Drink the Bottles

Mutt here!  Most of you may not know this, but my family and I have been having a love affair with Wyoming for many years.  It is one of our "go to" destinations on vacation whenever we can - at least once a year.  It made perfect sense when I was given the opportunity to taste this revolutionary straight rye whiskey.  It is  Pine Bluffs Distilling Straight Rye Whiskey from where else but Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. Pine Bluffs, Wyoming is about as far southeast as you can go without landing in neighboring Nebraska and their "Farm to Flask" approach is both honorable and impressive as they meticulously oversee every single step from growing grains to bottling.  When we first discovered Pine Bluffs and saw the John Deere equipment adorning their website, we knew these were good people!  They are currently producing a half dozen whiskies, a gin and a vodka.  Today we're checking out the straight rye whiskey. This bottle was really a nice surprise.  ...

Jeff here.  Mutt and I tag teamed the bottles we received from Pine Bluffs Distilling out of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming and we were super impressed by everything from the packaging, their website and of course, the whiskey.  Today I'm tasting and discussing Pine Bluffs Distilling Ryed Bourbon , a high corn mash bill that consists of corn (60%), rye (20%) and malt (20%).   When Chad and Theresa Brown set out to build their dream in southeast Wyoming, the distillery was a pipe dream from the creation of home distilling.  The unassuming, state-of-the-art distillery "in the middle of nowhere" now supports the local community with everything from purchasing local grains to providing local jobs for people passionate about whiskey and other spirits. The first thing I noticed about this Batch 11 Ryed Bourbon was the bottle.  If you've been around here long enough, you know  how I feel about the importance of smart packaging from the top to the bottom and the front t...

  Lexington Brewing & Distilling Company produces some of our favorite products from both the brewing and distilling sides of things.  Their bourbon barrel ale is an absolute game changer in the beer arena.  So far, every one of their whiskeys have resonated with us and our readers, and this one is no exception.  This is the Overproof Kentucky Straight Whiskey under the Town Branch label.   This is a smart blend of four Kentucky straight whiskeys:  Bourbon Whiskey (70%), Wheated Bourbon Whiskey (10%), Double Oak Whiskey (10%) and Rye Whiskey (10%).  At just 10% Rye and the remaining liquid Bourbon, this is incredibly smooth and flavorful with a finish that is literally mouth-watering.  The mash bills on these whiskeys is:  Bourbon (72% corn, 15% rye, 13% barley), Wheated Bourbon (70% corn, 22% wheat, 8% barley), Double Oak (72% corn, 15% rye, 13% barley finsihes in 90% rye, 5% corn, 5% barley barrels) and Rye (90% rye, 5% corn, 5% b...

It's no secret that sometimes celebrity-endorsed products don't work out.  The celebrity walks away with a sack of cash and the company behind the madness is stuck trying to convince consumers that the product is worth spending their hard-earned money.  Unfortunately, the result is often having an abundance of non-selling product sitting on shelves for months upon months.  That will NOT be the case here.  We tasted and thoroughly enjoyed Row 94 Straight Bourbon Whiskey , distilled by Green River Distilling Company and endorsed by country and bluegrass superstar Dierks Bentley.  The name comes from Nashville's Music Row and the year that Bentley fell in love with country.  The Thunderbird logo represent his album Riser. When we first popped this cork, we knew we were in for a ride.  Gold-orange in the glass, this bourbon is full of orange marmalade and sweet chocolate aromas.  In the mouth is a savory and bright candy bomb, framed by chocolate cove...

  The Red Mountain AVA of Benton County, Washington produces some of the finest grapes of the region, cultivating into wines that have unique expressions and Old World charm.  The  2019 Hedges Family Estate La Haute Cuvée is a fine example of terroir and the feel of a wine that could be cellared for 15+ years.  Winemaker Sara Goedhart has nearly 10 years as head winemaker at Hedges Family Estate and her twenty plus years in the business is evident in the bottle we have today. Gorgeous, deep eggplant color that oozes to the edge of the glass.  This wine was not decanted but it was provided about twenty minutes of air time in the glass prior to tasting.  The first thing we noticed about this wine was how herbaceous it is and not the fruit bomb we may have been expecting.  Again, Old World style here all the way.  Fresh blackberries, dark chocolate shavings, pencil lead, mocha and leather blended effortlessly, each trying to take their turns to shin...

  While we can't say for certain that the 2024 release of William Larue Weller is the best BTAC bottle, it sure put a smile on our face and made us really take notice.  It's not often that we get to taste the hard-to-find releases from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, but this was very exciting for us and we had heard grumblings from several sources that this year's expression was delicious.  They weren't wrong. At just over 12 years, this bourbon aged in barrels on the lower levels of the rickhouse after entering at 114 proof before the long and important nap.  Fruit basket, floral notes with oak and homemade caramel candies on the nose.  "Wow" was the first thing that Mutt said and he picked up shoe leather, toffee, spice and sweet tobacco.  Jeff called this a fruit bomb with caramel and a nice lingering spice along with chocolate covered candies.  Honeysuckle, orange rind and chocolate nose.  Both guys agreed that the orange marmalade and...

  The 2024 BTAC (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection) has just been released and whiskey enthusiasts are scrambling to make back alley deals and beg with their buddies at the liquor store to find these bottles for them.  Without a doubt, the BTAC bottles are some of the most difficult to capture (especially at MSRP) and there is always a frenzy around the release dates every year. This is the Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon , offered at 101 proof and highly allocated.  Compared to the standard 10 year Eagle Rare at 90 proof, this one packs a little more punch and depth, due largely in part to the additional 7 years in the barrel.  The age statement on this is actually 17 years and 4 months for the 2024 release.  We tasted this from a 100 mL sample bottle neat in Glencairn glasses... multiple times.  It's amazing how quickly that sample bottle will run out! On the nose we didn't  get the herbal tea that we often experience from Eagle Rare 10 Year.  Tha...

  This is one of those bottles that we have had "in que" for sometime and for whatever reason, we kept pushing it further to the back of the line.  Shame on us!  Mutt had never tasted O.H. Ingram and Jeff thought the previous Ingram bottle was fantastic.  Today we have the O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye Whiskey and my God.......... what a treat! It's not very often that we are at a loss for words.  This whiskey took us by complete surprise and threw us for a loop - in a good way.  Tasted neat from Glencairn glasses initially, and then once the camera stopped rolling (see video below) we dug into this even more.  And then we tasted it again the next day.  It goes without saying that we cannot wait to share this bottle with some folks in the local bourbon clubs. Medium honey color and a nose like nothing we have ever experienced.  Jeff said that in a blind tasting, he may not be able to pick this out as a rye whiskey.  On the nose i...

  Due north of Boulder, Colorado sits a small town of about 2200 residents and an unsuspecting distillery, born out of the reamins of and old motorcycle repair shop.  Head distiller and co-founder CraigEngelhorn (aka Hair of the Dog) had a dream to take his home-brewed beer hobby to the next level.  With the help of some like-minded friends, Spirit Hound Distillers was born. Today we're tasting two expressions from Spirit Hound.  The first up is the Barrel Project Bourbon, a single barrel bourbon finished in Amercan single malt whiskey barrels.  We should first start by pointing out that every time SHD (Spirit Hound Distillers) refers to WHISKEY, the use the alternative, sans "e".  We don't.  We are "E" people through and through.  But we all have the same love for the stuff in the bottle. This is a really nice lower entry proof bourbon that is as laid back as a Coloradan on a holiday weekend.  Light to medium brown, full of buttery maple sy...

  Our friends at Lux Row Distillers have another hit on their hands!  This new, limited-release bottle is their Small Batch Rye finished in PX Sherry Casks.  For finished whiskey lovers, this is one you'll want to seek out.  For straight rye fans, this one will appeal to you as well.  So many distilleries are finishing whiskey in about every type of previously-used spirits container you can think of, and Lux Row has this talent fine-tuned. Tasted from sample, this is brown sugar in color.  On the nose is a sweeter fruity note, fig pudding, hints of flower bouquet and grape.  We dug right into this one and found that the palate was not as sweet as we had anticipated or that was hinted from the nose.  Mutt got spice up front while Jeff took note of the espresso bean taste.  The spice tapered off quickly and suggested cinnamon stick, fig and roasted nuts (specifically cashews) on the back end.  This was literally mouth-watering. While this...

  The newest batch of Remus Repeal Reserve is hitting shelves now and there's a lot to be excited about with this Series VIII release.  Master Distiller Ian Stirsman made some changes by blind tasting this and ultimately deciding on 101 proof and by also using a higher proportion of high rye recipe bourbon than in previous releases.  While some Remus Repeal Reserve releases have had more components in the final blend, the ten-to-seventeen year old aged bourbons really fire on all cylinders and have created a fantastic pour. Series VIII is comprised of 9% 2007 bourbon (21% rye), 24% 2014 bourbon (21% rye) and 67% 2014 bourbon (36% rye).  The older bourbon definitely shows it hand in this expression, displaying aromas of cherry syrup, fine bound book leather, roasted nuts, vanilla and overly ripe plums.  It is mouth-watering and immediately eye-opening and it is reminiscent of your dad's bourbon that he purchased twenty years ago and occasionally sipped on when m...