Fruge Spirits, having been hugely successful at sales of their single barrel barrel proof whiskies, is now producing a small batch high proof whiskey that will be generally available in stores. Their regular release is 96 proof, but higher proof whiskies are much in demand, and so Mike Fruge decided to meet that demand. The … Continue reading Tasting Notes: J.T. Meleck Louisiana Rice Whiskey Small Batch 118 Proof

Hokus Pokus got a couple of the latest Booker's release, 2024-01, named the Springfield Batch. This is a seven year, seven month old batch at a hefty 124.5 proof. I regret how difficult it is to get Booker's lately. This is the first one I have had in almost a year. It is an outstanding … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Booker’s 2024-01 “Springfield Batch” Bourbon

Five years ago I tried my first bottle of New Riff bourbon, and I have been a fan ever since. As the distillery started in a parking lot of a big box liquor store in Newport, Kentucky just outside of Cincinnati comes of age, so has its bourbon. For our anniversary, my wife bought me … Continue reading Tasting Notes: New Riff 8 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Ah, spring, when the limited release bourbons of fall and winter have petered out, and not much new will be released until the fall. So, when taking a look arond Hokus' whiskey aisle today, I saw that Whistlepig had released a PiggyBack Bourbon. Whistlepig is famous for their rye whiskies, and I prefer bourbon to … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Whistlepig Piggy Back Bourbon 6 Years Old

Hokus Pokus recently got a Jack Daniels Barrel Pick that is also Barrel Proof. I am a fan of this whiskey, and was blown away by how good the Coy Hill limited release was. This one weighs in at a hefty 127.3 proof, and was aged in barrel house 08, one of the warehouses that … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof Hokus “Poker” Pick

Freddie Noe's whiskey project at Jim Beam, Little Book, is now in its seventh release, titled In Retrospect. As one of the below photographs shows, this blend contains bourbons and ryes ranging from 4 years old to 18 years old, with an interesting addition of a 5 year old barley malt whiskey finished in applewood … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Little Book Chapter 7-In Retrospect (2023 Release)

Jim Rutledge is one of bourbon's great craftsmen. He worked for Seagrams for many years before becoming Master Distiller at Four Roses which was owned by Seagrams but sold to Kirin after Seagrams went bankrupt. For many years, Rutledge's product was sold only overseas but when bourbon started making a comeback Four Roses was once … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Jim Rutledge’s Cream of Kentucky Batch 5

Lately, when I have been drinking cask strength Elijah Craig it has been a store pick marked "Private Barrel" from Hokus Pokus and sometimes other stores. These Private Barrels are often bottled at younger ages than the Barrel Proof releases from Heaven Hill, which used to have a twelve year age statement as all Elijah … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A124 and Private Barrel From Hokus Pokus

I am a big fan of Old Forester's Whisky Row Series. I have often used the 1897 Bottled in Bond version in tastings a representative of bottled in bond bourbon. The 1920 Prohibition style at 115 proof is probably my favorite of the Whiskey Row series. The internet has been a buzz about the 1924 edition, which is … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Old Forester 1924 from the Whisky Row Series

Readers of this blog will know that I like a Wild Turkey limited release bourbon. I really splurged on the Wild Turkey Generations Bourbon, which set me back $450 which is more than I would typically pay but after I checked out other folks tasting notes on the internet, I decided to buy it. That, and given … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Wild Turkey Generations