Tag: treat yourself
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Booker’s The Reserves 2024 Scoresheet & Review
If there’s one bourbon distillery that earns the designation, “jack of all trades,” it’s almost certainly Jim Beam. About the only thing missing from the distillery’s otherwise expansive portfolio is a core wheated product. Yet for all of the strong and consistent releases that Jim Beam puts out, it’s rare…
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Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home Scoresheet & Review
If you asked me for my three favorite bourbon distilleries, I’d instantly respond with Wild Turkey and Four Roses for my top two. The third spot I might deliberate, but without putting too much thought into it, I’d likely give Jim Beam the bronze medal. Part of me is surprised…
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Just the Sip: Bomberger’s Declaration 2025 Review
One of the nice things about narrowing down the brands you like is that satisfaction (if not enthusiasm) comes more naturally while sitting with their products. Many bourbon drinkers, particularly those who got into it around the pandemic, know what profiles they gravitate towards. Whether they reached this point through…
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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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Sagamore Spirit 8-Year Scoresheet & Review
Rye whiskey is slowly coming into a revitalization, undoubtedly aided by the ongoing (if recently stagnating) popularity of bourbon. Many bourbon drinkers looking to expand their tastes beyond the corn-dominant spirit dabble with rye whiskey, likely because several bourbon distilleries produce ryes of similar quality. This is one reason that…
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Dewar’s Double Double 21-Year Oloroso Scoresheet & Review
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most non-casual scotch fans don’t give Dewar’s much time nor thought. They’re incredibly popular, thanks in no small part to their NAS minimum viable product, which makes dismissing them that much easier. There are certainly other reasons for people…
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Just the Sip: Blood Oath Pact 8 Review
Lux Row’s Blood Oath line all but invites scrutiny. Introduced in 2015, right around the time bourbon took off in popularity, Blood Oath feels like a product of its time while also being a clever outlier. The former aspect can largely be attributed to the bottling strength: 49.3% ABV, or…
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Just the Sip: Booker’s 2022-02 “Lumberyard Batch” Review
Is it better or worse for a brand to be set in its ways? I ponder this question whenever on the topic of Booker’s. Other than its release schedule (going from six to four times per year, except 2020) and typical age statement (six to eight years), the Booker’s brand…
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Just the Sip: 13th Colony 15th Anniversary Review
13th Colony has become one of the most talked about fresh faces in the American whiskey scene. Founded in Americus, GA, the distillery’s namesake refers to the Province of Georgia between 1732 and 1782, the last of the British colonies that supported the American Revolution. Although 13th Colony as a…
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Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond 17-Year Scoresheet & Review
Many legacy distilleries have at least one bottled in bond product as part of their core whiskey range, including Heaven Hill, 1792, Buffalo Trace, Old Forester, and Jack Daniel’s. Some brought theirs to the market more recently than others, but when you shop an established distillery’s portfolio, it’s safe to…
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Just the Sip: Baker’s 13-Year (2023) Review
Few distilleries can challenge Jim Beam on the label portfolio front. Considering the sheer number of brands they’ll launch, short-lived or otherwise, it’s almost surprising that they haven’t consolidated more to bolster a couple of their existing brands. Case in point: Baker’s. Although the brand (named after Baker Beam) has…
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Booker’s 2023-01 “Charlie’s Batch” Scoresheet & Review
Booker’s hasn’t necessarily been a rare sight for my blog or collection, but it’s been a hot minute since I last covered it. In fact, if we don’t include samples, the only Booker’s that graced my presence was 2019-02 “Shiny Barrel.” That is, until 2023, when I decided I wanted…
