• Maker’s Mark 2021 Wood Finishing Series (FAE-01) Scoresheet & Review

    Maker’s Mark 2021 Wood Finishing Series (FAE-01) Scoresheet & Review

    Being a Maker’s Mark fan can sometimes feel like being in a romantic relationship. Most of the time it’s great; they’re there for you when you need them and every so often, they’ll spice things up for good measure. Eventually, however, it gets to a point where things start to…

  • Highland Park 15-Year Viking Heart Scoresheet & Review

    Highland Park 15-Year Viking Heart Scoresheet & Review

    Many whisky producers take great pride in their apparent heritage, and Highland Park is no exception. Their website offers a wealth of reading material detailing their origins, with a considerable chunk driving home a connection to Vikings. This association has become positively pervasive in their branding, right down to nicknaming…

  • Ardbeg 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Ardbeg 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    “Unapologetic” is a fairly apt way to describe Ardbeg’s marketing. More specifically, they drop vaguely sourced quotes like “as close to perfection as makes no difference” and “unquestionably, the greatest distillery on Earth,” as if to epitomize themselves. Some may say it’s fun and confidence, others might call it egotistical…

  • Russell’s Reserve 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Russell’s Reserve 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Stop me if you’ve heard this one: I’ve always wanted to try [insert bottle name], but just never got around to it. Bourbon’s ongoing popularity continues to grant an overwhelming amount of selection to shoppers, both at the liquor store and online. All these options make likelihood of exploring as…

  • Booker’s (2019-03, “Country Ham”) Scoresheet & Review

    Booker’s (2019-03, “Country Ham”) Scoresheet & Review

    Booker’s is just one of many brands I’d love to continue exploring. Some things improve after you reminisce, and whiskey is hardly an exception. With Booker’s, it took multiple batches and exposure to other bourbons for me to fully appreciate it. What consistently stands out, regardless of how much I…

  • Lagavulin 9-Year Lannister Scoresheet & Review

    Lagavulin 9-Year Lannister Scoresheet & Review

    Up to this point, the closest I’ve come to reviewing a peated whisky was my last review for a Game of Thrones brand Diageo single malt. It’s easy to think of Talisker Select Reserve as definitively peaty when compared to the slow-growing list of scotches I’ve reviewed. Yet if we…

  • George Dickel Bottled in Bond (2020) Scoresheet & Review

    George Dickel Bottled in Bond (2020) Scoresheet & Review

    If there’s one whisky producer known for appearing in a considerable chunk of sourced bottlings, it’s Ross & Squibb (MGP). If there’s one whisky producer known for appearing in a considerable chunk of sourced bottlings that people would rather avoid, it’s George Dickel. All the same, some individuals have become…

  • Four Roses Single Barrel Scoresheet & Review

    Four Roses Single Barrel Scoresheet & Review

    Digging deeper and deeper into the many intricacies of whiskey production is one the main reasons I find it so fascinating. That whiskey is made from a combination of water, grain, and yeast is easy enough to conceptually understand. It’s when we start getting into the minutiae of the process,…

  • Stellum Rye Serpens Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Stellum Rye Serpens Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Ask a more casual or budget-minded drinker for their thoughts on Barrell Craft Spirits and the issue of pricing is all but guaranteed to come up. Even those in the more enthusiast-level crowd will utter similar comments. It’s the classic “weak value” versus “paying for quality” dilemma which only becomes…

  • New Riff Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    New Riff Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    New Riff is a brand I always meant to explore early into my whiskey journey, but I put them off in favor of other brands and expressions. This has only been amplified in the past 3-5 years. Not only are new names popping up left and right, but they’re often…

  • Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye (2021) Scoresheet & Review

    Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye (2021) Scoresheet & Review

    I have a soft spot for Michter’s. I thoroughly enjoyed their standard bourbon and rye when first exploring whiskey, particularly the former. Most other expressions I’ve tried from the Louisville brand have also held up well, even if the solid 10-Year expressions are difficult to justify spending $200 (or more)…

  • Penelope Bourbon Barrel Strength (Batch 10) Scoresheet & Review

    Penelope Bourbon Barrel Strength (Batch 10) Scoresheet & Review

    The folks at Penelope Bourbon have one of the more down-to-earth backstories as far as whiskey producers go. Rather than naming the brand after yet another famous figure in spirits history, founders Michael and Kerry Paladini chose a different source: the impending birth of their daughter in 2018. The idea…