a densely flavorful, deeply mature bourbon that delivers the old-oak experience a collector hopes for without allowing the oak to overwhelm the pour. … Continue reading Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 2026-22-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Barrel Proof

Distillery: Heaven Hill | Series: Elijah Craig Private Barrel — Hokus Pokus Store PickAge: 11 Years | Proof: 132.5 (66.25% ABV)Mashbill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted BarleyType: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Barrel Proof, Non-Chill Filtered, Uncut Background: Hokus Pokus and the Elijah Craig Private Barrel Program Hokus Pokus has been a consistently excellent … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Hokus Pokus Elijah Craig Private Barrel Barrel Proof — 11 Years, 132.5 Proof

Distillery: Maker's Mark | Series: Wood Finishing Series, 2nd Edition (Release 3 of 5)Mashbill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted BarleyProof: 109.8 (Note: a 113.3 proof batch was also released)Finishing: 10 virgin toasted American oak stavesMSRP: $74.99 / 750mLPurchased: MSRP Color A very nice, rich amber — warm and inviting, though not particularly dark. That's consistent with what Maker's Mark does differently from … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series: The Stewards Release (2026)

Background and a Word About the Name Before we get to the glass, it's worth explaining why "Cigar Cut" appears on this — and other — Old Elk bottles. The name is a nod to the cigar world, where a cigar cut is the deliberate, precise slice that opens up a premium cigar for an optimal draw. … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Old Elk Cigar Cut Island Blend — 2023 Release

Bardstown Bourbon Company has always played the long game. When the distillery opened, they bridged the gap between new-make and age by blending their own distillate with older sourced whiskey; a transparent, forward-thinking approach that allowed their in-house spirit to mature while they kept the lights on. Now fully of age, their estate-distilled Origin Series … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Catherine and I had been talking about a true vacation for a while — not a work trip masquerading as leisure, but actual downtime. After my experience in Broken Bow, OK, last summer, I put my Ai, Perplexity, to work finding an interesting destination that was drivable but that had a dstillery. What it found … Continue reading Missouri Whiskey Country: Four Distilleries, Four Bottles, One Excellent Trip

A Blend of Castle & Key Distillery (Frankfort, Kentucky) and Still Austin Whiskey Co. (Austin, Texas) The Bottle DistilleriesCastle & Key, Frankfort, Kentucky & Still Austin Whiskey Co., Austin, TexasSeriesPinhook True Small Batch — "Castle & Still"TypeKentucky Straight Bourbon WhiskeyAge6 Years (both barrels)Proof119.8 (Cask Strength)ABV59.9%FiltrationNon-Chill Filtered (Unfiltered)Retail Price$95 Background My journey with Pinhook has been … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Pinhook True Small Batch Bourbon Blended By Castle and Still (2025 Release)

The Bottle DistilleryCastle & Key, Frankfort, KentuckySeriesPinhook True Small BatchSelectionTriple Double Single Barrel Pick — 2025 ReleaseTypeKentucky Straight Bourbon WhiskeyAge6 YearsProof117.2 (Cask Strength)ABV58.6%FiltrationNon-Chill Filtered (Labelled unfiltered)Retail Price$80 Background Regular readers may know I have a complicated relationship with Pinhook. I was decidedly unimpressed with their early releases — in fact, I wrote about what I … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Pinhook True Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Triple Double Single Barrel Six Year Old