Senator Chuck Schumer apparently can't read labels. He thinks Widow Jane bourbon is actually made in Brooklyn, and he gave Mitch McConnell a bottle while bragging about his home town bourbon. But, it's not. It is just proofed down in New York state and Widow Jane has an office in Brooklyn. Widow Jane is kind … Continue reading Widow Jane 12 Year Old 99 Proof -Hokus Pokus Barrel Select – a 12 year old MGP bourbon that hits it out of the park

I have blogged extensively about Barrell, both their bourbons and other whiskies. As to their bourbons, my favorites tend to be those that have some MGP juice from Indiana to balance out their Tennessee bourbon from Cascade Hollow. When the releases have only Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons, the Kentucky juice has been distinctively Heaven Hill. … Continue reading Barrell Bourbon Batch 18: Barrell goes Four Roses to an amazing bourbon

Kentucky Owl is a non-distiller producer whiskey run by a descendant of the family that used to distill the original Kentucky Owl pre-prohibition. When Kentucky Owl got its reboot, it become a very desired bottle of cask strength bourbon that was generally only available in Kentucky and became as much of a unicorn as Pappy … Continue reading Kentucky Owl Confiscated Kentucky Straight Bourbon- Kentucky Owl for the masses, sort of.

Being a cask strength bourbon nut, I was excited to pick up a bottle of Pinhook's cask strength bourbon. Named "Bourbon Country", Pinhook names its bourbons as if they are horses. Pinhooks in Kentucky racing parlance are young thoroughbreds bought and raised to maturity and then sold to others to race. While this bourbon is … Continue reading Pinhook “Bourbon Country” Cask Strength Bourbon: Good But Pulled Way Too Young

I have written a good bit about Booker's, the cask strength bourbon in the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection. This past weekend I picked up the 2019-1 Batch, Theresa's Batch, so rather than recounting the history and comparing it to Knob Creek Single Barrel 120 proof releases that are older and that many say are … Continue reading Brief tasting notes: Booker’s Theresa’s Batch, 2019-1

Well, Game of Thrones is back for its final season! To say my family is generally excited about this is an understatement. One of my step sons actually texted me and Catherine last night asking if we were "ready" for Game of Thrones tomorrow night. I replied, you betcha, and he replied with "Excellent!" I … Continue reading GOT Scotch? Game of Thrones Limited Edition Scotch From Diageo – House Lannister Lagavulin 9 Year Old Islay Single Malt

Yesterday, I went by Hokus Pokus to pick up a couple of bottles, and was told again by the folks there that people still come by the store and ask "What's Drell Drinking?" as they are readers of my blog. So, I spent some time looking at their shelves and making recommendations, and decided to … Continue reading “What’s Drell Drinking?” – A Brief Guide to Great Bourbon at Hokus Pokus in Alexandria, LA

Well, after a busy last two weeks I finally got to open this one-Barrell Bourbon Batch 17. Again Barrell is adding some MGP (Midwest Grain Products) juice with some Kentucky bourbon, likely Heaven Hill, against their palate of Cascade Hollow (Dickel) bourbon used in all of their bourbons. This has some nice age on it, … Continue reading Barrell Bourbon Batch 17: one of Barrell’s best yet

Well, after the Knob Creek label on the Hokus Pokus pick, Hokus Pokus decided to sort of put me on the label of their Elijah Craig Private Barrel bourbon. Yes, I have a black leather chair, a wooden desk, and a green banker's lamp on said desk. If they had put a bow tie on … Continue reading Lawyers, Bourbon and Money Will Get Me Out of This; Elijah Craig Hokus Pokus Private Barrel

I haven't blogged in the last two weeks; call it an unintentional Mardi Gras break, with my Krewe's ball two weekends ago, and then the actual weekend which culminated in the tour de drunk through South Central Louisiana - Mamou, Eunice, Crowley, then back to Eunice - old school South Louisiana Mardi Gras. I've been … Continue reading Post Mardi Gras Bourbonlog, Bourbon Pairings with Tapas, and review of Bird Dog Ten Year Old “Very Small Batch” Bourbon; Surprisingly Good!