Bourbon Lens

Jake and Scott are back in "the office" and we are sharing some Kentucky Senator Bourbon. Kentucky Senator is a revived brand and each release of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will carry the name of an esteemed U.S. Senator from the Bluegrass State. We taste their first two releases, including a 15 year and a 6 year Kentucky Straight Bourbon. We discuss many topics in this episode including so...

These days, it's really easy to spend $100 on a bottle of bourbon, but how do you avoid getting burned at the liquor store? Stick with some of our choices for the $50 - $100 price range and you'll find some heavy hitting bourbons. Don't get burned at the liquor store, shop smart with these tips. We are thankful for everyone who has supported us over this journey. We'd appreciate it if you can take...

Castle & Key just released its 3rd installment of Restoration Rye, 2021 Batch #1. This batch was crafted from 80 barrels and was meant to highlight some notes that are perfect for summer whiskey drinking.  We compare this 2021 release to Batch 1 from 2020 in this episode.  Each batch of Restoration Rye Whiskey is blended using a series of pods. Each pod is created by grouping barrels to create...

Jake and Scott are back in the Bourbon Lens office and have lined up two powerhouse bottles from Heaven Hill's wheated mashbill; Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond (a 9 year from Fall 2018) and Larcey Barrel Proof (Batch A121 featuring 6-8 year old bourbon). It is clear that wheated bourbons are a big hit in the bourbon world right now, partially attributable to the Pappy Van Winkle and Weller Bourbon...

You won't find us reaching for the barrel proof bourbons often in the summer heat, so what do we reach for when the temperature rises? In this week's episode, we discuss some of our favorite choices when summertime rolls around and we want to enjoy our favorite booze outside or poolside. Whether it's low proof, on the rocks, finished whiskey, or the ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail craze , we give yo...

Recently, we had the opportunity to sample 6 single barrels from Western Spirits Beverage Company; you may remember our previous episode . This was all in preparation for their upcoming release of Sam Houston Bourbon Release No. 6. We were honored to be selected, along with several other "bourbon influencers", to help provide feedback that would contribute to a final batch for Release No. 6, a 15...

It's National Bourbon Day and we are having a brand new bourbon this week. Will Schragis, Stellum Spirits' Chief Sales & Innovation Officer, joins Bourbon Lens to chat about all things Stellum, whiskey industry, and the modern whiskey drinker. A wildly popular blending house, Barrell Craft Spirits, just created a more affordable spinoff brand (at $55, Will says it's the best whiskey for the pr...

Our first Bourbon Lens Barrel Pick is now available for purchase ! Jake and Scott sit down in the Bourbon Lens Office to taste through the unique finished bourbon we picked from Starlight Distillery.  This is a 4 ½ Year Old, Straight Bourbon distilled by Starlight and finished in a French, Sauternes Wine Cask.  The bourbon is available for purchase via Shared Pour for $59.99.   Be sure to head the...

Jake and Scott catch up about life and bourbon as they sip through 3 different Bulleit Bourbons. Scott recently had the opportunity to help a local store, Bottles Unlimited in New Albany, IN select a barrel of 11 year old Bulleit. And thanks to some help from Bottles Unlimited, we were able to secure two more limited bottlings of Bulleit to taste them side-by-side with this 11 year old store pick...

It's Kentucky's newest distillery; Log Still Distillery is located in Gethsemane (just outside of Bardstown in Southern Nelson County). We toured the 300-acre "Dant Crossing" property with Founder and President, Wally Dant.  Wally, along with his family, Lynne and Charles Dant, are taking on this large project to create a "destination distillery" that is perfect for the whole family. Wally discuss...

Two heavy-hitting craft distilleries go head-to-head as Scott and Jake discuss their spin on Double Oaked Rye Whiskey. There's no question that the Bourbon Lens is a big fan of these two craft distilleries; Starlight and Peerless. We were excited to have the chance to compare their unique rye whiskies. Here's the "Tale of the Tape": Peerless "Double Oak I" Single Barrel Rye Whiskey: Proof: 109.4 A...

Thank you to Rabbit Hole Distillery for the opportunity to sit down with Founder, Kaveh Zamanian, to discuss his Founder's Collection series and the history of the distillery. We sipped an ultra limited, ultra premium 15 year old Mizunara Cask Finished Bourbon as well as the original Founder's Collection bottling of Cask Strength, 6 year old Boxergrail Rye Whiskey. We also discussed some exciting...

It's no secret that there are some incredible 15 year old Kentucky Bourbons hitting shelves over the last year. Recently, we had the opportunity to sample 6 excellent single barrels from Western Spirits Beverage Company; all in preparation for their upcoming release of Sam Houston Bourbon Batch 6. We were honored to be selected, along with several other "bourbon influencers", to help provide feedb...

This week's guest is Michael Myers, Founder of Distillery 291 in Colorado.  Michael left his career in fashion photography to start a distillery in Colorado and never looked back.  We taste through several of their bourbons and ryes in this week's episode and experience their unique aspen stave finished whiskey.   We are thankful for everyone who has taken the time to give us feedback on our podca...

Old Carter Whiskey Co. has six new batches of whiskey on the horizon and we were fortunate enough to taste through each with Founders, Mark and Sherri Carter. The Carters invited Bourbon Lens to their tasting room in Downtown Louisville for an early look at Batches 7, 8, 9, and 10 of their latest bourbons and Batches 5 & 6  of the American Whiskey. Each batch is bottled at barrel strength and...

Our guest this week is Brian Prewitt, Master Distiller for A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Virginia.  We discuss the history of the distillery, Brian's background in the beer, wine and spirits industries, and the variety of bourbons that the distillery releases.  We also taste through John J. Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon and Bowman Brother Small Batch Bourbon. We are thankful for everyone who has ta...

We're joined by singer-songwriter Drew Holcomb. Drew talks about his career as musician, his band Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, his involvement in Sweetens Cove Bourbon, and his life as a husband and father in today's world. Sweetens Cove allows Drew to combine his love for whiskey (and whisky), Tennessee pride, and the resurrection of a golf course. You've heard about Sweetens Cove previously o...

We sit down with Jason Brauner and some "Sippin' Whiskey" at Bourbon's Bistro in Louisville.  We discuss Jason's experiences in the bourbon world, owning a highly regarded restaurant with an extensive selection of bourbon, and owning his own Whiskey brand.  Buzzard's Roost Sippin' Whiskey is a brand that relies on Jason's palate and experience to craft unique barrel finished (double barreled) rye...

We are joined by the co-founders of Blue Run Spirits to talk about their new, premium Kentucky Bourbon. Their first batches released in late 2020 - early 2021, each a 13 year old sourced Kentucky Bourbon.  Mike Montgomery and Jesse McKnight are the co-founders and have created a unique and diverse team to help grown this brand. Blue Run Bourbon was selected and blended with the assistance and expe...

2021 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown. This year aims to be better than ever. We are joined by Randy Prasse, Bourbon Festival President, to unveil some big changes for 2021.  Learn about the new events, general admission tickets, once in a lifetime bourbon tasting opportunities, and the immersive bourbon experiences planned for 2021. Mark your calendars for...

On this episode, we sit down with the Master Distiller of Barton 1792.  Danny Kahn is a wealth of knowledge in the distilling and brewing industries and we were fortunate enough to be invited to the distillery. We started our morning off with some of Barton's newest releases, Thomas S. Moore cask finished bourbons.  And after the podcast, we selected our very first Bourbon Lens single barrel pick,...

If you've listened to the Bourbon Lens podcast over the last two years, you've heard from some of our favorite craft bourbon and whiskey distilleries, blenders, and brands. In this episode, we discuss some of our standout craft distillers and brands that we are excited for in 2021 and beyond. As always, we'd love your feedback and hearing what distilleries are your favorite Craft Whiskey producers...

How many "best of" lists have you read and laughed to yourself? We are putting our own spin on things and have challenged each other to start a new home whiskey bar for $50. Will we grab one expensive bottle and max out our limited budget? Or try to squeeze in two or three solid budget bottles?  Scott and Jake may have different philosophies on buying whiskey, but they had a great time comparing n...

Combining a passion for spirits, industry knowledge, and blending expertise, Phenomenal Spirits has released its first whiskey. RY3 Whiskey (Pronounced "Rye 3 Whiskey") is a rum cask finished whiskey that was carefully crafted from this blending house. Phenomenal Spirits, Karthik Sudhir and Matt Witzig, joins Bourbon Lens to talk whiskey. Karthik is the Founder / CEO of Phenomenal Spirits and driv...

In this week's podcast, we learn some family and Tennessee Whiskey history from Charlie Nelson of Nelson's Green Brier Distillery. Charlie, along with his father and his brother Andy, stumbled upon a bit of family history while out on the road one day. This discovery led them down a long and winding path to resurrection of the family distillery, DSP-TN-5. Nelson's Green Brier Distillery dates back...