Bourbon Barrel Talk

This years anniversary episode is a conversation about the past years favorite episodes. It is also a discussion with Amine and we discuss why Old Louisville Whiskey Co is one of my favorite places to go. 

The crew reviews both of these Mizunara cask finished products. One is their newest release, while the second has a similar finish with some added ones. 

Scott and Brian travel to Chicken Cock at the Circa 1856 Home and meet with Emily Zaborowski, the General Manager and Brand Ambassador. We try through their product line and try one of the signature cocktails they make there. We also cover the brand, how it was revitalized and what the future holds. 

The crew reviews a couple of bottles Brian brought over, both French Oak. We had Penelope vs 2XO. French Oak can easily take over the palate on bourbon and ryes, listen to see how these lined up. 

The crew reviews Starlight’s Eclipse Day Bourbon. Although we are late on getting this out, this pour was not late or delayed in taste. This bottle offered some fantastic fruit and spice notes that carry throughout the palate. Christian did a fantastic job hunting this one down.

The crew sits down and has a discussion with AJ Schreiner Spirits founder Ken Schreiner. We discussed their upcoming release, the Bourbon Brotherhood and his family’s history around the Schenley/MGP plant. Their new rye and gin are a celebration of his family recipes with a twist of alchemy from Alan Bishop.

The team sit down and discuss the Wild Turkey Cornerstone Rye VS Knob Creek 10 Year and Single Barrel Ryes. For the price you can't go wrong with any of these. That being said its nice to compare and contrast bottles from a different price range. 

The crew sits down and reviews an Old Bones 18 yr Canadian Rye and puts it up against the 291 12 yr Anniversary Bottle. These Mountainesque ryes have a very earthy sweet and spicy taste that are very similar. It was really hard to decide which one was better. 

The crew sits down and reviews a store pick from Driftless Glen. Not one of the better picks I tried from them. This was the first we have reviewed on the show, but we will have to revisit a different one to compare our notes. 

The crew reviews and compares 3 Rum Finished Bourbons, Old Forester 117 Series vs Jefferson vs Highwest. These were all very unique in their own way. One had very little taste, while the other two battled it out between the taste and nose. 

The crew reviews the latest 13th Colony Barrel Strength and 95 Proof releases. Brian picked up these bad boys and we tried and compared them.  

The crew ventures down to Jack Daniels and has a great conversation with Chris Fletcher Master Distiller for Jack Daniels. Chris Fletcher is Vice President, Master Distiller and Director of Quality at the Jack Daniel Distillery. In this role, he uses an extensive knowledge of the whiskey-making process to supervise and ensure the world’s top-selling whiskey. In this episode we discuss this, how he...

The crew reviews and compares the Hotel Tango Port & Midwinter’s Night Dram Act 11 Scene 3. These as of now are my two favorite Port finishes of the year. It's early in the year, but damn these were both delicious. Picking one over the other was harder than I expected. 

The crew has a coversation around Wood, Barrels and Sustainability of White Oak. How does this affect the industry? Will there be changes? Or will we be just fine, because younger people will rebel like earlier generations did? 

The crew interviews Alan Kennedy with Redemption Whiskey. We discussed his journey to the whiskey business. From chef to bartender/waiter, to time spent with Dave Pickerel learning his craft; to today. We also tried and walk through three pours, Redemption Rye, the Cognac finished and their upcoming release Sur Lee. 

The crew compares and contrast the Wild Turkey Unforgotten & Angels Envy Cask Strength Rye Finished in Sauterne and Toasted Oak Barrels. Two pour that are super unique to what each company traditionally does. While both had fantastically delicious baking spice and sweetness, one came out with a different level of flavor, especially for Andy...LOL.

The crew sits down and reviews a Blue Note Single Barrel. We found out that Tim is much harder to please than the rest of us. Evidently he only likes Weller and Mic Drop..LOL.

The crew sits down and reviews one of the first batches of 4 year old Ole Smoky Whiskey Company's bourbon. Mashbill is 84/8/8, similar to other Tennessee distillation. Being young it still shows qualities that will grow into a nice 6-10 year product. 

The crew sits down and discussed and reviews the Field of Dreams Bourbon released in 2022. With Batch 2 about to be released, we figured we should give our take on Batch 1. 

Ed Bley sends the crew batch 2 of the Old Stubborn for us to review. Although the both batches are good, I think I lean in to Batch 2 a bit more than 1.  Mainly because I prefer the rye over the wheater.

Jonny Tsunami brought back a bottle of barrel strength Jameson Whiskey from his trip abroad. In honor or his sister Leah and her husband Liam's first child arriving, Jonny wanted to pay homage with a toast to them. 

The crew reviews a couple of ryes. We compare and contrast the Bulliett 12 yr and Kentucky Owl Batch 1 Ryes. It's always fun when you can put a recent release up to a release thats 7 years old. What is your favorite rye, new and old?

The crew discusses and reviews the most recent wheated bourbon released by Starlight from the 2023 Repeal Day. 

The crew reviews and compares the Discovery 6 and KBS Founders from Bardstown Bourbon Company. The comparisons are like apples and oranges, but offer a wide variety in flavors. Do you have a favorite Discovery bottle or Collaboration? 

The crew reviews these exceptionally hard to find wheated bourbons. The Makers Cellar age is the oldest Makers that I am aware of, as is the Select Stock Wheat from Heaven Hill. Both are sweet and tasty, but one is just a bomb of flavor.