You'll have no further to look than the diverse range of the Michter's whiskey lineup . the answer likely lies in the use of different oak than new, charred white American oak, a practice Michter's The Michter's website  states, "This offering uses rye whiskey that has aged in French oak sourced from Company on Label:  Michter's Distillery Whiskey Type:  Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages 91.2° Age:  NAS Further identification:  This is the 2024 release of the annual special release from Michter's

As a special thank you to my website subscribers, each of these comments are worth 10x more than an Instagram Ricard (Distilled at Midleton Distillery) Whiskey Type: Finished Irish Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 100% Malted and Unmalted Barley Proof: 117.4° Age: NAS (~9-10 years) Further identification: This one-off

Label: Buffalo Trace Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (Low Rye < 10%

After 10 or so minutes of resting things are much more mellow, but still powerful.

Shenk's is a release that Michter's Distillery uses to honor the rich history of the origin of their though the true 'traditional' process would have originated from the Pennsylvania region, also where Michter's Michter's describes the Shenk's story on their website, saying: Shenk's Homestead Distillery Sour Mash Company on Label: Michter's Distillery Whiskey Type: Kentucky Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Fans of any of the Michter's toasted releases will find this to be right up their alley.

72.18% Corn, 3.25% Wheat, 13.10% Rye, and 11.56% Malted Barley Proof: Average Theoretical Proof: 102.65 ° Measured Proof: 107° Age: Minimum age: 2 Years Average age: 9.29 Years Average age with barrel re-filled as an infinity barrel; the whiskey at the time of review is current to the bottle list up to 4/10 I really am trying to keep this right around 107 so it's approachable no matter the circumstance and

Are you a fan of sherry finishes? Are you a fan of Irish whiskey? I’ve been drinking Irish for a lot longer than I’ve been drinking anything else. I’m throwing it back to this one tonight. The last time I had this was St Patrick’s Day, where @amongstthefernsco crowned it her Irish Whiskey 2021 Bracket Champion. Let’s see how I feel about it tonight. Company on Label: Pernod Ricard Whiskey Type: Sherry Cask Finished Irish Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 92° Age: NAS (9-12 years) Further identification: This comes in a nice presentation box; purchased today, Friday the 13th of August 2021 Nose: Shortbread cookie! Bright vanilla. Some malty grains that instantly evolve into a rich chocolate & coffee bean. The start of the glass is kind of a cacophony of aromas. Sweet ashy smoke. Caramel and baking spices. Smells like some kind of confectionery creation my grandmother would make me. Pungent walnut parfait. A light leather and oak forms near the bottom of the glass. It floats along the incredible river of creamy vanilla that has been the highlight of this pour. Empty glass highlights some copper metallics I didn't originally find. Palate: Starts out viscous and oily but with very little sweetness right now which is surprising. The sherry finish on this definitely leans towards allowing the whiskey to work it's magic instead of taking over the profile. Creamy butter spread on a flaky square of cornbread. Syrupy sherry sweetness grows and grows the more you sip on this one. It feels like a solid step above in cask quality than what Bushmills Black Bush is finished in, which pains me to say, but it's true. I'd also wager it spent less time in the secondary cask. Slightly herbal near the bottom of the glass, this pour has always impressed me with its complexity over other Irish offerings. There's a texture and flavor that reminds me of my favorite parts of Nikka Coffey Malt. Last sip has buttery layers like mashed potatoes, rolling into a light oak and finally mellowing into the marshmallow sweetness of the evolved vanilla. Rating: 4/5

Kentucky Owl Whiskey Type: Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 112.8° Age: 10 years Further identification: Batch No. 4, nicknamed “The Last Rye,” is a blend of rye stocks aged 10

Is Russell's Reserve 13 year worth chasing? If you're here to answer that question I hope this head to head review helps you! Check out my full reviews of each of these in the related post section at the bottom of the page. I have been blinded to which pour is in which glass for fairness. Scroll slow if you want to read the notes and rankings without seeing the reveal at the bottom. Left Glass Review: Nose: Dark chocolate Spice Caramel Dry oak / vanilla Sweet fig; almost red wine Something really funky; approaches a light vinegar note Definite old oak note; solid depth Intense black pepper & molasses Marshmallow Smells like higher proof Palate: Caramel forward Cherry rise is delicious Long linger of cinnamon, but not as spicy as cinnamon hots Yummy citrus delivery Vanilla linger Tannic red grade, fig & jam Intense mouth coating; wine-like Definite full body to this, one for those with a sweet tooth Right Glass Review: Nose: Sweet fig & cherry Spicy Oak Caramel Something dry but smooth in texture Funky & more herbal spice than other glass Paper dryness, but with a bit of butter behind it Never have I ever smelled this in a glass, but tomato basil red pasta sauce & meatballs... very briefly Slightly metallic but in a chocolate + cloves kind of way Really fun nose Palate: Syrupy sweet cherry Cinnamon pop Thin to start but nice rising delivery Light vanilla cream dusted with citrus zest Black pepper bite Creamy long caramel linger Delivers a little proofy but fades quickly into a flavor bomb Sweet, but not overly so I drank this glass faster, for what that's worth, if anything Final Ranking: Left Glass > Right Glass, but they are incredibly close Reveal: Left Glass = 13 Year Right Glass = Single Barrel 8 Year Pick I had these identified correctly. Having come off the 13 year tasting I knew it had some intense figgy. & jammy sweetness that bordered on a wine profile which definitely gave it away. There also are some slight nuances in the level of the oak intensity that gave away the age difference. I honestly could go either way on these pours rank-wise. At times the 13 year is almost too sweet for my preferences, but I'm sure many will enjoy that. I think this pick from Rapid Liquors is just an exceptional example of where Russell's picks can get to in terms of quality and will likely not represent the entirety of their line, as is expected with single barrel offerings. Let me know what you think if you have tried either! Russell's Reserve 13 Year Barrel Proof Bourbon Company on Label: Wild Turkey Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley Proof: 114.8° Age: 13 years Further identification: Russell's 13 comes with a white top label and a blue bottom label; it is NCF stated Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Private Selection Bourbon Company on Label: Wild Turkey Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley Proof: 110° Age: 8 years Further identification: Rapid Liquors store pick Barrel 20-0164. Distilled 09/19/11, dumped 03/31/20, bottled 05/21/20 from Warehouse E, Floor 4

Noses more like a 12 year old barrel at closer to 10 years aged in actuality. Vanilla turning lighter than the beginning glaze texture now, making way for a hint of bright florals Way more herbal here on palate without the creamy caramel and brown sugar holding down the lighter notes

) Whiskey Type: Wheated Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 51% Corn, 45% Wheat, 4% Malted Barley Proof: 108.8 I do fortunately have a bottle of this to try, another 8 year in barrel BCW45, only 10 away from this incredibly excited for this release to get even older, as I think some of those nuances will come alive. 10

Well, @bourbon_paddy made me do it. We were chatting not too long ago and some of his most excitable whiskey descriptors were used to portray the quality of this Larceny batch, so I had to give it a go myself. I historically have not been crazy for these Larceny barrel proof releases, finding batch A120 to be quite lackluster. Check out his review here! I'll be going into this glass without having read into it too closely so I can form my own opinions here now, but definitely check out his thorough reviews for yourself. Here goes... This is Larceny's last chance to wow me before I might go all in on team Elijah Craig... Let's get to it! Company on Label: Old Fitzgerald Distillery (Heaven Hill) Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 12% Malted Barley Proof: 122.6° Age: 6 years (a blend of 6 to 8 year barrels) Further identification: Batch C921 is the 3rd and final release from 2021 Nose: A very traditional bourbon caramel immediately rises off the surface of the glass. Pepper dances around the edges of the glass as an incredibly soft leather greets me as well. There's a hint of a bright copper metallic note early on in the glass that fades into a nice base of cashew and peanut brittle as time goes on. The nose is quite light in intensity with no big evidence of any proof to be found. Molasses, dark earth, and hints of dark chocolate are really great layers to find now as this opens up. I find this nose to be quite moody and brooding with the dark earth tones really presenting the most intently. Time for a sip to see if things open up differently on the palate. Coming back after a few sips to explore the nose further I find that the nutty aromas of cashew and peanut have jumped back into the foreground and combined with the sugary sweet pecan note I was getting on the palate. Digging deeper I'm able to find a nice baking-sweet vanilla. The darkness of the early glass seems far away as funky malt, level oak, and a touch of barbecue smoke have transitioned this glass into something quite enjoyable. There's definitely some savory notes coming off the glass that made me think of barbecue smoke in particular. As the glass weathers on the sweetness from the palate starts to drift in. For the most part I actually enjoyed the contrast between nose and palate here where the overall complexity of the pour benefited from that crossover. The empty glass smells of confectioners sugar, vanilla, and maple syrup soaked oak. Palate: My first sip is really a complete surprise as delicious cherry hots flash up, sizzle on the tip of my tongue and then settles into a nutty cherry pie linger. I also taste a lovely maple-roasted candied pecan dessert as my first sip trails off slowly. Another sip is much more manageable from a flashy proof perspective, but the same lovely cherry persists. There's orange peel, grape jelly and a soft tingle of herbal tea sticking in my gums. I had no idea I was going to enjoy this pour this much on the palate based on the aromas I was finding on the nose. The mouth coating is just the right weight for any occasion; it's not so heavy you find yourself reaching for a glass of water after every sip, nor is it fleeting in any sense of that word. The entirety of my mouth is coated with a caramel nut tart and I'm here for it as the flavors hangs on clearly for the better part of a full minute. Yum; another sip builds in more fruit sweetness with plum, blackberry and flashes of pomegranate. A custard sweetness sits atop fig tart. This batch of Larceny actually really reminds me of a good Booker's batch - something that I haven't revisited in a long while. A bigger sip and swish reminds you of the proof point you are working with as black pepper, cinnamon and a flashy brandy sweetness sting the tongue. Nearing the end of the glass a faint bit of salted molasses struck through in a surprising departure from the rest of the experience. There's a fair bit of buttery toffee in the linger. My last sip has built up an array of baking spices that excite the palate with ginger, brown sugar, cookie dough, and nutmeg coming through strongly. Rating: 4/5 Bonus head to head review! Immediately after finishing the C921 review I decided to briefly revisit my A120 batch as I never actually formally reviewed that pour. It's been fairly low and should have experienced some changes due to oxidation by this point in the bottle, but I wanted to explore if this batch is truly a cut above the rest. The A120 presents distinctly hotter without the vibrant sweet fruit that the C921 delivered. The A120 nose presents with much more of that white-washed, bright paper quality that some Heaven Hill oak tends to do. The A120 is distinctly more tannic and bitter, but I find still find myself liking it more than I recall. There's a funny captain crunch cereal note I hadn't experienced before, but the proof imbalance continues to make me feel as though this A120 batch isn't as refined as it could be (like C921 delivered above). So I'll definitely be giving C921 the nod here in this brief head to head. Let me know if you have had either batch and what you thought of them! Larceny, you can definitely stay Amongst the Whiskey still. Trying this batch was certainly eye opening. Cheers to another great week up ahead of us here!