Tag: straight whiskey

  • Jim Beam Repeal Batch Scoresheet & Review

    Jim Beam Repeal Batch Scoresheet & Review

    A common point of contention for whiskey enthusiasts is the impact of chill filtration. The overly simplified version is this: Subject the whiskey to freezing temperatures, thereby removing cloudiness and residue from the final, bottled spirit. Some claim this process results in a less robust drinking experience, while others believe…

  • Larceny Scoresheet & Review

    Larceny Scoresheet & Review

    I have an odd history with Larceny. It was one of the first brands I reached for when acclimating to neat pours, and let’s just say my impressions weren’t overly enthusiastic. Despite this, I’ve revisited it more than other expressions, so why do I keep coming back? In a word:…

  • Calumet Farm 14-Year Single Rack Black Scoresheet & Review

    Calumet Farm 14-Year Single Rack Black Scoresheet & Review

    Calumet Farm is a brand I’ve wanted to explore ever since sampling their 10-year bourbon.  Considering I’m a fan of Barton 1792, which is from where Calumet Farm likely source their whiskey, it stands to reason that slightly older material from them could be to my liking. I even considered…

  • Whistlepig 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Whistlepig 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Few brands elicit split reactions quite like Whistlepig. On one hand, praise is given to the quality of their sourced whiskey and especially their distillery tour experience. As for criticism, this primarily manifests in pricing woes. The once-baseline 10-year? $70, please. The 12-year Bespoke Rye? That’ll be $130. The 15-year…

  • Maker’s Mark Private Select Batch #2 Scoresheet & Review

    Maker’s Mark Private Select Batch #2 Scoresheet & Review

    For the longest time, Maker’s Mark didn’t spring to mind when I thought “worth a premium.” I regarded the Loretto-based company as one that could charge more than its competition because they had a unique bottle design with their red wax. But it works. Maker’s Mark is a top-selling spirits…

  • Jim Beam Signature Craft Brown Rice Scoresheet & Review

    Jim Beam Signature Craft Brown Rice Scoresheet & Review

    Every now and then a liquor store will surprise you with what they have on-hand. Even stores as bursting with choice as Total Wine can have an obscure treasure or two. This was the case last year when I browsed my nearby Total Wine, checking their small bottles section to…

  • Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Scoresheet & Review

    Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Scoresheet & Review

    The Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. (E.H. Taylor) line from Buffalo Trace isn’t one I’ve had copious opportunities to try. Although I was fortunate enough to try samples of their Small Batch, Single Barrel, and Straight Rye earlier this year, actually finding a bottle (much less for MSRP) is so…

  • Booker’s (2020-03, “Pigskin Batch”) Scoresheet & Review

    Booker’s (2020-03, “Pigskin Batch”) Scoresheet & Review

    Few whiskey brands frustrate me the way Booker’s does. What I like about this premium offering from Jim Beam is that availability is usually sound–even in a booming market, the design and packaging are both archaic and endearing, and the whiskey itself is solid from batch to batch. However, such…

  • Booker’s (2020-02 “Boston Batch”) Scoresheet & Review

    Booker’s (2020-02 “Boston Batch”) Scoresheet & Review

    In my previous post, I looked at the first Booker’s batch of 2020 with disappointment. Although the whiskey itself is solid, the retail pricing (in Florida) is anything but. I ended the review saying I’d have no reservations accepting a pour, but if you throw cost into the equation, then…

  • Booker’s (2020-01, “Granny’s Batch”) Scoresheet & Review

    Booker’s (2020-01, “Granny’s Batch”) Scoresheet & Review

    I was already late to the whiskey game by the time I decided to jump on board, but Booker’s is a brand that I’ve felt that poor timing hit the hardest. The first time I consciously noticed a bottle it was $80, right around the time Jim Beam announced that…

  • Rabbit Hole Dareringer Scoresheet & Review

    Rabbit Hole Dareringer Scoresheet & Review

    Confession time: I’m not the biggest fan of sherry-finished whiskey. The first time I was consciously aware that a whiskey I was drinking had any sort of sherry influence was the Glenmorangie Lasanta, a finished version of the classic Glenmorangie. It proved to be the only expression in the Glenmorangie…

  • Weller Full Proof Scoresheet & Review

    Weller Full Proof Scoresheet & Review

    If you live in Florida, you know how frustrating it is to be a Buffalo Trace fan. It’s even worse if you’re a Weller fan since, to the best of my knowledge, the only way to obtain that in-store is by playing the ABC Vault game. The only reason I…