Drink the Bottles

  Norm Hooten, US Army MSG (Ret) is a co-founder of the Hooten Young Whiskey brand.  He is a real-life hero who not only spent time on the battle lines but also in the battle of the opioid crisis as a pharmacist for the Department of Veterans Affairs.  They take patriotism very seriously, committing to support non-profit organizations for veterans and the military. Like many iconic brands, this one started with a dicussiopn and a "what if" dream by a fire.  As whiskey and cigar enthusiasts, Hooten and his small team knew what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go.  And so eventually the Hooten Young brand was born and they are building a legacy to last a lifetime. This is the second expression from Hooten Young that we have had the pleasure of tasting.  This is their Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon.  We have long been fans of BiB bourbon, partly because of the specific guidelines imposed by Uncle Sam that allow a distillery to bestow ...

  There's no doubt that we love trying new spirits.  But, lets face it, after awhile when you taste bottle after bottle, sometimes the true expression and spirit of the liquid can get lost in translation.  On the other hand, when soething like this bottle shows up at mail call, you immeditely take notice and can't wait to share it with every bourbon enthusiast you know.  And that's just what we did! This is  Penelope Havana Straight Bourbon Finished Whiskey (Batch 1), a 4 year bourbon finished for twelve months in Caribbean rum casks and then an additional finishing of one month in farm-sourced maple syrup barrels.  The outcome?  Deliciousness to the extreme!  The mash bill is 74% Corn, 7% Rye, 16% Wheat and 3% Malted Barley, creating a viscous golden-brown liquid that has aromas leaping from the glass.  Homemade oatmeal banana cookies, maple candy, and fresh-baked Amish friendship bread on the nose at first whiff.  This bottle takes yo...

  One thing you know about us is that we love unique.  And since Jeff has been heavily involved in wine for so many years, this whiskey caught his attention.  To our knowlege, this is the first whiskey aged in the "sur lie" method, or at least the only one currently on the market.  This method of aging wine (and now spirits for this example) was introduced by the French to incorporate more complex flavors and aromas to the product.  Let's take a look at this bottle and see how this process faired for the  Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye Whiskey . The first thing we noticed is how Redemption knocked it out of the park with the label and packaging.  While some may find the label too busy, we really like how the label explains the entire process from mashing to enjoying a glass of this straight rye whiskey.  Education is a big part of this bottle as it is isolated from everything else on the market.  The 95% rye and 5% mash bill, non-chill filte...

We have been big Penelope Bourbon enthusiasts since we tasted several different bottles at an informal tasting about 18 months ago.  These MGP-distilled products have been a huge hit for bourbon fans and their vast selection of offerings is pretty mind blowing!  Today we are tasting and discovering what two of their latest releases are all about.  First up is the annual, limited release Penelope Toasted Rye .  This gem is a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley in #2 heavy char toasted barrels.  If you were camping with friends and toasting marshmallows in the crisp fall air in an apple orchard and you could bottle that, then that's what you have here.  The aromas are quite literally mouth-watering and the rich mohagany color with hints of copper only add to the appeal.  Tons of sweet butterscotch dance on the tongue with a zesty ginger, sweet nutmeg and subtle peppery note that lead to a finish that feels like it lingers for minutes.  We woul...

The folks at Redemption Whiskey take their spirits very seriously.  We should emphasize that they are very passionate about what they do and they are obsessed with Rye whiskey in particular.  Their heavy Rye spirits celebrate the history of Rye being distilled as far back as the 1600's.   Many times when you run across someone who considers themselves "a bourbon guy or gal" they might quickly follow up with, "but I'm not big on Rye whiskey".  We get it.  There have been countless horror stories of Rye being too spicy or too hot.  But you'll never find this with Redemption Whiskey! The Redemption Rye  is a serious mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, resulting in a medium golden whiskey with mouth-watering, bold aromas of spring garden, spices, white pepper, toasted sourdough bread and citrus fruits.  Those aromas carry over to the palate and also carry hints of spring boquet and delicious grilling spices.  While this spirit comes i...

Tim Young and former Special Mission Unit Member (MSG RET) Norm Hooten were chatting around a fire, sipping whiskey and dragging on cigars with friends.  That's how all great whiskey brands are started, aren't they?  These two guys wanted to honor military service and provide a quality whiskey to the market that had meaning behind their brand.  Hooten Young was born. This is the first product of Hooten Young we have tasted, and that's a shame since we have seen it locally many times on shelves.  Now that we have tasted this 6 year rye, we will be on the hunt for more of their limited-release whiskey to taste and share.  This is the  Hooten Young Operation Gothic Serpent Rye Whiskey  honoring the 30 year anniversary of Operation Gothic Serpent.  OGS is the real life story that inspired the wildly popular movie Black Hawk Down .   Coming in at 93 proof, this MGP-distilled whiskey has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% barley.  The color is...

  Nearly six years ago to the day, we wrote an article about the importance and value of bottle labels  in the wine industry.  This, of course, holds true today and encompasses not only the wine but also spirits industry.  We can't think of a brand in the whiskey world who understands this better than the team at Filmland Spirits.  This Los Angeles-based company is comprised of film industry experts and whiskey enthusiasts who want to marry the two industries with enjoyable, eye-catching and palate pleasing brown water.  And that's exactly what we have here for you today. This is the Filmland Spirits Moonlight Mayhem! Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey that gives you a well-rounded package.  You get the ultra cool art deco label on a memorable and incredibly information-packed bottle, a fair price and most of all - a very tasty and fun product!  This is bottled in Kentucky and distilled in Indiana, meaning it is most likely a product of Midwest...