Tag: finished whiskey
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Just the Sip: Shenk’s Homestead 2025 Review
Michter’s has hit something of a stride over the past few years. The core US1 range—and supposedly the recent Legacy Series bottles—have transitioned from sourced to in-house distillation, although the labels have yet to reflect that. Both the 10-Year bourbon and rye earn consistently high marks while the barrel strength…
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Found North Hover Hawk First Flight Scoresheet & Review
The modern whisk(e)y market has no shortage of recent brands that seemed to blow up overnight, particularly when it comes to North America. Although this predominantly extends to bourbon—and rye to a lesser extent, one brand has recently captivated drinkers while adding an air of credibility to a more flimsily…
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Just the Sip: Mary Dowling Toasted Double Oak
Bourbon is nothing if not ripe with stories. Part of the industry’s appeal is how certain individuals influenced it over the years, with the impacts spanning anywhere from years to centuries. Admittedly, some brands will find a good story and exploit the life out of it for the sake of…
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Heaven’s Door Redbreast Master Blenders’ Edition Scoresheet & Review
Heaven’s Door is one of the few celebrity spirit brands that doesn’t feel like a blatant cash grab. Most celebrity spirits have one bottle or a handful of core expressions that typically pique interest during launch only to cool off like an IPO. By comparison, Heaven’s Door has gone through…
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Jim Beam Winter Reserve Scoresheet & Review
If you’re like me, then you probably started your whiskey journey trying as much stuff as possible. These were the days that value effectively reigned supreme for me. To that end, I attribute much of my formative days to brands like Jim Beam. I got into whiskey around the time…
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Elijah Craig Toasted Rye Scoresheet & Review
Whiskey and toasted barrels go hand-in-hand more than one might initially think. It’s not uncommon for casks to undergo both charring and toasting prior to being filled with new make. Yet the slight innovation to use a secondary vessel that emphasizes the toasting process for previously matured whiskey is a…
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Just the Sip: Blood Oath Pact 9 Review
Blood Oath is effectively Lux Row’s most premium product. Although keen-eyed Kentucky natives and visitors alike may point to the brand’s 12-Year Double Barrel, it’s a pipedream for most folks outside of the Bluegrass state. This isn’t to suggest that Blood Oath is easy to come by, but the chances…
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Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Rye Whiskey Scoresheet & Review
“Adventurous” is one of the last words I’d use to describe Kentucky rye whiskey. Historically speaking, this style has clung closely to its bigger, corn-dominant sibling. The reason is simple: Kentucky ryes often utilize barely legal or just past barely legal rye mash bills, meaning the dominant grain is only…
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Maker’s Mark 46 Scoresheet & Review
Popular distilleries with a narrow range of bottles can be a blessing when you review whiskey for a hobby and have a relatively limited budget. The same could also apply to whiskey-curious consumers since they only need to parse through a handful of bottles in order to land on a…
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A Midwinter Night’s Dram (Act 10, Scene 4) Scoresheet & Review
Many recent whiskey fans probably know High West as a pioneer of modern American craft distilleries. Considering their tenure and current production volume, however, labeling this Utah brand as “craft” feels a bit disingenuous. Take their pinnacle, recurring release, for example: A Midwinter Night’s Dram, which had a yield of…
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Blue Note Crossroads (2021) Scoresheet & Review
Finished whiskey has all but exploded in popularity since the mid-2010s, particularly in American whiskey. Where bourbon finishes were largely resigned to toasted, French oak, and double barrel variations, we now see the likes of rum, sherry, port, amburana, calvados, fig nectar, and several more. Some brands lean into cask…
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Maker’s Mark 2023 Wood Finishing Series (BEP) Scoresheet & Review
Maker’s Mark needs no introduction to the ever-expanding bourbon community. They’ve long established a foothold as a distillery that excels in making a wheated bourbon the way they want. For a time, this meant sticking with the same whisky, shifting gears only to offer it at varying proof points. Then…
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