Send us Fan Mail A $60-$80 single barrel bourbon should not taste like furniture polish, yet sometimes it does and that’s the risk we all sign up for when “single barrel” is on the label. We pick up that thread and go deep on Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel from Buffalo Trace, starting with a bottle that didn’t taste right and ending with one that absolutely delivers. The turning point is the detective work: we hold the bottle up to the light, find the tiny laser etching, and decode what i...
Sep 2
28 min
Send us Fan Mail You know that moment when a bottle has been “a thing” for years, yet somehow you’ve never sat down and given it a proper, no-distractions review? That’s us with Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch, and we fix it with a full tasting plus the kind of bourbon talk you can actually use at the liquor store. We start with some music nostalgia and a detour into Kentucky Colonel lore, then get serious about what’s in the glass. We explain what “bottled-in-bond” really signals (yes, that...
Aug 21
22 min
Send us Fan Mail Maker’s Mark 101 sounds like a tiny step on paper, but that extra proof and extra $10 can mean very different things depending on how you actually drink bourbon. We break down the Maker’s Mark mash bill (yes, Tony knows it by heart), talk about why a wheated bourbon tastes so sweet and smooth, and explain how the standard 90 proof, Maker’s Mark 101, and Maker’s Mark Cask Strength are more alike than most people realize. If you’ve ever wondered whether “higher proof” automatic...
Jul 6
22 min
Send us Fan Mail We disappear for a couple months, then come back with the kind of update that only makes sense to bourbon people: we moved the entire whiskey apartment. That means a new, speakeasy style space in the Chicagoland area, more room to host friends, and a bar setup we’re genuinely proud of. It also means hauling roughly 400 bottles up to a third floor with no elevator, with help from our whiskey crew. If you’re anywhere near the north suburbs of Chicago, northwest Indiana, southwe...
Jun 25
27 min
Send us Fan Mail A bourbon brand changes hands for $775 million and we still have to answer the only question that matters: how does it taste in the glass? We crack open Four Roses Single Barrel (red label) OESK at 100 proof, talk price and value at the $50 mark, and give you the kind of honest bourbon review you would hear from a friend across the table. We dig into the story behind the label too. Kirin bought Four Roses back in 2002 and spent decades rebuilding the brand’s presence, especi...
Apr 16
23 min
Send us Fan Mail A bourbon can be rare, expensive, and still disappoint. That’s why we finally went for it and put Jefferson’s Presidential Select 18 Year in the glass, the kind of “unicorn bourbon” people whisper about at whiskey bars and chase at auctions. This pour is tied to Stitzel-Weller barrels, distilled in 1991, bottled at 94 proof, and loaded with the kind of backstory that makes collectors argue for hours about what’s real value and what’s just hype. We walk through the Stitzel-We...
Apr 1
29 min
Send us Fan Mail The bourbon world loves a loud debate, and Elmer T. Lee seems built to start one: is it a smooth classic that earned its reputation, or is it an “allocated” name that rides on scarcity and Buffalo Trace hype? We pour a 90 proof single barrel sour mash and give you the honest read, including why some drinkers call it too simple while others will happily pay double or triple retail just to keep it on the shelf. Along the way, we share some real-life updates from the Whiskey Br...
Mar 26
17 min
Send us Fan Mail A rye that drinks like a bourbon doesn’t come along every day. We tracked down the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye that snagged Whiskey Advocate’s top spot and put it through a full, honest taste test—then geeked out on why this release hits different. Think 12 years and 3 months in wood, 108 proof, and a mashbill that leans Heaven Hill classic. On the nose we found roasted nuts and cocoa instead of mint. On the palate it’s balanced and sweet-leaning—brown sugar, chocolate, sea...
Mar 10
25 min
Send us Fan Mail A beat you can feel, a pour you can taste. We start with Outkast to set the mood, then turn to a Four Roses Single Barrel, Barrel Strength OESK that sparks a full-on exploration of how four letters can steer your bourbon journey. Our bottle is a 10-year, 4-month store pick at 116 proof, and it delivers the kind of balance that makes you sit up: maple and cherry on the nose, a first-hit pop of heat that settles into cinnamon-raisin toast, and a dry, mint-tinged finish that inv...
Feb 16
24 min
Send us Fan Mail After trading allocated bottles from historic brands, and a question every bourbon fan wrestles with: when does hype outpace the pour? We put E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection on the table after swapping out a Pappy 10 (Old Rip) and some cash to find out if the first-ever 100-proof BTAC earns its secondary price—or simply its place in history. We set the scene with why “first and only” matters here: not a one-time release, but the only bot...
Feb 3
29 min
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