The Liquor Store Podcast

  We are always looking for the most under the radar brands that offer a great value, and Evan Williams 1783 fits the bill perfectly. It's not a fancy bottle, but at 90 proof with a more than 4yr minimum mature age profile, I'd put this one right up against Elmer T Lee in a blind decanter test. Elegant nose of butterscotch, mint, wild honey, and lemon. On the palate, perfectly portioned delivery o...

Tasting Notes: If you liked the new Crown Royal Blackberry, you should definitely treat yourself to Indiana's original version of this, Huber's Blackberry whiskey. It doesn't get more "down on the farm" than this with real copper-pot distilled Indiana bourbon being blended with farm-grown blackberries, and bottled at 84 proof. There's nothing too sweet or cloying about this, and with the addition...

Tasting Notes:  When the Zoeller Family finally sold their shares in Jefferson's Bourbon to Pernod Ricard last year, it was inevitable that we would see a branding and design refresh. In the case of VSB, or Very Small Batch as it had been called, the changes have been subtle, and I think for the most part better. They've dropped the "Very Small Batch" and instead have emphasized "Straight Bourbon...

Tasting Notes:  What did 15th century Norman monks know about alcohol? Quite a lot it turns out, expressed most succinctly in the now Bacardi owned brand of Benedictine. Made with 27 different flowers, berries, herbs and spices. Perfected by Alexandre Le Grand, and given the addition of 40% brandy at New York City's famous 21 Club, B&B is a sweet and herbily drink perfect on the rocks with a twist...

  Locally aged, finished and bottled by West Fork, The Hugh Hamer Double Oaked rivals Woodford Double Oaked with a massive dose of sweet 99% candy corn goodness. Fresh cut oak, plums, and dark fruit on the nose with a touch of honey. On the palate, absolutely dripping with fresh barrel flavors. Bourbon candy, oak shavings, and more dark fruit. It's bottled at 103 proof, so ice is fine and it calms...

Tasting Notes:  We've got Knob Creek 9yr 100 proof on sale until June 2024 for only $18.39 per bottle. You'll never see a hotter price on one of the BEST every day bourbons on the market. So, let's take this opporunity to revisit an old friend. One of the OG Jim Beam Small Batch bourbons along with Booker's, Baker's, and Basil Hayden's, Knob Creek has always been a jewel hiding in plain sight. Sof...

Tasting Notes:  Inspired by Debbie Gabriel, wife of Ciatdelle Founder Alexandre, and her inspiring summer garden at the family estate in Cognac, Jardin D'été is made in a similar vain as their immensely popular Pineapple rum, with whole lemons, yuzu zest, melon flesh and orange peels distilled and infused into the distillate in meticulous fashion, yielding some pure sunshine in your glass and cock...

Tasting Notes:  Since we've reviewed a blended whiskey recently in Sazerac's "Traveler" and we've tasted the new Old Forester 1924, which is a 10yr bottling of old Early Times straight whiskey, I thought we'd stay thematic and take a look at today's modern version of Early Times, a once proud brand in the Brown Forman stable, which as a straight whiskey was the #1 selling bourbon in 1953, two year...

  The NEWEST Crown Royal flavor is the HOTLY anticipated "Blackberry," a typically rich flavor that's hard to pair perfectly, so let's see if Crown gets this one right. On the nose, sweet and tangy fruit notes, candy like, but with enough bite to take the sweet edge off. On the palate, dark and sweet, with an explosion of berry flavor, balanced out by a touch of citrus. The underlying whisky is st...

Tasting Notes:  The EPITOME of "Sleeper Hit" the 2022 Old Elk Four Grain is a blend of 2 of the best MGP recipes at unheard of ages. The High Malt MGP bourbon and the high wheat MGP bourbon. Both are relatively polarizing whiskies on their own at younger ages, but at these ages, mellowed out and blended together the combination is something EXTRAORDINARY! Eucalyptus, mint, camphor, and herbs on th...

Tasting Notes:  The Old Fitzgerald lineup keeps getting younger, but that doesn't mean it's getting worse. In fact, this 8 year BIB expression throws off big forest flavors, along with earth, mint, and spice. On the palate, a soft hit of very mellow oak leads, gathering strength, then ultimately transitioning to a long cinnamon spice finish. Other than the 17yr, this is the most balanced expressio...

Tasting Notes:  Since Beam Suntory just sold Courvoisier to Campari recently we thought it a good time to take a look at their flagship VS expression. Among the large houses (Remy, Martell, Hennessy) Courvoisier is the smallest, and most affordable. Not quite catching fire like most Cognac did during the pandemic, the brand was left to its own devices, but just judging on TASTE alone, Courvoisier...

Tasting Notes:  I've always considered the 84% corn Dickel one of the most rustic and flavorful whiskies on the market. And while Dickel sold and bottled under several non distiller producer labels may not be everyone's cup of tea, the original house bottled Dickel is one of the most consistently rich and easy drinking Tennessee whiskies out there. Enter the reserve "cask strength" at only 92 proo...

Tasting Notes:  When Brown Forman SOLD the Early Times brand to Sazerac in 2020, they must have kept some choice barrels of that mashbill behind which were bottled initially WAY back as Early Times 354, and later the straight whiskey version of Early Times itself, which was then, and still is a sleeper hit. Fast Forward to 2024 with the release of this latest "Whiskey Row" series, and BF is rollin...

Tasting Notes  This classic Highland single malt is aged for 12 years in a combination of Oloroso and PX sherry casks, providing a fruit and sweetly cream driven malt with ginger cookie, dried red fruit, and orchard fruit. The malt has a touch of lemon curd, but the rich fruit takes over and leads to a balanced finish both malty and spicy.

Tasting Notes:  This 107 proof "XO" bourbon is truly "pure Kentucky," distilled, aged, and bottled by Willett at 107 proof. Tell us 107 and we're ALL IN! Pure Kentucky is a blend of 72/13/15 Corn/Rye/Malted Barley & 52/38/10 Corn/Rye/Malted Barley. The mix creates a soft and spicy malt forward bourbon with biscuit and bread on the nose. On the palate, the spice kicks up but a malty backbone persis...

  Blended by 5th generation, family-run producer Raymond Ragnaud, who has been located in the Grande Champagne premier cru of Cognac since 1860, Branson Phantom VS represents the finest example of Cognac and is curated with excellence. Sourced from top vineyards in the Borderies and Fins Bois regions and then aged for at least 2-3 years, although this blend is classified as a VS due to its age, it...

Tasting Notes:  If you're always on the lookout for a great "everyday" sipper or Old Fashioned Bourbon that's not going to break the bank and may just be a little outside the norm, then Johnny Drum might be your new "go to". It's been a Willett house brand for years, first as a sourced whiskey, then as a homegrown one. Bottled at 101 proof with no age or mashbill given, which means it's at least 4...

Tasting Notes:  This 90 proof, 8 year old Kentucky bourbon is made with 74% corn, 18$ rye, and 8% malted barley. The nose is soft with notes of burley tobacco, hay, lemon, and leather. The palate is soft and fruity as well with a nice balance of rye spice and barrel spice rounding out a generally very drinkable whiskey. Sometimes a right down the middle sipper for 50 bucks is all you need, and thi...

  The combination of Absolut vodka and Ocean Spray cranberry juice has been around for a long time. We're actually surprised it took this long to bring this delicious combo to market, but now it's here! Real vodka, real juice in a variety pack that includes Cran-Pineapple, Cran-Raspberry, and the liquid Pez like Grape flavor that just goes down too easy!

Tasting Notes:  The lowest proof of any Stagg Jr, (now just Stagg) ever released, batch 23C is filled with wild berry aromas, including grape, blackberry, and darker florals. On the palate, initial oak explodes into fruit and spice. Honey, caramel, and nougat along with the continued line of dark fruit fight it out harmoniously with the baking spices. Some fresh apple skins and apple pie cinnamon...

Tasting Notes:  The lowest proof of any Stagg Jr, (now just Stagg) ever released, batch 23C is filled with wild berry aromas, including grape, blackberry, and darker florals. On the palate, initial oak explodes into fruit and spice. Honey, caramel, and nougat along with the continued line of dark fruit fight it out harmoniously with the baking spices. Some fresh apple skins and apple pie cinnamon...

Tasting Notes:  This alcohol-free, calorie-free "spirit" is made for mixing with a blend of herbs, peas, spearmint, hops, rosemary, and thyme. It's best served over ice with ginger ale and a sprig of mint or rosemary. What you want out of any alcohol-free spirit is some body, flavor, and enough "zip" to stand up and not get run over by the mixer. If you like sipping a cocktail but don't want the a...

Tasting Notes:  Penelope Architect Build no. 7 is bottled at 104 proof and 4 years old, finished with French oak staves from Radouzx in France. The result is a perfumed baking spice driven apple cinnamon tinged dessert whiskey with a whip of spice on the finish. Palate starts with soft fruit, almost cobbler like, then the spice ramps up along with the oak. Fruit remains pliable due to the relative...

Tasting Notes:  Comparing the new Chris Stapleton/Harlen Wheatley blended whiskey to OTHER blended American whiskies really isn't fair, as that category has been stuck on the bottom shelf for years, BUT perhaps this new entry at closer to $40 will spark a trend and revive a great American "blending" tradition to reform at the premium price level. At least that's the hope for distillers whose creat...