Tag: treat yourself

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Barrell Dovetail Scoresheet & Review

    Barrell Dovetail Scoresheet & Review

    Broadly speaking, finished whiskey is a bit of a mixed bag. A good, tasteful finish can bestow incredible flavors contributing to an elevated drinking experience; a sloppy or otherwise half-hearted finish can leave one confused at best and put off at worst. With Barrell Craft Spirits’ popular finished bottlings, it’s…

  • Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    These days it’s easy to find praise being sung for Wild Turkey, particularly following the inaugural release of Russell’s Reserve 13-Year. This brought increased demand for other limited offerings from Wild Turkey, such as previously slept-on Master’s Keep releases. Limited edition is all the rage these days. We might like…

  • Thomas S. Moore Cabernet Sauvignon Finish Scoresheet & Review

    Thomas S. Moore Cabernet Sauvignon Finish Scoresheet & Review

    Barton 1792 gets around more than one might think. On top of the in-house 1792 line, their whiskey is used for the likes of Very Old Barton, Sam Houston, Calumet Farm, Goodwood, and perhaps most recently, Thomas S. Moore. The name is taken from a pioneer who, in 1889, built…

  • Chattanooga Whiskey 111 Scoresheet & Review

    Chattanooga Whiskey 111 Scoresheet & Review

    I’ve already talked at length about Chattanooga Whiskey in my review of their 91-proof “Tennessee High Malt,” a 4-grain bourbon with a 2-year age statement that makes use of a 4000-gallon charred oak Solera barrel for finishing. Then there’s their other core bourbon offering: the 111 Cask. Both expressions see…

  • Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades Scoresheet & Review

    Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades Scoresheet & Review

    The first Wild Turkey Master’s Keep release was a hardly an accurate representation of the distillery’s more recent overarching profile. Its age was the highest of any Wild Turkey product at the time, was under 90 proof despite being bottled at cask strength, and the pour itself was generally mild…

  • Talisker Select Reserve Greyjoy Scoresheet & Review

    Talisker Select Reserve Greyjoy Scoresheet & Review

    Diageo’s line of Game of Thrones single malts was nothing if not opportunistic. Not only was the show at peak popularity when the bottlings were introduced, but interest in whisky was also on the rise (still is). Scotch drinkers on the internet tend to be an informed bunch, however, and…

  • Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Series (SE4xPR5) Scoresheet & Review

    Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Series (SE4xPR5) Scoresheet & Review

    Maker’s Mark has one of the more interesting stories in bourbon, especially when we compare their past to their present. Bill Samuels, Sr., one of the two key players behind the brand’s creation, was a traditionalist with regards to maintaining and ultimately preserving what made Maker’s Mark, well, Maker’s Mark.…

  • 1792 Aged Twelve Years

    1792 Aged Twelve Years

    Barton 1792 might be one of the most difficult distilleries for me to come to a final verdict on. The readily available 1792 Small Batch has long been one of my personal favorites, and the Barton-sourced Calumet Farm 10-Year I tried over a year ago was one of the most…

  • 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…

  • Maker’s Mark 2019 Wood Finishing Series (RC6) Scoresheet & Review

    Maker’s Mark 2019 Wood Finishing Series (RC6) Scoresheet & Review

    These days it’s easy to take for granted the number of options when it comes to whiskey. More specifically, the sheer volume of choices one has when considering traditional whiskey and finished whiskey has become downright overwhelming. Maker’s Mark is just one example of this. Where they were previously known…