Tag: mgp

  • Sagamore Spirit Double Oak Scoresheet & Review

    Sagamore Spirit Double Oak Scoresheet & Review

    It’s nigh impossible to be a part of the American whiskey zeitgeist and not be exposed to double oaked bourbon. The idea is simple enough: take aged whiskey and put into another fresh cask for additional aging. A whiskey’s first years in freshly charred (and toasted) barrels are generally considered…

  • Wheeler’s Raid Toasted Honey Rye Elixir Spirits Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Wheeler’s Raid Toasted Honey Rye Elixir Spirits Pick Scoresheet & Review

    American history holds no shortage of interesting stories. This reality isn’t lost on whiskey producers, as entire brands and individual expressions alike often pay homage to these very tales. Many of the larger, more established brands honor significant individuals and points in history pertaining to whiskey in some way, shape,…

  • Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered (Batch 45) Scoresheet & Review

    Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered (Batch 45) Scoresheet & Review

    The spirits industry (bourbon in particular) has been seeing a lot of firsts recently. For example, it was only a decade ago that a Las Vegas distillery was first established. Enter Nevada H&C Distilling Company, founded by Aaron Chepenik and Jonathan Hensleigh. Their backstory comes from trying a host of…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Ezra Brooks Bourbon Scoresheet & Review

    Ezra Brooks Bourbon Scoresheet & Review

    People like to say “first impressions last a lifetime” when they recall something unfavorable that ended up worse for the wear. Such a saying certainly has credence in some scenarios, but like most things, it’s not one size fits all. Even when we remind ourselves that a first impression isn’t…

  • Rebel Bourbon Scoresheet & Review

    Rebel Bourbon Scoresheet & Review

    If you asked a drinker to list some readily available bourbons, chances are they’d have no problem naming individual expressions. Now take that same drinker and ask them to list some readily available wheated bourbons (wheaters). Answers may vary depending on the person and the market they live in, but…

  • Barrell Bourbon Batch 026 Scoresheet & Review

    Barrell Bourbon Batch 026 Scoresheet & Review

    These days it’s odd to not see Barrell Craft Spirits get brought up when discussing the art of blending. Some might even say they paved the way for taking certain NDPs seriously. Given the acclaim they’ve received, be it for bourbon batches or their unique, finished products, it’s safe to…

  • Barrell Bourbon Batch 025 Scoresheet & Review

    Barrell Bourbon Batch 025 Scoresheet & Review

    Barrell Craft Spirits is one of those brands that gives off a rather distinct aura. Visit their website and you’ll find a succinct statement from founder Joe Beatrice regarding their vision. Long story short, distillation takes a backseat in favor of blending and bottling cask strength spirits based on consumer…

  • Hirsch Small Batch Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    Hirsch Small Batch Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    What’s in a name? That’s just one of the numerous questions more discerning whiskey drinkers ask at one point or another. After all, a considerable chunk of whiskey brands out there are named after actual people: Jim Beam, Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Jefferson’s, etc. I used to consider naming a…

  • Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Bourbon (Batch 21-004) Scoresheet & Review

    Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Bourbon (Batch 21-004) Scoresheet & Review

    Most of us are acutely aware of the boom whiskey has been going through, particularly with regards to bourbon. This explosion in popularity has brought with it an utterly stagging bottle selection for American whiskey in general. All this selection breeds competition, and one of the most popular ways for…

  • Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Rye (Batch 21-004) Scoresheet & Review

    Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Rye (Batch 21-004) Scoresheet & Review

    Non-distilling producers (NDPs) have historically gotten a bad rap, and not without reason. Companies buying stocks of whiskey for their own use sounds simple enough, but if nothing about the product is changed other than the bottle design and attached label, then one might argue that defeats the purpose of…