Author: Xenoraiser

  • Weller 12-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Weller 12-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Weller requires either no introduction or an expository essay to explain. Although its reputation is anything other than muted, it’s effectively a unicorn to more recent bourbon-curious consumers. Stores and bars alike have struggled to acquire bottles for a few years now, and when they do, they’re often upcharged to…

  • Old Elk Wheat Whiskey Wyoming Package Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Old Elk Wheat Whiskey Wyoming Package Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Anyone who knows me knows that I fully endorse the introduction of more wheated products. Forget wacky finishes and old corn whiskey, I want more brands to embrace a frankly underutilized grain. Wheated bourbons are already a hot mess at best when it comes to selection, a mess that becomes…

  • Good Old Times Cigar Blend Scoresheet & Review

    Good Old Times Cigar Blend Scoresheet & Review

    Good Times is a brand I had absolutely no intention of adding to my review portfolio. The name is a bit on the obscure side, to the point I’m sure some observers have thought “oh, they meant Early Times.” But Good Times is something else. No, really, even the producing…

  • Hinch 10-Year Sherry Cask Finish Scoresheet & Review

    Hinch 10-Year Sherry Cask Finish Scoresheet & Review

    The potential to find whiskey brands we’re unfamiliar with has reached staggering heights. If shopping a big box store like Total Wine or Liquor Barn doesn’t demonstrate this, then a quick glance at Comingwhiskey will. One could compare a liquor store to a library, given the sheer volume of bottles…

  • Russell’s Reserve 6-Year Rye Scoresheet & Review

    Russell’s Reserve 6-Year Rye Scoresheet & Review

    There’s no shortage of praise being sung for Russell’s Reserve. Positioned as a more premium line from Wild Turkey, almost every expression has received praise and attention in some capacity. I emphasize the word “almost” since there’s one Russell’s Reserve bottling that tends to get overlooked. Russell’s Reserve 6-Year Rye…

  • Old Elk “Cosmic Wheat” r/bourbon Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Old Elk “Cosmic Wheat” r/bourbon Pick Scoresheet & Review

    The top-level team at Old Elk come from an intriguing combination of backgrounds. Founder Curt Richardson and CEO Luis Gonzalez both worked at Otter Products beforehand, the former being the mind behind OtterBox itself. Master Distiller Greg Metze (whose name accompanies every Old Elk bottle) came from a 38-year career…

  • Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength (Inlet Harbour Pick) Scoresheet & Review

    Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength (Inlet Harbour Pick) Scoresheet & Review

    One of the biggest side effects of the ongoing whiskey boom has been the increased popularity of barrel picks. It seems like any store or group worth their salt get at least a few barrel selections per year. It’s not even unheard of to find picks sitting on the shelf…

  • Powers John’s Lane Scoresheet & Review

    Powers John’s Lane Scoresheet & Review

    Powers feels awkwardly positioned as a brand in today’s ever-growing whiskey market. The short version is that it pays homage to James Power, a key figure in Irish whiskey’s glory days during the 19th century. How glorious, you might ask? Try an annual productive capacity of over one million gallons…

  • Bunnahabhain 12-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Bunnahabhain 12-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Bunnahabhain is unique for a very simple reason: It’s one of the only Islay distilleries to produce unpeated malt whisky. That’s not to say no peated whisky is produced there (see: Toiteach A Dhà), but unpeated Islay single malt is more or less the spiel. That and the common bottling…

  • Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 97 Scoresheet & Review

    Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 97 Scoresheet & Review

    Jos. A. Magnus & Co. (aka Joseph Magnus) is a bit of an outlier in the greater, current whiskey scene. Where other brands release multiple individual bottlings or line extensions, the Joseph Magnus name is mainly home to three expressions: the triple cask finished bourbon, the Murray Hill Club blend,…

  • Hayes Parker Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    Hayes Parker Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    If there’s one thing people always want more of, it’s convenience. Discover a way to make things easier on society and perked ears will almost certainly be in your future. The minds behind TerraPURE Spirits certainly had a grasp on this. After all, people love whiskey and whiskey takes time,…

  • Rebel Distiller’s Collection Liquor Barn Pick #7 Scoresheet & Review

    Rebel Distiller’s Collection Liquor Barn Pick #7 Scoresheet & Review

    Rebel (formerly Rebel Yell) is a brand that ostensibly inspires little curiosity beyond its amusing name. Lux Row would have you believe the brand can be traced back to the 19th century, which isn’t technically wrong, but it does muddy the reality. Rebel Yell products made their first official appearance…