Drink the Bottles

  Everyone probably knows by now that bourbon is distilled in all 50 states in the US.  One perk we have with this passion project is discovering new-to-us distilleries and connecting with the folks who truly love what they do.  We accidentally ran across Watershed Distillery and now they are popping up everywhere we look online.  A fifteen minute phone call with a representative from Watershed made us instantly feel like part of the family and we couldn't be more excited to talk about this bottle. The Watershed Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a 4 year-old offering, coming in at 90 proof.  Yes, of course most distilleries offer a lower proof bourbon, but let us share with you what makes this bottle one to put on your radar.  This mash bill is 72% corn, 21% rye and 7% malt, showing the sweeter nose and cookie taste with just a touch of peppery goodness on the finish.  Brunette liquid in the bottle with a boquet of sweet butter, ginger, cinnamon ...

  This bottle surprised us.  That might be an understatement.  This bottle kind of knocked our socks off.  Who knew that such a delicious bourbon would come from the banks of the Baraboo River in Wisconsin?  Today we want to introduce you to the Driftless Glen Straight Bourbon Whiskey - Small Batch #73 .  This is a bourbon like nothing we have ever tasted.   After our tasting and note-writing, we did some investigating and we truly believe that the unique wand-filtered water along with a natural concentration of limestone set a solid and distinctive base to this spirit. Driftless Glen sources all of their grains from the Midwest and they use a 44 foot column still and a pot still to produce truly unique, mellow flavors.  The flavor extraction they get from both their distillation and aging process are impressive and welcoming. If you're a lower proof (sub 100) drinker, this bottle checks off all of the boxes:  Aromas, flavor profile, sof...

  We were actually introduced to Holladay Distillery through a YouTube video a few months back.  We're always out looking for new bottles to pop and share and this one definitely caught our eye.  The Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bottled-In-Bond from Missouri has been getting great press lately so we wanted to see what all of the hubbub was about. Most folks know in order for a bourbon to be labeled "Bottled-In-Bond" that it must be aged for 4 or more years in a federally bonded warehouse (hence the name), bottled at 100 proof where it was distilled and produced in a single season.  But......  Did you know that in this  particular case, this brown water is aged more than six years?  In addition, Missouri law requires that bourbon must be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled in Missouri in order for it to have the "Missouri" label on it?  What really impresses us about this is the law was updated in 2020 for all corn to be grown in Missouri a...

  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 ...

We could not be more excited for an opportunity to sample and share with you the Dovetail finished whiskey from Barrell Craft Spirits .  We have been a BCS fan for sometime, polishing off a few bottles of their Seagrass Rye and other offerings over the last year.  Tasted from sample, this offering of Dovetail comes in at 124.7 proof but does not drink hot at all.  The fact that it was finished in rum, port wine and Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from Dunn Vineyards really adds some incredible finesse and flavors to this lovely and aromatic whiskey. On the nose is a soul-searching saddle leather aroma, followed by slight pepper, campfire smoke and sweet yellow fruits.  There are hints of that lovely limestone or wet rock aromas that peak through as well.  It's a medium chestnut color and we think if we had added a couple drops of water, the dark cholocate flavors would have made an entrance.  We tasted this neat and there was sweet ripe mango, tobacco smoke, her...

Green River Distilling Company recently expanded their offering by releasing their first ever Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey .  This 95 proof bottle joins their previously-released and very successful bourbons.  This whiskey is a blend from four to six year barrels and has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley.   In the bottle is a bright mahogany colored whiskey with a nose that includes red fruit, mint and baked biscuits.  This is a very easy sipper and will appeal to devoted rye whiskey enthusiasts as they taste  black tea, hints of spice, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and maple candy.  After a few days opened, we kept going back to this bottle and we're picking up more citrus on the nose and fruit on the palate.  This might be one of the best rye whiskeys we have tasted in months! This bottle is another fine example that whiskey doesn't have to be expensive to be good and that it doesn't have to age for 10+ years to have mass appeal. ...

  What does a country music superstar and one of the world's most famous distilleries have in common?  Well, let's find out!  Right out of the gate, we're going to tell you that we were surprised that this wasn't a marriage between the 8-time Grammy winner and Jack Daniel's, but we'll get to that later. Chris Stapleton has teamed up with Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley to offer this first-of-a-kind blended whiskey with a celebrity association from the Frankfort, KY landmark.  Gimmick?  Genius marketing?  When this bottle was released just a few weeks ago we heard comments all over the board.  Most whiskey enthusiasts were skeptical, but admittedly, they "had" to have that bottle.....or three.  Some people cried foul and said this was all a poor attempt at boosting sales for both the country crooner and the distillery. If you know anything about either one, you quickly realize that they don't need to boost their sales.  Both par...

  This wine is another testament from the pulpit where we continually exclaim that not all wine has to be expensive to be good.  This is a non-vintage Harvester Cabernet Sauvignon from Austin Hope Winery .  Non-vintage generally eludes that this wine is a blend of several vineyards and vintages and the production is on the higher side.  That not only means that this wine is readily available, but it is also affordable.  We originally tasted this bottle at a local wine shop and while it didn't mirror the $100 Ghost Block that we tasted, it certainly held its own. This wine is from Paso Robles and has a pleasant, medium-dark purple color.  The aromas are on the brighter side of red fruits and baked pastry, followed by notes of allspice and vanilla.  On the palate is a plesant and sleek flavor profile of cherry, plum, spices and vanilla.  The wine doesn't linger but the finish is satisfying and this is certainly a wine that would pair well with barbe...

  There has been a buzz online for several months about J Rieger's whiskey offerings.  Admittedly, we weren't familiar, but the excitement was growing both locally and across the country since they released their first bottle about 20 months ago.  Well, it's not their first, but there was that pesky Prohibition that go in the way.  It only takes a spark to get a fire going, right?  When we came across this bottle of J Rieger's Kansas City Whiskey at a local liquor store, we snatched it up.  In fact, it was the last bottle on the shelf and it has been difficult to find since that time.  Why?  Well, let us tell you! This is a blended whiskey, coming at 92 proof.  The blend includes straight rye whiskey, straight bourbon whiskey and light corn whiskey - all aged 4 years or more.  But there's also the smallest amount of oloroso sherry from spain (15 year) that is introduced to the blend to create a unique and welcoming flavor profile. ...

  Just over a year ago I had the opportunity to taste Russell's Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon for the first time.  A friend of mine had picked up a bottle locally for $107 (MSRP at the time was $99) and surprised me with a taste.  He knew, at the time, that this was on my top-10 "wish list" so I was ecstatic to have this opportunity.  We later discovered that he had Batch 2 of this limited release bourbon from Wild Turkey Distillery. The mash bill on this is 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley and it comes in just under 115 proof (114.8).  The initial nose was on the sweeter side with cinnamon toast, apple pie and baking spices at the forefront.  Admittedly, we didn't really let this one sit very long which was a mistake in hindsight.  In the mouth was a fruity and leathery blend of whiskey that brought to light more complexity with cracked pepper, cherry pie and maple towards the mid palate.  The 13 year oak helps frame this bourbon, bringing ...

  Don't worry wine snobs.  Not all great wines have corks.  The  2018 Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir is a screwtop but there is nothing screwy about this wine!  Blueberry compote, leather bound book, wet stone and barn dust are prevalent on the nose.  You really get lost in the aromas of this juice and we found our noses in the glass repeatedly!  Berry cobbler, mocha and ripe plum dance on the palate with a firm but not overbearing acidity.  Medium and memorable finish puts this wine in a "must buy" Oregon Pinot category.  It's quite lovely! ABV:  14.0% McMinnville, OR Production:  600 cases Suggested retail price:  $65.00 Drink The Bottles score:  92/100