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

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

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 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

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

Benchmark has been by go to cheap mixable bourbon for a long time. After I got introduced to the good folks at Buffalo Trace by a friend who worked for Sazerac as an accountant, I had asked them which of their low end bourbons they would recommend, Benchmark or Ancient Age. They recommended Benchmark, which … Continue reading Benchmark Collection: Full Proof and Bonded

Well, they weren’t kidding when the Barton 1792 distillery came out with their High Rye release of their iconic 1792 Bourbon. A hefty bourbon at 94.3 Proof. The nose just wacks you with rye. It has a lovely corn syrupy mouthfeel that reminds me of E.H. Taylor bourbons but the taste is all Rye. This … Continue reading They weren’t kidding: 1792 High Rye Bourbon

Jim Murray recently came out with his 2017 Whiskey Bible wherein he ranks the world’s best whiskies from around the world. Often, what he picks out is controversial; often what he picks out is not readily available. I also have friends ask me all the time for recommendations for whiskies to try in bars (they … Continue reading The Whiskey Jar Best Whiskies of 2017 List; A Buying Guide