Reviews

“The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity, and the brute by instinct.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero If you are on the hunt for Stagg this year, you have come to the right place. I have had the good fortune of trying most of the existing Stagg Jr. releases through the years and regularly recalibrate my ratings against previous batches. You'll find my full power ranking at the Stagg Hub , your one-stop shop for all things Stagg Jr. and

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein I love reviewing all the Stagg Junior releases whenever I can, but this shift towards four releases a year is getting a little ridiculous. Not only do I believe this has caused a significant slide in the general quality of these batches, as we saw with the 2024 releases, but it also makes understanding which ones are wor

“Life, if well lived, is long enough.” – Seneca In the era of glamour shots of unopened bottles, few dare to tell the tale of what's inside. When I saw this bottle on the shelf for a decent enough price, I knew it was going to be my Christmas dram to share with my dad, who appreciates a pour of whiskey from me every once in a while. Not only did we get to enjoy it over a remarkable game of cribbage, but I also got to share it with my cousin the next day and even sipped it wit

“Thy duty, winged flame of Spring, Is but to love, and fly, and sing.” – James Russell Lowell, The Nest Count me amongst the lucky few getting to taste the 2025 release of Still Austin's yearlong project to bring us another edition of Tanager, their take on a cigar blend. This rendition, however, was done alongside the queen of this category: Nancy "The Nose" Fraley. Nancy doesn't do it the new school way; no, she does it her way. Having studied under masters in the Cognac an

Barrell Bourbon has returned to celebrate the new year with its annual release. Featuring a unique blend of bourbons from seven states and bottled at cask strength, this will be the 9th New Year bottling to date. For those mathematically challenged, like myself, the first release was in 2017. Now, if you ask me, these releases might as well be the Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop of blended offerings. It's a relatively well-known release, it's typically a crowd pleaser,

“Time is the wisest counselor of all.” – Pericles Last year, I found myself holding one of my true whiskeys—the 2024 release of Michter's 20 Year. At the time when I was gearing up to open it, I asked myself a simple question: Does ultra-rare whiskey taste ultra-delicious? The answer was a resounding yes . It was a pour that bucked the foolish assumption that hyper-aged Kentucky bourbon is only capable of being a tannic mess. That bottle earned a perfect 5/5 rating, incredibl