The Mash Up

In this episode, we tackle two of the most sought after releases of 2026. Bulleit 20-Year-Old Straight Rye Whiskey is one of the oldest whiskeys ever bottled by the brand. Coming in at 137 proof, this MGP sourced rye is like nothing we've ever seen or tasted. Buffalo Trace recently released the Elmer T. Lee 40th anniversary edition to celebrate one of the most iconic figures in their brands hi...

What do you get when you blend two mashbills at a large heritage distillery. Why...it's twice the mash...some might call it double mash. For this week's short, we taste and review Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Double Mash. This is 9-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey released in a few months ago. Coming in at 100 proof, this expression is comprised of two mashbills blended together....

The 2026 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is the 26th annual limited-edition release celebrating the September 2 birthday of distillery founder George Garvin Brown. This limited edition bourbon comes from one of the heavyweight heritage distillers and always demands the attention of whiskey novices and nerds alike. Who wouldn't want a bottle of Birthday Bourbon? That rhetorical question gets answ...

This week's short involves a bottle of Maker's Mark that was bottled in 1981. This is the same year that Steven and Anthony were born. While we couldn't organize an all-star lineup for our monumental 400th episode, we did think it would be appropriate to crack a bottle that is a little harder to find. If you were to visit a store in 1981 buy this bottle of bourbon, it would have cost y...

Even though it's been a few weeks since the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (KBF) ended, we still have quite a few bottles to talk about. In this episode, we taste and review numerous bottles that were sold at KBF. Brands include Dark Arts, Old Louisville, Samuel Call, Jackson's Purchase, and more! The fellas engage in a wide ranging conversation that will spark nostalgia for some of you. But mo...

The whole crew is back together and today we are talking about EverNorth. For those that couldn't make it to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (KBF), Dan and Sean and the rest of the crew at EverNorth Spirits released a near hazmat bourbon known as "BDH." This bottle is a limited, single-barrel short-barrel bourbon release distilled at Green River with a 78/13/9 corn/rye/malted barley ma...

W. H. McBrayer "The Judge" is a revival Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced by McBrayer Legacy Spirits, honoring 19th-century distiller William Harrison "The Judge" McBrayer. In this episode, we taste and review the 250th blend and a wheated Cedar Brook single barrel. This brand has been around long before prohibition and the family restarted multiple labels using the hi...

In this episode, we taste, review, and discuss a brand new limited offering from Redwood Empire. Named after the world's tallest coastal redwood tree (The Hyperion), this inaugural expression is a blend of 32% bourbon, 30% rye, 25% wheat whiskey, and 9% American single malt. Coming it at 110 proof, we're not sure if we've ever tasted a whiskey that contains distillate from four differe...

Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend is a limited-release, cask-strength straight bourbon whiskey that contains distillate from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana that is finished in four different casks. Released in March 2026, this highly acclaimed expression is explicitly layered and built to stand up alongside a premium cigar, though it is engineered to be equally compelling on its own. The retail price...

The very first time we saw Knob Creek 12 Year Cask Strength bourbon appear was back in 2020. Hitting retail shelves for about $90 a bottle, the whiskey disappeared pretty quickly and secondary prices went up. Now, in 2026, the good folks at Jim Beam are back at it. In this episode, we taste and review the brand new batch of Knob Creek 12 at cask strength. As you know, we can be pretty tough on som...

Heaven Hill needs no introduction. They have produced some of the most iconic whiskeys of all time. Thanks to our buddy Hector, we got our hands on some recent releases from HH: Bernheim 20th Anniversary & Rittenhouse 10 year rye (250th Anniversary of America. Our expectations were low, but we were super surprised. In a good way or bad? You'll have to listen to find out. Join us this week...

Bardstown Bourbon Company has become known as one of the premier places for distilling, blending, and storage in support of their own brand and MANY others. Since 2019, Bardstown Bourbon has released a limited "discovery" series bottle. This years release known as "2026 Discovery" is a blend of three different well aged bourbons finished in Garrayana barrels. Around the same ti...

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival kicks off next Friday and we have an early review of some bottles that can be purchased there. You've heard us talk about Dark Arts MANY times on the podcast. Even though enthusiasts are familiar with all the great alchemy that is taking place right here in Lexington, KY - we feel the best is yet to come for this still relatively new whiskey house. In this episode...

If you've listened to the podcast before, you know that we are generally fans of Michter's products. For this short, we taste and review this years version of Michter's 10 Year Straight Rye Whiskey. This is one of the more premium (but attainable) offerings from Michter's and it doesn't release annually. The release is made up of many ultra-aged single barrels and this whiskey...

In this episode, we taste and review the brand new Jack Daniel’s High Angel's Share Tennessee Whiskey.  The new limited release is comprised of traditional Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey laid down in 2016. The whiskey rested atop Coy Hill on the top floor of Barrelhouse 1-13 for a high angel’s share maturation. As the barrels rested in the highest reaches of the barrelhouse, an increased amou...

In this episode, we taste and review the brand new Booker’s The Reserves 2026. This is a limited-edition Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey finished in apple brandy barrels and infused with cinnamon. This is a family recipe of sorts and it's meant to honor the tradition that Booker used to follow during the holidays when he used Booker's barrels to age homemade apple wine. This rye is aged for...

For this Friday's long and strong episode, we dive into a few new things from the Diageo portfolio. The first is Bulleit '87. This new offering is a blend of Kentucky bourbon and Indiana rye finished with toasted American and French oak staves. It is meant to honor the brands founding year (1987), is 90 proof, and carries a low MSRP of $30. The other bottle we taste in this episode is the...

In this short, we taste and review the first release from Potter Jane Distilling Company. Big Vat Liar is a limited-edition sourced Kentucky straight bourbon priced at $49.99. Founders Denny Potter and Jane Bowie broke their prior vow not to source whiskey and it resulted in a release of 1,200 bottles as their own distillate continues to age. They are planning to release their own distillate in 20...

Buffalo Trace recently released Colonel E.H. Taylor Cured Oak Bourbon. This whiskey originally debuted in 2015 and that version of it was 17 years old. This new release is only 10 years old, but the process for making it remains the same. Cured Oak is created by using white oak barrel staves cured in open air for 13 months (more than double the standard 6 months). This reduces harsh tannins and pu...

You've heard us talk with David Jennings in past episodes about Caleb's Crossing bourbon and rye. For this week's short, we taste and review the brand new limited-edition release (only 370 bottles) from Caleb's Crossing Whiskey Company which is the 1776-2026 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. Curated by our friend David Jennings, it features a blend of hand-selected barrels combining a...

The A. Smith Bowman Distillery is Virginia's oldest operating whiskey distillery, founded in 1934 in Fairfax County just after the end of Prohibition. Now located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, it has become famous for it's award winning bourbons and it's association with Sazerac/Buffalo Trace. In the life of the podcast, we've never tasted or reviewed any Bowman product. However, in...

If you've listened to the podcast, you've heard us mention how legendary Brad Williams is when it comes to Liquor Barn store picks. In this short, we taste and review a brand new Liquor Barn store pick that comes from NEWS (New Era Whiskey and Social Club). This bourbon is 11 years old, is 135.2 proof, and carries a mashbill of 71% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. It's rumored to b...

Four Roses Anthology is an ultra-premium annual bourbon collection that recently saw its first release which is called Chapter One: Origin and the liquid in the bottle is 21-years old. Pulled from a variety of single barrels and priced at $500 - this stands as the oldest release in the distillery's history. If you've been paying attention, then you know we already did a fresh crack of this...

We originally met Kyle on a barrel pick for Bluegrass Liquor Box. A few months ago, Kyle burst onto the bourbon media scene with his eclectic and hilarious social media bourbon review series called "Corking Off! W/ Kyle." In addition to his own show, Kyle has also been cohosting "This is My Bourbon Podcast" with our friend Perry Ritter. In this episode, we talk with Kyle about his bourbon journey...

The new Heaven Hill 22 Year 'Heritage Collection' Bourbon (2026) is a celebration of the legacy of one of Kentucky's most storied and revered distilleries. Coming in at 129.2 proof, this blend contains barrels that were aged across more than two decades. This 2026 release continues the series of high age and proof annual releases from Heaven Hill that began a few years ago. But, how do...