In 1987, a group of distillery managers from Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) met for a tasting session on with Gregory Cloyd and the Whisky Legends who participated in a grand tasting of 11 of the most Attendees of this tasting likely felt much like the luminaries of SMD did back in 1988. Take a drink of this whisky and you'll surely find something to love: red grape, pear, kiwi water, toasted Johnnie Walker lovers can thank Caol lla for much of its delicious taste.

batch of Stagg bourbon, which first released in spring of 2026 Nose: On first lifting the glass, I find barrel Barrel funk and vanilla continue to be the dominant tones, reminding me of the simplicity of Batch 16 Another sip reveals a distinctly bready whiskey, something like wheat toast mixed with plain waffle. Cross-referencing this tasting against several other Stagg Jr bottles from releases past allows me to

We got to try it straight from the vat pictured above, where Murphy Quint has been blending barrels for Starting this project with a base of single malt aged in ex-bourbon barrels means this was already born As such, we know what happens when these barrels get imparted with a fruit-forward wine before putting Ramon was certainly excited in this warehouse, finding a mighty fine Amontillado barrel to drool over Each barrel is different, with its own unique strengths and limitations.

is anything but standard—to the spectacular, you can find unique grains, solera blending, infusions, barrel To be considered a bottled in bond bourbon, all the barrels that went into the blend have to have been The fall 2019 vintage calls out the season during which the barrels were filled with new-make distillate , 18% SB091, 9% B005 + toast, 9% B005, 9% SB055 + toast, 9% SB055; (it's complicated...) identification: This is the Fall 2019 Vintage which was released in September 2023 from a batch size of 10-12 barrels

I recently had a chance to compare two different barrels with my friend Jason Kass. That's the beauty of single barrels. Bottles like this are what the whiskey hunt is all about. With access at an all-time high, I sat down to taste through barrel 048 of Pride of Anderson County to Returning the nose to glass produces dank barrel funk, black pepper, and allspice. Tasting it next to a really great Russell's single barrel pick, I stand by my statement.

The goal of the challenge was to have 10 people taste the sample blind and try to identify the brand, I don't smell a barrel finish which rules out a lot of things. Rating: 4/5 Final Guess: Barrell Bourbon, 118 Proof Reveal: Correct, AND closest proof guess! Company on Label: Barrell Craft Spirits Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof

We have arrived at the sweet end of this epic Manager's Dram tasting with an absolute monster. history, so well, in fact, that we're borrowing a few words from her here before we get into our own tasting Johnnie Walker lovers can thank Caol lla for a lot of its delicious taste! In the grand finale of the incredible Manager’s Dram tasting that Gregory Cloyd hosted, we have the Palate: This is a great example of hoping the beauty of the nose will guide me through the tastes in

To those who have experienced and tasted whisky from either distillery, it should come as no surprise A big thank you to Gregory Cloyd,  for organizing such an Illuminating tasting. It was a privilege to explore his beautiful garden (pictured above) and to taste such rare whisky. We are honored to share our tasting notes of the Manager's Dram lineup  we explored amongst some of the My last sip tastes like sex and rock & roll.

William Larue Weller Bourbon The 2024 William Larue Weller barrels aged over twelve years on the lower floor of a rick warehouse at Buffalo Trace Distillery at a barrel entry proof of 114. Stagg bourbon in 2002 in response to a consumer request for a well-aged, barrel-strength whiskey. Stagg sits at 136.1 proof and is comprised of barrels aged more than 15 years and two months. Handy is bottled directly from the barrel, honoring its traditional method from over a century ago.

Picks // Buffalo Trace Bourbon Single Barrel Picks Cherry: Wild Turkey Master's Keep Revival // 1792 Aged Twelve Years Sweetness: 2023 Bomberger's Declaration // Spirit Animal Society Tokaji Finished Barrell Whiskey Raspberry: Willett 8 Year Wheated Bourbon // Old Forester Barrel Proof Picks Plum: Spirit Animal Wheated Bourbon Southern Star Paragon Single Barrel Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon Old Fitzgerald Bottled Recommendations from the whiskey community: I have been replacing my Weller 12 fix with Elijah Craig Barrel

Our Top 5 American Single Malts as of 2025: 5: Jack Daniel's Twice Barreled Special Release American Toasted bread, melted butter, creamy fig, and blackberry tart are all complex nuances you'll find sipping Westward Milestone 2 is expertly crafted by Miles Munroe from a 21-barrel solera blending strategy. It's perhaps the closest proper production scale project to the Amongst the Whiskey infinity barrel project Westward American Single Malt Bottled-in-Bond  ($99.95) Redwood Empire Foggy Burl ($99) Westward Single Barrel

grounded isn't the best word to use here, given their popular Jefferson's Ocean release, where bourbon barrels They're balancing heritage—what makes bourbon what it is (legal definitions, mash bills, barrels, etc wine finish (11%), Kentucky rye barrel rum finish, (6%), and Kentucky 9 year bourbon (6%) Nose:  Right That double-barreled Indiana wheat component is singing on my tongue. Turns out, this isn't a cover-up at all but a great example of a well-done five barrel blend.