When tasting whiskey, your palate picks up what you taste in a moment. I think I always knew this, but it was hammered into my skull when researching my book, Bourbon: The Rise, Fall & Rebirth of American Whiskey. In the 1940s, a chemist challenged … Continue readingWild Turkey Bottled in Bond: This Is Why I Taste Three Times
About once a week, I’m asked: “When is this bourbon bubble going to pop?” My canned answer offers an optimistic outlook for distillery stockholders, suggesting that we’ll experience another 20 years of bourbon growth and enthusiasm unless the distillers fuck up (which is possible) or … Continue readingBourbon Bubble Meets New Consumers
This review is based on a media sample. Color: Medium amber. I didn’t have a 12-year-old 100 proof product to compare this to, but I had a 10-year-old 100 proofer and it was two or three shades lighter. The color of bourbon offers great insight … Continue readingBourbon Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
Blood Oath (media sample) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey About: Pact No. 1, 2/20/15. This is a limited-edition series that labels releases as “pacts.” According to a press release, this pact includes three mashbills. Two use rye in the mash bill and the other adds wheat as the … Continue readingBlood Oath Review
I will now score products on this blog. I’ve professionally judged spirits in several competitions, including the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the World Whiskies, and have published tasting notes and or scores in national magazines. But this is the first time I’ve pursued … Continue readingScoring: Blade & Bow 22-year-old, Booker’s Dot’s Batch, Temperance Trader & Michter’s Rye
When Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge told me his anticipated 2013 Limited Edition Small Batch tasted better in the barrel than his 2012, I honestly thought the usually humble distiller was blowing smoke. Marketers tend to influence distillers to say things to push more … Continue readingFour Roses 2013 Limited Edition Small Batch Review: Welcome Home