Drink the Bottles

We've been Old Elk fans for several years, always interested in what was next for this brand.  There were a few fleeting moments where we were seeing fewer and fewer selections on the shelves of our local liquor stores, and we were puzzled.  After some investigating, we found that this non-distilling producer, founded in Fort Collins, Colorado, has sold to Middle West Spirits in Columbus, Ohio.  We were immediatley thrilled about the new ownership, as the Ohio distillery produces some fantastic bottles under their own labels.  Keep an eye out to see what becomes of this new marriage! In today's bourbon landscape, everuy brand seems to be searching for a way to stand out.  Some chas higher proofs.  Others lean heavily into barrel finishes and limited releases.  Old Elk, under the watchful eye of Master Distiller Greg Metze, took a different path.  Rather than focusing solely on what goes into the barrel, they spent years perfecting what happens aft...

  Owensboro, Ky.  (June 11, 2026)  - Green River Distilling Co. will debut its oldest liquid to date with the first in the new limited Distillery Select series, Toasted Double Oak Bourbon .  Green River Distillery Select Toasted Double Oak  will debut at the Owensboro distillery on Saturday, June 20 and at the Louisville Tasting Room on Friday, June 26. The Distillery Select series will showcase some of the best whiskey coming out of this venerable Owensboro distillery.  Through different proofs, finishes, or specific rickhouse selections, Distillery Select releases will celebrate straightforward innovations rooted in tradition.  This 8-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, finished six months in new American toasted oak, represents the oldest Green River bourbon released to date.   Toasted Double Oak  starts with Green River's classic bourbon mashbill - corn (70%), rye (21%) and malted barley (9%).  It is then aged eight years in th...

Bardstown, KY ( May 26, 2026) - Instead of leaving annual volume loss to the angels, Bardstown Bourbon Company has found a way to fill the empty space in its latest Distillery Reserve.  Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend , is a pioneering release that bridges Kentucky bourbon and Japanese whisky traditions in an entirely new way.  It is available in extremely limited quantities beginning May 29, 2026.   Developed in collaboration with Japan's Mars disilleries, this limited release represents a first-of-its kind co-aging proces, uniting two distinct whisky cultures within a single barrel. Japanese single malt whisky from Mars Komagatake and Tsunuki distilleries was shipped to Bardstown, Kentucky, where it was introduced into barrels containing mature bourbon.  Rather than a traditional finishing approach, the Japanese whisky and Kentucky bourbon were aged together in-barrel.  This allowed the spirits to fully integrate and evolve, emerging tw...

Some bottles earn attention because of age statements. Others because of rarity or allocated status. Then there are bottles like Charbay Doubled & Twisted — a whiskey that immediately makes you stop and ask, "Wait… they made this from what?" Charbay has built a reputation around doing things differently, and this bottle might be one of the clearest examples of that mindset. While many distilleries spend years refining a traditional formula, Charbay seems perfectly comfortable stepping outside the lines and creating something that doesn't fit neatly into familiar categories.  And after learning the story behind the distillery itself, that approach starts making a lot more sense. Charbay isn't a new craft distillery chasing trends. The Karakasevic family traces its winemaking and distilling roots back to 1751 in Europe. Multiple generations were involved in the family trade long before Charbay ever existed in California. Founder Miles Karakasevic eventually brought ...

Every so often, when the timing is right and the aging process is exactly  where they want it to be, Augusta Distillery releases their Buckner's Single Barrel 13 Year Bourbon.  There are two things you should know about this bourbon; it is delicious and it always sells out - quickly!  The bottle we are tasting today has a "bonus" to it if are a proof hound, because this one is just a tick away from being considered a hazmat bottle.  Let's get into it... Reddish brown with streaks of burgundy throughout the bottle and Glencairn.  The packaging is eye-catching (yes folks, that matters) and this is one of those bottles that makes your heart skip a half of a beat when you see it in the wild.   The nose gives vibes of an old dusty bookstore, damp country road, grilling spices and buttercream frosting.  Tasted neat, we uncovered flavors of roasted nuts, cigar smoke, pecan pie filling and a peppery goodness.  Underlying interests of homemade vanilla...

Adam Hines and his dad turened a motorcycle ride through Kentucky and Tennessee into a dream, which eventually became an award-winning and groundbreaking distillery..... in Ohio!  After tons of blood, sweat and tears, High Bank Distillery Company has found its foothold and Hines is dubbed the most awarded Master Distiller in Ohio.   For those of you who only believe that good whiskey is born in Kentucky, you are sorely wrong. We tasted the High Bank Whiskey Company Whiskey War Barrel Proof expression, which is a blend of small batch handcrafted straight whiskeys.  This is batch number 107 and according to the ditillery, has an age statement of at least 5 years.  This was actually honored as the Best Blended Whiskey in America a few years ago at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.  No pressure here, but this bottle need not rest on its laurels.  We gave this the once over and admittedly......  it is deserving of all the praise. The color ...

  Three friends - Tom, Jason and Zack - had a dream like so many spirit enthusiasts do.  They wanted to create a product that they could not only call their own, but own it from beginning to end.  A 100 gallon still helped them realize this dream, allowing them to create a line of flavored moonshines, gin, vodka, award-winning rum and now whiskey and bourbon in small batches. This is the Wise Men Distillery Bottled in Bond Bourbon out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Most of you know the requirements for a bourbon to be labeled "bottled in bond", but if you're new here, we're going to share that with you.  For a whiksey to be labeled Bottled in Bond (or better known as the acronym BiB), it must meet the following: The whiskey must be produced during a single distilling season (January - June) or (July - December) and it must be made from a single distiller at a single distillery. The whiskey must be aged for a minimum  of 4 years in a federally bonded warehouse...

  In a quaint house-turned-distillery (or world headquarters as the sign states) is a local Sewickley, Pennsylvania distiller who is producing local craft bourbon, whiskey and flavored moonshines.  Owner Kim McLaughlin follows his family's distilling traditions and pours his heart and soul into each barrel.  McLaughlin Distillery  will tell you up front that they aren't the biggest and they don't have the fanciest machinery.  But what they do have is a passion for making distilled spirits that represent this southwest Pennsylvania borough while using oak from the North to age their spirits. The 3799 Bourbon has a beautiful dense chestnut-orange color.  While we don't know the age statement of this bourbon, it is the distillery's most popular offering.  The nose presents chocolate covered almonds, green earth, vanilla and dark tea.  Swirling really opens this up and we tasted this neat.  In the mouth was almond crunch, hayloft earthiness, hint...

We don't have an opportunity to taste many flavored whiskies, but it's always fun and interesting to see how one brand compares over another.  Flavored whiskey is great for the novice whiskey drinker who wants to try whiskey without getting the familiar burn or "hug" from the bottle.  It is also fantastic in festive and summertime cocktails and for creating your own signature drink.  This is  Firefly Distillery Steel Feathers Blackberry Whiskey  and it is definitely one of the better flavored whiskey offerings we have tasted in a very long time.   Jim Irvin and Scott Newitt are the co-founders of Firefly Distillery, bringing their experience from years working in the wine business to a venture that included not only traditional distilled spirits like whiskey, rum, gin and moonshine, but also ready-to-drink cocktails.  The Steel Feathers Blackberry Whiskey is a selection from their Tom and Huck Distillers series and it features "good ol' southern c...

  If you don't vacation on the east coast, you may  not know that Ocean City, MD is a hotbed of tourist activity in the summer months.  But it is also a one-of-a-kind distillery, producing award-winning rum, whiskey, vodka and gin.  We were fortunate to taste these  Seacrets Distilling Company  flavored vodkas, just in time for the hot summer weather and they are really something special.  Whether or not you consider yourself a vodka consumer, we think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what Seacrets is producing here.   If you've been around here for awhile, you know that we taste everything  neat - at least initially.  It can be tough to taste vodka and gin neat, as they are at the lower end of our "hey, lets' drink that today" list.  And too often you have to filter out the dozens of flavored vodka that sit on the shelf produced by the companies who are sloshing out a zillion barrels per year.  So when we had the opportu...

  What do you think of when you picture Brooklyn, New York in your mind?  Do you think of diverse neighborhoods, amazing food and Coney Island?  Maybe.  But you might be surprised to know that there is a distillery with a rich history, creating inviting drams that should be on your radar during your next visit to the city.  Husband and wife owners Alex Clark and Amy Grindeland set out to create premium liquors and that is exactly what they are doing.  They bourbon, rye whiskey, vodka and gin, connecting the distillery's name to the historic Fort Hamilton Army Base, which was named after Alexander Hamilton. First up, we tasted the  Fort Hamilton Sinble Barrel Bourbon  with an inviting mash bill of 85% Corn, 10% Rye and 5% Malted Barley, all locally sourced from New York state!  We always have a soft spot for folks who source their grains locally, as it adds to the footpring of what that area of the world is doing in the whiskey world.  Th...

  We're suckers for farm-to-glass bourbons because you feel like you can really trust the process when everything is done in-house.  Sure, tons of folks are mashing, distilling, maturing and bottling their own product.  But at Broadslab Distillery in Benson, NC they are also growing  the grains on their farm.  While the farm-to-bottle process isn't completely unique, it is somewhat rare these days.  And what really sets this distillery apart from others is their flue-cured aging process.  Their patent pending process means that they actually age their whiskey alongside hanging/curing tobacco, providing a unique process that carries over into distinct North Carolina flavors.   Owner and master distiller Jeremy Norris insists on doing things the old way, or as he refers to, the right way.  The distillery cooks in a 500-pound copper pot still and the barrels are put aside until the whiskey has reached that familiar golden-brown color and ri...

  Did you know there are approximately 750 whiskey and bourbon distilleries in operation in the US?  Did you know that not all great distilled spirits come from central Kentucky?  We did and today we are sharing one of those with you.  We're tasting and sharing the Ironton Distillery Colorado Straight Bourbon today and we are thrilled to have connected with these folks.  The female leadership team of Kallyn Romero (co-owner) and Laura Walters (head distiller) is making their mark in the Colorado distilled spirits scene by offering up a nice selection of lower proof whiskey from their core portfolio, but also throwing in some cask strength bourbon, a single malt finished in a coffee cask and then gin, rum and other goodies.  For distilling only since 2018, they have been cranking out some quality products that will surely continue to foot their footprint in the "brown water" world. With Romero's entrepreneurial knack and Walters' previous experience in the ...