The Mash Up

Maplewood Brewery & Distillery started off as a craft distiller of beer and they instantly made an impact on the Chicago area and beyond. Even though their whiskey releases have garnered a lot of discussion and attention, we had never really heard of them until we got our hands on this bottle. So, join us this week as we review this bottle of wheated bourbon from a beer/spirits producer in the...

Jason Callori of the Mash and Drum recently worked with the folks at Barrel King to create a custom blend which serves as the very first release of the Drum Key Spirits Brand. "The Debut" is comprised of 7-, 8-, and 9-year Green River Bourbon, personally chosen by Jason from the distillery’s most legendary and seldom-revealed rickhouse locations. This 123 proof bourbon definitely packs s...

The Jim Beam Distillery recently made news when they announced they would cease distilling operations for one year at their main campus in Clermont, KY to make long overdue improvements to the distillery. While this headline certainly captivated folks near and far, Beam puts out a lot of product and someone needs to review it. That's where we come in. This week, we review two limited edition r...

Marianne Eaves has put together a very impressive resume in the bourbon industry in a short amount of time. For this exceptionally special episode, we had a chance to sit down and chat with her about Forbidden Bourbon. Although Forbidden is a relatively new brand, the foundation and roots of it began long ago and are influenced by Marianne's drive, passion, and experiences. Marianne shattered...

Helllooooo and welcome to the New Year! To kick things off, we are reviewing a brand new bottle that commemorates the 90th anniversary of Heaven Hill. For the last nine decades, Heaven Hill has been a family owned, independent company and they are one of the biggest names in bourbon. To celebrate this milestone, the 90th Anniversary bourbon is a blend of 9 year bourbon (some aged in heavy char bar...

Bourbon BarrALZ raises money through charity barrels benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association. Recently, they teamed up with the folks at Barrel King to create a one of a kind blend for charity. The Barrel King X Bourbon BarrALZ collaboration is a blend of 12 year old high rye MGP and Green River Bourbon that was aged for almost 10 years. Coming in at 117.1 proof, this bourbon has some bold flavors...

Each and every year, some of the most sought after whiskeys of the Fall season come from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. While we would have liked to review these bottles a little sooner, they didn't hit the shelves in Kentucky until December. Was it worth the wait? We think so. Join us this week as we taste and review the 2025 versions of George T. Stagg and William Larue Weller. WLW is...

Driftless Glen is s a grain to glass craft distillery that is making some fantastic whiskey.  Most recently named "Wisconsin Distillery of the Year", by New York International Spirits Competition and shared as a "Top Ten US Spirits Brand You Must Try”, by London Spirits Competition - their whiskey is quickly garnering and national and international reputation. But, what does the Mas...

As we move closer toward the end of the year, we are tasting and reviewing some heavy hitters. For today's episode, we took our talents to the neighboring state of Tennessee to try the acclaimed Jack Daniel's Taynard Hill Rye release. This single barrel, barrel proof rye release has gotten a bunch of attention this year - but is that attention deserved or simply a bunch of hype. We are her...

Willett surprised everyone recently when they released their first ever budget friendly "purple top." The purple foil that adorns the Willett Family Estate Bourbon is nothing short of legendary, but it also typically carries a hefty price tag. So, when Willett recently released a 4 year old small batch bourbon (with a purple top) at 125 proof and an MSRP just shy of $70, it definitely tu...

Penelope Bourbon burst on the scene a few years ago. They were so successful that they were purchased by MGP and continue to be a force of a brand, always innovating and creating sought after whiskeys. For this weeks episode, we taste through many different Penelope releases (13 and 10 year estate bourbons, single barrel picks, and Rio). We have one surprise blind to go against the Rio releases. I...

The 14th release of Angel's Envy Cask Strength bourbon has been aged for a cumulative 10 years in new American white oak and port wine barrels. Described as the "pinnacle" of offerings from the brand, this is the first ever age-stated LE and it's bottled at 122.6 proof (ABV 61.3%). Over the years, we've had some excellent offerings from Angel's Envy. Many have been waitin...

When we returned from New York this past summer, we wondered if we had tasted the best whiskey that the Empire State had to offer. We didn’t have to think very long because two of our dedicated listeners sent us a ton of samples from various New York distilleries. We could have spread them out over multiple episodes, but what’s the fun in that? So here it is - a tour of New York distillers sponsor...

It seems like just yesterday that we were tasting and reviewing the 100 proof version of Sazerac Rye which "was" the newest permanent edition to the Saz lineup. However, that all changed a couple weeks ago when Sazerac Full Proof Rye made its debut. This new and permanent offering from Buffalo Trace comes in at 125 proof and is said to be comprised of barrels that are aging in some of th...

Michter's is known as the "world's most desired whiskey." So on this Black Friday edition of The Mash Up, we taste and review three different limited production whiskeys from the distillery: 10 year old bourbon & rye and barrel strength bourbon. Each year that these products release (because they don't always release annually), they are highly allocated and highly sought...

Faultline Bourbon is adorned with an iconic cracked sidewalk label. The original K&L Faultline Bourbon debuted in 2013 and was very well received. For this short, we dive into the latest release was distilled in 2006 and aged with meticulous attention for nineteen years. Distilled in Indiana, the bourbon that we taste in this episode is barrel number one of four. 19 year old MGP? Sounds too go...

How many podcasts would review two potential bourbon of the year candidates in one episode? We could have spaced these two bottles out, but that wouldn't have been much fun. Join us this week as we taste and review the 2025 offerings of King of Kentucky and William Heavenhill. We are joined by a special guest and Kenny (in classic Kenny fashion) made us blind these whiskeys along side of other...

Old Cassidy is a brand new premium blend of bourbon from Rare Character. Previously, Old Cassidy had been released as a single barrel product, but this inaugural blend will be an annual release that will showcase the best of the barrels that Rare Character has. Distilled and aged in Kentucky and bottled in Lexington, this release represents a deliberate selection of barrels ranging in age, with 18...

21 year old bourbon? With an age statement like that, it has to be good. This limited edition from Knob Creek is the oldest to date and is described as bold, complex, and rich. But how does it taste? You've heard us be pretty hard on Beam LEs in the past, but we came into this episode feeling hopeful and a bit satched. How did things turn out? You'll have to listen to find out. Not surpris...

On this Tuesday short, the fellas double blind each other with bottles priced from $40-$200. Kenny and Steven are spot on while Anthony is somewhere out in left field. The blinds are fun, but the introduction to this episode is one of the best in Mash Up history. Enjoy and don't forget to blind. It's the only way. -------------------------- Socials IG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupky...

You've heard us talk about the Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse releases a few times. This years release is one of the highest proof in turkey history and comes to us from the stocks of bourbon aging at the famed Camp Nelson campus. The fourth edition of the Single Rickhouse series comes from Camp Nelson E, which was built in 1946 and still stands tall today as one of 5 remaining rickhou...

You've heard us mention the good folks at Jackson's Wine & Spirits many times on our podcast. For this week's short, we taste and review a new RD1 Bourbon Pick called "Bubble Gum Delight" that recently hit the shelves at Jackson's. Clocking in at 6 years and 116.8 proof, this bourbon packs some flavor. However, we also experimented with this one a bit and the results...

You all know that we are way behind when it comes to listener blinds. We've talked about having a big live on YouTube (check out our channel), but for now, we picked a set at random got to work. In this episode, we double blind four different samples from our listener Rick from Louisiana. Even though we assumed we had never had any of these whiskeys before, Kenny proved that the palate can ind...

Last year, Heaven Hill debated the "Grain to Glass" series which is a partnership with Beck's Hybrid and local farmers. Admittedly, when we reviewed the entire lineup last year (bourbon, wheat, and rye), we didn't know much about the plans for this series or what would make each release unique. Fast forward to this year, it same lineup is back, but a different and unique corn var...

Fresh off episode 300, the fellas are all back in the saddle and ready to taste some hazmat bourbon. Rare Character has been delivering unique and sought after single barrels and blends for nearly four years. This brand has been as hot as any NDP on the market in recent times. For this episode, we taste and review a Hazmat Brook Hill Bourbon selected by OBC Kitchen and a Hazmat Single Barrel selec...