Aussie Bourbon Lovers

Is Kentucky Bourbon Festival worth flying all the way from Australia to attend? We think so—and this week we're explaining why. We're opening the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 35th Anniversary Commemorative Bourbon, a limited Heaven Hill release blending 10, 12 and 13-year-old bourbons to celebrate the festival's 35th anniversary. It's a beautiful whiskey, full of buttery caramel popcorn, chocolate, h...

Is 107 proof the sweet spot for bourbon? This week we're opening Weller Antique 107 – The Cigar Cut, a special single barrel selected for Australia by The Drink Society. And it's an absolute beauty. We're finding crème brûlée, burnt sugar, buttery caramel, rich cherry, dark chocolate and even a little freeze-dried raspberry, all wrapped up in a wonderfully creamy mouthfeel. We explore what makes W...

What happens when you grow up in the Bourbon Capital of the World? We're visiting Whitney Rye at The Parlor Room in Bardstown, Kentucky, where she's sharing a very special 15-year-old Willett barrel pick and some wonderful stories about her hometown. We discover how Whitney selected the barrel alongside Drew Kulsveen and Pablo Moix, why she looks for chocolate when choosing a whiskey, and how blin...

What makes a whiskey worth importing into Australia? We're joined by Kia and Jack from Honey Barrel to crack a bottle we brought home from Kentucky Bourbon Festival: Brown-Forman's limited Kentucky Boy bourbon. Created to celebrate Chris Morris and his remarkable career at Brown-Forman, Kentucky Boy brings together whiskey from King of Kentucky, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon and Woodford Reserve D...

We bought this bourbon because it came in a bowling pin. Seriously. Fresh home from Kentucky Bourbon Festival, we're cracking one of the more ridiculous—and brilliant—souvenirs we brought home: Jim Beam Ten Pin. It's a 10-year-old, 100-proof bourbon packaged inside a proper white-and-red bowling pin decanter. The surprise? The whiskey inside is genuinely delicious. We find peach crumble, whipped c...

This week we're finally cracking a bottle that's been sitting unopened on our shelf for far too long: Heaven’s Door Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the expression now known as Revival. We find spice, nutmeg, apricot, caramel and a lovely syrupy mouthfeel before disappearing down a few fascinating whiskey rabbit holes. We talk about Bob Dylan and the story behind Heaven’s Door, the distinctive...

Sometimes you need to stop choosing your own bourbon and let someone else put something in your glass. That's how we discovered 2XO Sneakerhead Blend at Evergreen Liquors in Louisville. We told an incredibly knowledgeable bartender what we liked, asked him to pour us something we hadn't tried—and ended up liking his recommendation enough to bring a bottle all the way back to Australia. This week w...

This week we're opening our first bottle of Pinhook—and Helen was sold before we'd even tasted it because it came dipped in purple wax. It's a Pinhook Single Barrel Cask Strength selected by Whiskey Hunt Australia: five years old, 115 proof and packed with fresh fruit, green apple, caramel and some rather unexpected fairy-floss vibes. But the story behind Pinhook might be even more interesting tha...

This week we're opening a particularly special bottle: a 2025 Michter’s 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon that Dave's friends gave him for his 40th birthday. And it's an absolute cracker. We find currants, dark chocolate, baked fruit, caramel and sweet oak before getting into some of the things that make Michter’s whiskey so distinctive. We work our way through six production choices Michter’s mak...

This week we're pouring Barrell Bourbon Batch 36, a fascinating blend of bourbons sourced from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. The components range from 7½ years old all the way to 15 years, with a derived mash bill of 79% corn, 16% rye and 5% malted barley. And it's bloody good. We find citrus, marmalade, strawberry jam and a wonderfully chewy caramel character before getting into the bigger sto...

This week we're pouring a Maker’s Mark Private Select hand-selected by Whiskey Hunt Australia. The Private Select program takes the wood-finishing idea behind Maker’s Mark 46 and gives groups the chance to create their own expression using a combination of different finishing staves. And this particular selection is fascinating. It's still unmistakably Maker’s Mark, with the familiar sweetness, ch...

Kentucky Bourbon Festival is only weeks away, so this week we're opening one of our favourite festival finds. It's a Burton James Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon selected for Kentucky Bourbon Festival, and while we enjoy it we share our biggest tips for anyone making the trip to Bardstown. From avoiding queues and pacing yourself to taking notes, staying hydrated and making time to meet people, thes...

Dry July continues, so we're revisiting one of our favourite interviews. This week we're back at Star Hill Farm with Dr. Blake Layfield from Maker's Mark. Sharing a pour of Maker's Mark Cellar Aged, Blake explains the science behind maturation, how oak transforms spirit into bourbon, and why Maker's Mark continues investing heavily in understanding flavour. It's one of the most insightful conversa...

Dry July continues, so we're revisiting another one of our favourite interviews. This week we're back with Caryn Wells, National Brand Ambassador for Green River Distilling Co. Caryn walks us through the difference between Green River's High Rye and Wheated Bourbons before sharing some fantastic advice on how to nose, taste and enjoy bourbon. From the "Kentucky Chew" to why your first sip always t...

For Dry July we're revisiting another favourite interview. This time we're back with Greg Keeley from Larrikin Bourbon Company in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Greg walks us through the creation of Larrikin Cigar Lounge, explains why he thinks "cigar blend" is mostly a marketing term, and shares how a tiny amount of Amburana became the missing ingredient in the final blend. We also dive into American Li...

For Dry July we're revisiting one of our all-time favourite interviews. We roll back to sit down with Michter's Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson while enjoying their incredible 2024 Michter's 10 Year Bourbon. The conversation explores why Michter's once delayed an entire 10 Year release because it didn't quite meet their standards, how heat cycling changes whiskey...

This episode we're pouring Old Grand-Dad 114. A high-proof bourbon with a cult following, a recipe that dates back to the 1800s, and a surprisingly strong connection to Basil Hayden. Along the way we discuss: • What the 114 means • The James Beam connection • Why the bottle looks so old-school • Bourbon value for money • Vanilla, caramel and cinnamon tasting notes • Why enthusiasts keep recommendi...

This episode we're pouring one of the most unusual bottles we've ever brought home from Kentucky. The Elijah Craig Barrel Select Grenade Bottle. A tiny barrel-shaped release from Heaven Hill that bourbon fans actively seek out whenever it appears at the distillery. Along the way we discuss: • The Heaven Hill experience • Bourbon hunting in Kentucky • Single barrel whiskey • Why rare doesn't always...

Dave and H taste Jack Daniel's Bonded (released May 2022), compare it to the classic JD No.7, and share tasting notes of dark chocolate, fruit & nut and banana on the nose and palate. They agree this bonded expression drinks nicely neat and highlights the higher proof character. The episode explains the Bottled‑in‑Bond law (1897) and its rules: one distilling season, one distiller, one distill...

This episode we open a bottle that nearly disappeared before we recorded it. Weller Antique 107 Barrel & Batch Single Barrel Pick A wheated bourbon packed with: • Buttered cinnamon toast • Vanilla pod • Apricot notes • Rich caramel sweetness We also explore: • The story of William Larue Weller • How wheated bourbon changed whiskey history • The connection between Weller and Pappy Van Winkle •...

We open and taste the Maker's Mark Cellar Age 2023, describing rich notes of maple syrup, stroopwafel-like caramel, cinnamon spice, and a lingering cherry sweetness with a long, sticky mouthfeel. The episode also explores the bottle's story: how Maker's Mark finishes select barrels in a cool cellar to slow oak influence, the limited annual release, memories of visits to Kentucky, and why this expr...

This episode we open a Las Vegas store pick: Old Forester 100 Proof Barrel Pick from Liquor Lineup. After a recommendation from listener Lee, Dave made the drive across Vegas during a work trip to visit one of the city’s best whiskey stores. The result? A ridiculously good Old Forester barrel pick packed with: • Cherry pie notes • Candy sweetness • Molasses • Caramel • Jolly Rancher flavours We al...

This episode we open one of the more unusual bourbons we’ve brought back from America: Frey Ranch Quad Malt Four Grain Bourbon. A distillery-only release from Nevada that takes farm-to-glass whiskey seriously. Every grain is grown on the property. Every grain is malted. Everything happens on the farm. We talk about: • Visiting Frey Ranch in Nevada • The drive through Reno and Fallon • Why this bou...

H & Dave enjoy Larrikin's Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey—an approachable 40% ABV, six-year-aged bourbon with a mash bill of 86% corn, 10% rye and 4% malted barley. Tasting notes highlight caramel, vanilla, biscuity sweetness and warm spice (think apple pie, nutmeg/cinnamon), plus the brand’s laid-back Aussie charm and friendly distillery vibe.

Dave n H taste and celebrate the new Peerless 10-year Henry Craver edition, describing its stunning colour, rich mouthfeel and tasting notes like citrus, marmalade, coconut, vanilla and caramel. They discuss the bottle’s limited release, the queue at the distillery, and why this bourbon has a devoted following. The episode also explores Peerless’s craft approach—sweet mash, barrel-proof bottlings...