Nashville Barrel Company is a non-distiller producer that sources its whiskey from Midwest Grain Products in Indiana. I had seen a lot of folks raving about their whiskey in bourbon groups I am in, so, while on vacation, I stopped by their tasting room for a tasting and picked up two bottles and a glencairn … Continue reading Nashville Barrel Company Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey

I was able to pick up a bottle of the latest batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof at Hokus Pokus for $72, batch B522. Meanwhile, I just recently finished off the Hokus Barrel pick and am glad to have a replacement. This is twelve years old and is 121 proof. Color is a very deep … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B522

Old Carter has recently released batches 2 and 3 of their Straight Kentucky Whiskey, and I picked up a bottle of batch 3 for $180, which is not cheap but generally in line for retail pricing for Old Carter whiskies. Now, I am really not sure what this is. Batch 1 was reported to be … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Old Carter Straight Kentucky Whiskey Batch 3

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 am typically not a huge fan of Oak & Eden. The wood spire business is kind of gimmicky and their MGP whiskey, while good, is often bottled to young for my taste. But Hokus Pokus really picked something really different that turns out (to my palate anyway) to be very good. This particular Oak … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Hokus Pokus Pick – Oak and Eden Wheat & Spire with Amburana

Earlier this month I reviewed Wines Unlimited's Willett barrel picks, and low and behold there is now as seven year Wines Unlimited Bourbon pick and a six year old New Orleans Bourbon Festival Bourbon pick. At $250 a bottle, I decided just to get one, NOBF pick. There have been quite a few postings on … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon New Orleans Bourbon Festival Pick

Unlike 2020 when the Van Winkle allocations were so good I was able to get a bottle of Van Winkle Rye, 2021's allocations were awful. There were hardly any Pappy to be had in most places. Hokus Pokus who always previously got great allocations, only received Van Winkle 12 and Old Rip 10. Prices remained … Continue reading Tasting Notes: 2021 Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Years Old and Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Years Old Bourbons

For so long I have been trying to find one of the much hyped Willett Family Estate Bottled Bourbons, with the cool purple label and the purple foil. When Willett restarted in 2012 they were bottling whiskies sourced elsewhere but now all of their bottles contain Willett distillate. What I discovered is that the Willett … Continue reading Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Double Header: Bourbon and Rye Wines Unlimited Picks

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

Hokus Pokus will sometimes let me try something before I buy it, and I have passed on previous releases of Penelope Toasted Series Barrel Strength Bourbon after tasting samples of them, albiet in a disposable cough syrup plastic cup. But when I tried Louisiana Select Number 5 I decided to pick up a bottle. It … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Penelope Barrel Strength Bourbon Toasted Series Louisiana Select Number 5