Last fall my buddy Tom Spenser and I attended a store pick tasting of 1792, and we sampled three different barrels and picked one for bottling. The bottles are finally at Hokus Pokus! The delay was apparently at the distributor level, which has been severely adversely affected by the opening of a Total Wine in … Continue reading Tasting Notes: 1792 Bottled in Bond Hokus Pokus Store Pick

I have blogged extensively on 1792, which is a bourbon made at Buffalo Trace’s sister distillery 1792 Barton in Bardstown, Kentucky. I have also noted that their older bourbon can really be top shelf even when bottled by someone else. 1792 has done a limited release of a twelve year old bourbon and I picked … Continue reading 1792 Twelve Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

On June 22, 2018, a tornado hit Warehouse 30 at the 1792 Barton Distillery, causing the warehouse to partially collapse. Since that time, I have been waiting for 1792 to put out this limited release. Most bourbon nerds at the time thought, somewhat jokingly but somewhat not, that 1792 would put out some bourbon that … Continue reading Hokus Pokus Barrel Pick: Blue Note Juke Joint Whiskey Uncut – Warehouse Collapse Surviving Bourbon

I just picked up my bottle of Calumet Farm 16 Year Old bourbon yesterday, and then I saw Mike Veach’s review of the 15 year old today. In his review of this bourbon, he states: “Another year in the wood would have made this whiskey bitter.” While Mike has an excellent palate and has forgotten … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Calumet Farm 16 Year Old Single Rack Black Kentucky Straight Bourbon

I have reviewed 1792 Bottled in Bond, 1792 Full Proof, and Maker’s Mark Private Select before, so I am not going to delve into the histories of these whiskies. Short descriptions are 1792 is the flagship bourbon of Sazerac’s Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown and Maker’s Mark is Jim Beam’s flagship wheated bourbon made in … Continue reading Hokus Pokus’ First 2020 Barrel Picks: 1792 Bottled in Bond, 1792 Full Proof, and Maker’s Mark Private Select I and II

Western Spirits most popular brand is Bird Dog, but they have gotten quite good at picking barrels from 1792 Barton Distillery and bottling them under the Calumet Farms and now Sam Houston brands. This particular bottling, batch LA-2, was especially for Louisiana from their seventh release, made from a batch of only three barrels. The … Continue reading Western Spirits Sam Houston 15 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch LA-2

Well, it is Mardi Gras time again in Louisiana. Which, for me and Catherine, means Mardi Gras balls. We get dressed up for these black tie affairs only to find subpar bars with Jack Daniel’s Black Label and Dewar’s Blended Scotch. So, typically, Cat and I sneak in a good bottle of scotch and bourbon. … Continue reading The Bottle I didn’t need to sneak into the Twelfth Night Mardi Gras Ball: 1792 Full Proof

Originally, Stellum was going to be a consistent product. This was to differentiate it from Barrell, Joe Beatrice’s other brand, where every batch and barrel is different. But, it didn’t take too long for Stellum to do single barrel offerings, which were amazing. I am still able to get Hokus Pokus Vega pick on the … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Stellum Black Label Bourbon

Four Gate Whiskey Company is a non-distiller producer founded by Bill Straub, founder and editor in chief of ModernThirst.com, and Bob D’Antoni, a successful Louisville entrepreneur who is also an LSU alumnus. They are sourcing bourbon and rye and then finishing the bourbon in casks procured by Kelvin Cooperage. Their whiskies have so far been … Continue reading Four Gate Split Stave By Kelvin – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in New American White Oak Toasted and Charred Casks

While I was in Kentucky last week, I went by a Liquor Barn location around the corner from my hotel in Lexington. The store had a ton of store picks and I snagged a few, specifically their Stellum, Yellowstone, and Knob Creek Single Barrel picks. I also picked up their own house brand of bourbon, … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Flatboat Kentucky Straight Single Barrel Bourbon