The Liquor Store Podcast

Tasting Notes:  I'll admit it...I LOVE Canadian whisky, always have. I love Canadian Club, regular Crown, and all its derivatives. I love Gibson's, Forty Creek, and JP Wisers. I LOVE the use of bourbon grains distilled to a higher level, and then aged in used barrels. I've always thought Canadian whisky from top to bottom post 1990 was underrated in terms of flavor and appreciation. Because Crown...

Tasting Notes:  From Jason Brauner, owner of Louisville's Bourbons Bistro, the original OG Louisville Bourbon bar and restaurant, comes Buzzard's Roost, an incrementally innovative and relatively straightforward and transparent bourbon brand utilizing mostly MGP juice and bottling unfiltered whiskies. Their #1 Char bourbon is finished in the LOWEST level char possible and presents a sweet nutty no...

Tasting Notes: When they did away with the 10yr age statement on Knob Creek a few years ago, I 2was DELIGHTED to see the 12yr pop-up not soon after. While it's priced decently high compared to the regular 9yr, it's actually MORE than just 3 years' worth of quality higher, it may simply be the best bourbon Jim Beam makes. 12 years and 100 proof? Perfect. Massive cinnamon oak nose with herbs and min...

Tasting Notes: Before Fireball was cool, the OG cinnamon flavored shot occasion of choice was Goldschlager. Whether classifed as a Schnapps or just a Liqueur, the gold flakes in the bottom of the bottle, the sweet, hot rush of cinnamon and alcohol are just as fun as they've always been! More cinnamon, more sugar, and more alcoholic kick, it's the kind of drink that lets its presence be known, and...

Tasting Notes: When Maker's Mark BLASTED a cave into the side of a bucolic Kentucky hillside on their property in 2016 we all knew something special was about to START, and now with the release of "Cellar Age" we have the finished results of that building. Maker's ALWAYS said that anything aged over approximately 6 years got too bitter and oaky, but with the advent of the much cooler (47 degrees)...

Tasting Notes:  A stunning natural violet-blue liquid with a fresh citrus nose. Notes of clementine and prickly pear create a one-of-a-kind combination of the tastiest tropical and subtropical fruits. A finish of strawberry, watermelon, honeydew melon, fig, and banana marries perfectly with a crisp agave undertone. Long, rich, and refreshing flavor.

Tasting Notes: This special edition of Elijah Craig is finished in toasted European oak casks to bridge the divide between the US and Europe, hated rivals in the rowdiest international golf tournament in the world. The bottling starts with regular Elijah Craig 94 proof, and then is finished in toasted oak barrels made to mimic the barrels used in the Lazio wine region which contains Rome, the host...

Weller Antique 107 - 2019 Bourbon Expo WH I Floor 4 Cleaning out a closet, we just happened to find a FEW bottles of 2019 Weller Antique Single Barrel from warehouse I, floor 4, NCF. On the nose, that sweet old timey Weller leather with apple skins, peaches, and nougat. On the palate, bursting caramel sweetness with spice and more subtle leather. Damn this was a good one!

Crown Royal Black is the definition of an UNDER THE RADAR whisky, as it is widely overshadowed by regular Crown and the fact that it's a Canadian whisky, to begin with. But, despite both of these facts, Crown Black persists for a small, but discerning group of whisky lovers. The "black" moniker is used in a variety of spirits, but the most popular of these if Johnnie Walker, another Diageo brand....

Tasting Notes:  Locally made in French Lick, Mattie Gladden is a double pot-distilled 4yr Bottled in Bond, 35% High Rye bourbon. While the Gladden House today is a restored B and B on Main Street in Salem, during Ms. Gladden's time it operated as a house of ill-repute. On the nose a distinct cherry cordial note, followed by oak spice, cedar, and citrus. On the palate, more soft fruit, a warming ba...

Tasting Notes:  Since Campari owns Wild Turkey AND Appleton Jamaican rum it was only a matter of time before this collaboration was born. Wild Turkey Master's Keep Voyage is comprised of 10yr Kentucky Straight bourbon finished in Kentucky for an undisclosed amount of time in ex-14-year-old Jamaican pot still rum casks. Bourbon finished in rum cask has been around for a while but this is by far the...

Tasting Notes:  Approximately six years old and 51% rye, Sazerac 90-proof rye is just as spicy as it needs to be, and just about as smooth as any whiskey can possibly be! With the recent release of a LOT of products into the market we thought it the perfect opportunity to give this a try. On the nose a hint of citrus, then loads of fruit and cinnamon spice. On the palate, sharp spice, rock candy,...

Tasting Notes:  You've GOT to try Owen's Mixers... especially the Ginger Beer, a snappy refreshing drink made with all REAL ingredients in America. What we love about Owen's is how refreshing but not OVERLY flavored their mixers are. When combined with vodka and a squeeze of lime it actually tastes like a balanced, high-end Moscow Mule, not a syrupy sweet, over-the-top monstrosity.

Tasting Notes:  Made in the heart of Piedmont, Cocchi Vermouth Di Torino is the best bang for the buck premium vermouth on the market. White wine, herbs, sugar, citrus, and a fortifying alcohol is pretty much all it takes to create a vermouth, but Cocchi is the best in my opinion. Rich orange and spice aroma. complex brown sugar and herb notes. On the palate, on rocks, a cinnamon sweetness tinged...

Tasting Notes: An old DSP (distilled spirits plant) and an old brand (Green River) have finally reunited! Green River wheated bourbon at 21% wheat exudes lots of warm fruit, cereal notes, and light oak spice. On the palate, it's one of the lightest, sweetest, and dare we say "smoothest" bourbons on the market. Soft vanilla, fresh-cut oak, and a touch of caramel as well. If you like Maker's Mark bu...

Tasting Notes: Likely produced from the same wheated mashbill as Weller and Pappy, Harlen Wheatley's own "Wheatley" vodka is unique in the vodka world, a blend of micro-distilled vodka and column distilled vodka, then married and distilled 3 more times in a dedicated vodka still, for a total of 10 unique distillations. The nose is pillowy soft vanilla, while the palate has the perfect amount of gr...

Since the announcement of Coors Whiskey Co buying Blue Run, we thought it would sneak a preview taste of Coor's very own "Five Trail" Blended American Whiskey. Three straight bourbons and a Colorado single malt, all from undisclosed locations combine into a pretty darn drinkable profile. This ain't whiskey for the super nerds, but something different, an every day drinkable American Blend. Soft sp...

Tasting Notes: This super premium Venezuelan rum has just recently changed hands and is now owned by Brown Forman, makers of Jack Daniels and Woodford. The Reserva Exclusiva is the entry point for the line up boasting rich licorice, vanilla, and caramel aromas, with a touch of grassy cane. On the palate silky fruit with an assertive cane note crashing right into a soft wall of leather, oak, and wa...

Tasting Notes: This blended whiskey from Jim Beam is a blend of 80% Grain Neutral Spirits (vodka) and 20% straight whiskies aged 2 years or more. On the nose light oak, cinnamon, and a touch of caramel. On the palate, warming fruit, just a pinch of oak with a smooth vanilla finish. The majority of these whiskies are purchased and produced to be mixed and NOT consumed straight, and it's this exact...

This is Bourbon World's first Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye single barrel and it's a doozy, bottled at 117.9 proof uncut and unfiltered from the barrel, it exhibits notes of maple candy, pine, sweet earth, and ripe peaches. On the palate, the pine and spice notes explode with a rich mid-palate that's fairly reminiscent of scotch. It definitely drinks smoother than the 117.9 proof and provides a tapest...

This 100% locally made blackstrap molasses rum finished in toasted oak brandy barrels and bottled at 85 proof exudes rich fruit on the nose with raisins, red fruit, and a touch of banana esters. On the palate it sips like an older cognac with a very soft and rich mouthfeel, almost oily with a punch of tropical fruit, very ripe. Oak is proportioned with more subtle stone fruits emerging on the fini...

Tasting Notes:  70% corn, 18% rye, 12% malted barley, aged for 6 years and bottled at 120 proof. This barrel was selected as part of a "futures" program at the beginning of 2022 and now it's here! For the relatively high proportion of rye, this is an oily corn monster with sweet malty biscuit notes throughout the mid-palate. Lots of sweet fruit, but with touches here and there of oak that allow th...

Tasting Notes:  Somewhat recently acquired by Lucas Bols, Dutch maker of cordials, from Edrington, owners of Macallan, Partida has been a super premium brand of tequila which has finally found a home. Produced from valley agave utilizing autoclave, roller mill, and stainless fermentation and stainless steel pot stills, this double distilled Blanco is as pure agave as it gets. Earth, pepper, and co...

Tasting Notes: Made by the Medley family from a mashbill of 77% corn, 10% rye, and 13% malted barley and bottled in Fairfield California, this at least 4 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel selection from Bourbon World is bottled at 94 proof (same as Blanton's) and exudes mixed nuts, leather, red fruit, beeswax and vanilla on the nose. On the palate, a pillowy soft fruit note...

Tasting Notes This single barrel of Canadian Whistlepig rye bottle at 106 proof exudes freshly cut oak, pepper, oak spice, licorice, cinnamon-sprinkled bananas, and massive florals. On the palate, chewy malt notes reminiscent of Stranahan's with honey, lemon, and sugar pie throughout. A quick hit of spice on the finish to leave you wanting more.