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!

Quick review here! Only having 2 ounces of something I like to not put too much weight on one experience, but thought this one was worth writing a few things for. This sample comes to me courtesy of Ian aka @barrelproofnerd. I'm always grateful to try the crazy pours we swap! Company on Label: Mayor Pingree Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed (likely an MGP mash bill) Proof: 114.2° Age: 10 year Further identification: This is a single barrel pick from a few years ago from Otis Supply (a restaurant) in Michigan; it comes with a blue label and is labeled as coming from barrel J14 Potent sweets immediately greet me on the glass. I get a sugary rush to the head on a deep inhale. Really big oak comes off the glass; it has a lot of really bright and dusty characteristics that sting the nose slightly. The fruit sweetness on the palate is lovely. I get maraschino cherry, orange peel, dark red grape juice, and a powerhouse of creamy lemon frosting - it was right here when I realized this is a beautiful MGP barrel. Coming back to the nose is a treat. There's the perfect caramel note you hope for in every bourbon alongside a toasted marshmallow, and a touch of salted molasses cookies. My last sip is sweet again with sweet rope candy, plum, and a light, figgy jam. The linger is beautifully long with a tingly sweet mouth coating. I actually feel like I need to brush my teeth after this pour because of how sugary sweet it was. Delicious! Rating: Thumbs up! Well, you can't beat shared pours! This one started a little slow but built into an absolute sweets factory. If you enjoy the sweeter side of things this one will not let you down.

Another quick review here! Brett, @SaxyBourbon, one of my favorite humans and fellow @SpiritAnimalSociety founders sent me a sample of a single barrel (one of the oldest I am told!) from his local distillery Marlin & Barrel out of Florida. It clocks in at a high proof and carries the name 'Shoreline' which is very fitting for the Fernandina Beach locale. I'm excited to give this one a try as Brett and I have tasted a barrel pick from this same place before which was wicked fun, but wasn't their own distillate. Company on Label: Marlin & Barrel Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed 4 grain mash bill comprised of corn, rye, wheat, and barley Proof: 132.8° Age: NAS Further identification: This is a single barrel release from Marlin & Barrel out of Fernandina Beach, Florida; it is a limited release of their own distillate that was picked for one of their employees' birthday (Shannon); it was celebrated and released on January 8th, 2022 The nose immediately presents creamy molasses, whipped cream, dark baking spices, and a lovely graham cracker aroma. It's bright and easy for it's high proof. There's a verdant aroma that is quite pleasant; I hesitate to call it floral as it has some bigger, bolder smells than that. Taking a sip shows off what this whiskey is really about... big, bold birthday cake! There's a smoldering, sweet smoke to the linger that I love. The initial sip shows a touch of youth, but it's quickly washed over with waves of malt, caramel, and a dark bread note. Another sip builds in big waves of big spice that never seem to crash too hard into my tongue but do give off a ton of great flavor. This pour reminds me of an elegant restaurant. It feels like I'm trying a new food for the first time. This pour really balances the familiar flavors with some unique ones really well. It's a touch more heavy on the malt side than I will typically lean, but the presentation is really pretty impressive for its proof. My last sip is a perfect conglomeration of confectioners sugar, caramel, mild oak, and brown sugar. Pretty darn impressive, Florida! Rating: Thumbs up! Okay, by the last sip I was convinced. That's some really good stuff! I went in pretty skeptical but I've left a believer. Good whiskey finds good people - always. Cheers!

Barrell Craft Spirits has been doing wonderous and remarkable things with their blends from the get-go. From my most recent experience with Barrell Seagrass, to Dovetail, to the amazing single barrels that I've tried, there hasn't been anything from them that I've been able to turn down a pour of yet. I even won a signed bottle from Joe Beatrice in a blind tasting competition! That said, I go into every pour with a challenging and inquisitive mind. I generally try to disregard label and price once the liquor hits the glass and just evaluate on my reception to the experience. My puppy Fern enjoyed seeing me pop open this sample but she kept her distance from the 115.34 proof heat the best she could! This sample was provided to me from Barrell Craft Spirits at no cost and I thank them for giving me the opportunity to review this pour with no strings attached. Company on Label: Barrell Craft Spirits Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed blend of TN, KY, and IN mash bills Proof: 115.34° Age: 5 years (likely blended with older product than that) Further identification: This is batch 032 which is releasing across the country in early 2022 Nose: Funky oak forward on the first nosing with a distinct chocolate background. This reminds me a bit of some Wild Turkey or Beam funk right upfront and I'm definitely here for it. A rich, powerful vanilla follows with more dusty oak, black pepper and shiny metallics. I have to re-highlight the fun black pepper characteristic here which smells like so many of my favorite whiskies. The nose-feel is quite a bit on the dry side with powdered cacao and dark sawdust really keeping things tamped down and under wraps. I get the whole dang woodshed on this one. It's incredibly oak prevalent but it's not quite like anything I'm used to experiencing which is quite interesting. There's a touch of a savory sensation. A few deep inhales later and that heavy oak blanket seems to be lifting off the glass now and a bit of lemon zest emerges like the first signs of Spring. There's a nice background fruit and floral sweetness that isn't very prevalent but leaves a nice feeling in the nose. Much lighter now which tells me the glass is about ready for a sip. After a sip the funk from the early nose returns alongside a rich caramel. Light florals keep this delicate at other times. There definitely seems to be the hallmark experience of a blend of whiskies where distinctly different flavors tend to phase in and out of the glass. A wave of vanilla bean washed over the glass as I finished that thought. The empty glass smells lovely with a chocolate, soft red grape, plum, and a sweet honeysuckle. It highlights a nosing experience that reminds me of some of the earliest bourbons that I got into which is vaguely nostalgic for me. When I inhale through my nose while sipping I get some really distinct linen notes. The empty glass smells of light peanut, salty & savory bologna, and a truly lovely maple sugar / vanilla mix right on the tail end. Palate: Woah, the plum pop on the first sip is exhilarating, but it finishes a touch hot for only 115 proof. There's a nice texture to this that reminds me of an extra-bubbly seltzer. A subsequent sip is again fruit forward with cherry juice. A freight train of tannic oak spice rockets in behind the fruit and washes away any of the sweet linger that started out on the tongue. The mouth feel is a thick viscosity with molasses, cacao nibs, papaya seeds and capers lingering longest. Another sip is full of sweet, chalky candy like sweet tarts and smarties. Something in here feels slightly musty like there's a really highly aged bourbon mixed in on the back end. If you are a fan of old age statements and a lot of oak this release is certainly for you. As I swish a bit of the remaining whiskey in the glass I find a distinct vanilla, loads of the black pepper from the early nose, and a long, smoldering spiced finish. I may be getting soft with my whiskey these days but I have certainly been leaning towards more sweet rather than spicy pours. This one almost delivers a cayenne pop without too much heat. My last sip is a smaller one and that results in a brief flash of dried cherries, chalky sweet tart, plum, and dusty raisin flavor profile that I find to run right down the middle of the road in terms of quality for me. The linger is quite long with the same vague fruit and floral medley I mentioned earlier not really delivering anything descript - a hallmark of blends I've noticed for sure. Rating: 3/5 Batch 032 certainly did not disappoint me - that's the beauty of my 3 score: it's a pour I could go either way on; a pour that really runs right down the middle on the quality scale. If my ratings were a bell curve (which they probably are given enough whiskies reviewed) I'd imagine a significant portion of things should fall near the 3 mark. The scales where all the whiskies in the world are fighting for a 0.1 point difference against each other along the 90-100 range just doesn't make sense to me, so I like to do things this way. I hope you can interpret my scale properly and the tasting notes above help you out in your decision to try this whiskey! All this said, I've definitely personally had much more incredible releases from Barrell Craft Spirits than this. Cheers gang!

New England Barrel Company... By now you've heard of them. James Saunders has been making big waves in the whiskey world by bringing a really great palate to the whiskey sourcing table. James does all the hard work of filtering in good barrels to his brand and then passes the easiest next job over to groups like Mass Bourbon Alliance which I co-founded with my good friend Derek Laverriere (@bourbondipity_ on IG) to pick great barrels of whiskey and bring them to Massachusetts folks. Well - this is one such barrel! You might have seen we also have a Stouted Bourbon coming if you are following our Facebook page (locals only please). We had an absolute blast picking this barrel and really feel like James put out some of his best stuff for us to taste through. I'd love to live in his barrel room; if you get the chance to go up and see it, it's worth the trip. Now - let's see why we picked this barrel! Company on Label: New England Barrel Company Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley Proof: 114.2° Age: 6 years Further identification: This is a single barrel select that I helped pick onsite at NEBCo in New Hampshire; it comes from Barrel # 16-13 and we are thrilled to be working with Liquor Junction as our retail partner for Massachusetts distribution coming soon Nose: Lovely vanilla sweetness from the first nosing; it smells lightly sugary like a candy cigarette. Hefty, creamy caramel wafts off the surface of the glass which immediately shapes my lips closer to a smile than I was intending. I normally get more of this creamy feeling from the 36% rye mash bill from MGP, but this one is doing it incredibly well at 21% just the same. Cherry skins pop brightly in the background as this continues to push forth wave after wave of confectioners sugar, light maple syrup and a great level oak. Now it's time for a sip. Coming back the oak intensifies nicely, but not to a point of contention. Baking spice and more confectionary concoctions float off the glass. I get a rich creaminess that is reminiscent of a rum barrel finish but shows off more like a delicious homemade vanilla pudding smell. Oooh, when you really inhale deeply to dig deep in the glass the oak spices are on full display which is really interesting because they are otherwise quite subdued by the surface sweets. Overall the nose feels fairly complex for the age which is always refreshing. I do think this is a point that James is trying to make in a lot of his barrels and blends - good whiskey does not need high age statements! The liquid here really does speak for itself in that regard. Overall I mainly get that perfect blend of cherry, oak and caramel that reminds me of everything that I expect a good bourbon profile to be. As the glass gets closer to empty I get one of my all-time favorite bourbon notes: marshmallow! As it intertwines with the fruit sweetness I get the impression of a orange creamsicle, or perhaps a strawberry rum cake. The empty glass smells of peach cobbler, milk chocolate, dry oak, and vanilla custard cake. Palate: Immediate flashes of cherry syrup, grenadine, plum and raisin from the get go. I'm impressed by the combination of the intensity of the flavorful sweetness and the overall approachability of this sip. The linger is long and there's a rich coating of lemon tea, orange sherbert, and a soft linger of dark chocolate. Another sip builds in sweet tarts, a soft expressed twist of orange peel, and angostura bitters. Coming back after some time I get a nice flourish of cinnamon that almost attempts to be hot, but ends up just coming across as sweet again as strawberry lemon blondies sit delectably in the middle of my tongue. A larger sip and swish shows off the sweets once again without ever getting too hot for the palate; this proof point is hitting the spot tonight. Overall I'm quite satisfied with a balanced and complex sip that does all of your traditional bourbon notes and then some. I'm most impressed with the fruit and vanilla balance; the notes feel incredibly intertwined that experiencing them together feels like watching a well choreographed dance. My last sip is orange peel zesty with really distinct sweet tea characteristics. The linger is a long roaring wave of buttercream frosting, marmalade, and lovely maraschino cherries. Bonus review from Brittany! Nose: Light on the nose. Caramel toffee. Bright citrus. Mildly floral if you dig deep. Palate: More of that caramel toffee (candy-like) from the nose with a back end spice; there's a really nice linger. As it sits on my tongue the more citrus and floral notes arise. Now tasting a bit of chocolatey, oaky leather as I inhale. It would be delightful to enjoy on a warm Spring day. It's light and bright - really pleasant to drink. Rating: Two thumbs way up! That was some really high praise from Brittany up there who doesn't go crazy for many bourbons! As for my review, only having done one tasting, and having a lot of personal hype and bias keeps me from scoring this in my traditional way (1-5, check out the review page for what the scores mean to me) but I really do think that this is some exceptional whiskey. You are really going to want to grab at least one of these alongside the Stouted Bourbon! I'm going to be revisiting a glass of that Stouted tonight too to see if anything has changed for me from my last review. Keep your eyes peeled for release information from @MassBourbonAlliance and @liquorjunction. Cheers folks!

There aren't many better times in the whiskey world than getting to try something completely new. The lovely Brittany (@bourbonchick_6) from the Spirit Animal Society crew sent me along a special surprise... I opened a box from her to find a note saying that the bottle was wrapped up good (in order to blind me to the label) and to crack it open for a blind taste before unwrapping any further. Well... I obliged and got on a quick video call with her and some other SAS members and gave a few quick hot takes that I'll try to summarize from memory here: Before getting into it I asked one question and that was if this was a store pick from somewhere, which it was - a pick from Maisano's which I've been hearing great things about I immediately smelled grapes and asked if this was a brandy upon first smelling it There was a ton of red fruit but really the grape was most distinct on the nose before going in for a sip My first sip was an absolute explosion of all the red fruit you can think of Sticky raspberry jam, plum, raisin, you name it! Powerful.. I guessed near 130 proof I asked if this was finished in something which turned out to be true We started exploring what mash bill it might be and four grain came up I first said Penelope and then second guessed Lee Sinclair which Brittany told me was spot on! I loved my first tasting of this so much I wanted to come back and sit down with another glass and give it some deeper thought. See what Founder Jonathan Maisano had to say about this pick on Instagram: After two weekends of doing inventory in my shop I have finally found the time to sit down and give my Hand Select Spirits Of French Lick The Whiskey Witch the proper tasting time and sensory evaluation it deserves! I have tasted about 1,400 different Whiskey barrels straight from the barrel and this is the most unique one I have ever tried. I will try to put this incredibly layered Whiskey into words; First I get orange cream soda followed by sweet notes of smoke immediately followed by mint oil and star anise then touches of roast coffee (brought out by the cigar) the finish is oily and ever lasting! The 127.3 proof is never detected on the nose or tongue. If you want to enjoy a non Bourbon that will absolutely blow your mind this is it. Below is the abbreviated description given by the brilliant creator Alan Bishop @thealchemistcabinet The mash bill is composed of 51% Red Wheat, 24% Oats, and 25% Peat Smoked Malt. While oats and wheat aren’t often seen in modern Irish and Scottish expressions, both were once very common, and often used to this day by the handful of true “small pot” illicit distillers in Ireland, eager to preserve their distilling legacy. The Hoosier spin on this legacy is the use of peat harvested from bogs in Northern Indiana to smoke a small proportion of the Ye Olde Pale ale malt from Sugar Creek malt company. This peat brings a light fruitiness to the distillate and botanical like flavors as opposed to the typical phenolics of Scottish peat. The barrels originally held Bourbon then were last filled with 135+ proof grape brandy. The resulting whiskies when selected as single barrels became night and day expressions, the used oak presenting bright, citrus forward, and botanical like notes and the New American Oak presenting round, supple, sweet, and more restrained citrus and botanical like elements with a nudge towards more traditional American style whiskies. This Whiskey is beautiful paired with a @davidoffcigars Winston Churchill 2021 Limited Edition. I chose to mainly skim over the summary provided above before going into my tasting to try not to have any flavor bias, but I will definitely will be digging into this brand much more once I'm done with my tasting below! Read on to see what I thought of this pour. Company on Label: Spirits of French Lick (distilled and bottled by them in West Baden Springs, Indiana) Whiskey Type: American Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 51% Red Wheat, 24% Oats, and 25% Indiana Peat Smoked Malt Proof: 127.3° Age: 4 years (labeled as aged 4.5 years) Further identification: This unique whiskey is a single barrel selection (barrel 2558) from Maisano's Fine Wine & Spirits from the Gulf Coast; the bottle was sent to me by the awesome Spirit Animal Society member @bourbonchick_6. The whiskey was aged in barrels that originally held bourbon then were finished in 135+ proof grape brandy casks. Nose: Distinct grape sweetness is definitely prevalent on the nose - so syrupy it almost becomes a full blown grape juice that I'm smelling. I love that brandy influence that's clearly all over this. Orange peel zest jumps off the glass on deeper inhales. The nose feel is incredibly soft and silky for being nearly 130 proof. I get a nice dry oak aroma that doesn't come across too dusty or barren for the nose. Cherry juice and black pepper develop softly in the background. A swirl of the glass definitely brings on a bit more spice to the nose; I find clove, nutmeg and a tarragon mixed with a lovely citrus zest. Time to go in for a sip! Coming back to the nose I get more of the creamy citrus zest like a freshly made cream cheese lemon bar... that's lovely. Oh wow, there's that brandy sweetness again on the nose too. There are tiny flashes of a warm tobacco note nestled into the oak. Oh now the rich chocolate tones are seeping in. I find it splitting time between a raspberry jam, dark chocolate and a coffee bean aroma as I work through the air atop this whiskey. Silky vanilla can be found on the back end of most inhales. Hints of old school leather remind me of a local rollerblade skating rink in my hometown. I think on the nose we've pretty much come full circle as I return to a silky, syrupy grape (brandy) profile that is fairly delicate, but delicious. The empty glass smells of funky cranberry, creamy chocolate, the remnants of frothed espresso, and a lovely soft oak. Palate: This one is punchy and it's not shy about it at all! My first sip is an intense wave of plum, apricot, a distinct rolled oat characteristic, and a toasted smoky oak characteristic. The linger is incredibly soft compared to that first flash of flavor and any evidence of the 127.3 proof is completely hidden. Another sip builds in the orange peel flavor I was getting on the nose and adds a ton of creamy layers. I'm again intrigued experiencing this oat flavor that I haven't really experienced on any other whiskey before, likely a neat byproduct of the oats that were used in the unique mash bill. There are some great bergamot tea notes and the mouth coating is something thick and fierce. I find my saliva trending towards the consistency of honey the more I sip on this as nutmeg, blackberry and grenadine bombard my senses. A longer sip and swish with some air introduction really shows off a nice, dark red grape influence that sticks to the surface of the tongue well. I wish it was a little more forgiving in the way of the mouth coating holding on so tightly, but if you are looking for something you can sip slowly on a relaxing evening without getting too intoxicated - one sip of this gives you flavor that can certainly go the distance. I'm still finding new notes as I take a sip near the bottom of the glass and a yummy graham cracker flavor comes roaring into the center of my palate. I think that's how I'd best describe most of the delivery of this pour - it's a bit of a roaring rollercoaster that slow builds in some sections and then rockets you off at the speed of light at other times. My last sip is a beautiful bouquet of sweet fruit as cherry skins, raisin and hot tamales. The finish is a touch hot, but once that bit of shock passes I'm left with a honey, blackcurrant, and angostura bitters profile that sits with me like a long hug. Rating: 4/5 I'm pleased to say this pour made the "Keep Amongst the Whiskey" list; something not many other pours have done in a long time. Click the image above to see some other whiskeys that have made that list. This was something super unique and I am thankful for both Brittany sending me this and Maisano's for picking such an incredibly layered whiskey experience. This bottle will certainly be savored and shared with more folks who need to try this awesome spirit. I do think I want to try that cigar pairing that I read about above! Cheers!

Well, Irish week is coming to an end and today we announce the winners of the giveaway that received a ton of entries both here and on my Instagram. The first winner will have a choice between a bottle of Green Spot Irish whiskey or 4x 2oz samples of 4 bottles of your choosing that I drink this week! I was joined last night by @amongstthefernsco as usual, and a good friend Brendan Winch also showed up for the grand finale which ended up being a bracket head to head competition of 12 bottles! This means everything in the bracket is open for samples for the winner... We did blind head to heads at every bracket meeting point... Brittany knew what we were drinking but Brendan and I were only given two glasses and a choice on who moves on to the next round. You'll see some big surprises and some unfortunate first round matchups below. I was quite surprised to see Redbreast 12 year not do as well as it did last year. Also can you believe Red Spot was out in the first round for me? It was my winner of last years bracket (we didn't document, nor did we blind), but it's unsurprising that the bottle that could knock out Red Spot ended up being the top pour overall. Honorable mentions from the brackets that Brendan and @amongstthefernsco did... Brendan ended up in a really close battle between Blue Spot and Red Spot. He ended up leaning for the Blue Spot as the winner and foolishly wrote "go buy Blue Spot" in the footnotes of his bracket sheet like it was going to be sitting on the shelf in the New Hampshire Liquor Outlet tomorrow. He had never really had Irish whiskey before, so it's great to know he's got expensive tastes from the get-go! Brittany ended up neck and neck between two Redbreast releases: the Lustau and the PX sherry release. She ended up picking her same favorite from last year in the Lustau. It was a hell of a fun night and a good way to show off that every palate is different! Last but not least... The giveaway winners! First place... Benefitting greatly from the bonus entries that being a website subscriber and comment contributor... is Isaac! Congrats @sipnngrilln you will get first dibs on deciding between the bottle of Green Spot and the 4x sample set! Second place came in on an Instagram comment... This person tagged @johnsliquorfalmouth of all people (love that store!) and came up big with a win on just a few entries... Congrats to @capeterps - looking forward to sharing some Irish whiskey with you! I'll be in your DMs soon. Cheers folks!

New England Barrel Company is an awesome new start up rapidly gaining steam across the country; they are based out of New England and are taking a new spin on sourcing great whiskey. This is a fresh off the truck release from the New Hampshire Liquor Outlet - it is a single barrel picked by the New Hampshire Bourbon Club. The tasting group consisted of Wayne Charron, Ryan McCabe, Sarah Maillet, Justin Fillip and his wife. The group went and met with James Saunders to select this MGP barrel which is identified as barrel #18 and comes to us at 113.9 proof. This is a 5 year bourbon I am excited to get into for the first time so I will only be providing some quick, preliminary first-thought notes tonight. Company on Label: New England Barrel Company Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley Proof: 113.9° Age: 5 years Further identification: This is a single barrel select from the New Hampshire Bourbon Club Nose: A nice spice and savory meatiness to this - it reminds me of a Booker's batch a bit with that ~6ish year old oak aroma I actually really dig. Deep, dusty caramel comes off really soft in the nose. There's a tinge of metal on the back end but it blends in well. I'm really surprised how savory this is coming across to me tonight, but that might have something to do with the steak dinner I had not long ago. Really nice on the nose. I'm digging this. The oak is right at my sweet spot with this. With bourbons around this age I actually usually prefer things to get capped at around 7 years before I think things start to shine again at 12-15 for my palate. The empty glass smells of funky plum, a rich dark bread and level oak. Palate: My first sip is a lovely pop of cherry. Wow, no - this is more than a pop of cherry this is a full blown cherry pie that just keeps on pushing forward. Mm. I get a nice tingly bit of bitters along my gums. This is a sweet delight. There's a traditional creamy caramel I normally attribute more towards the 36% rye mash bill from MGP but this 21% is doing it so well. There's a hint of citrus and chamomile that gives this a lovely complexity. The glass leans towards a floral sweetness. My last sip is oak forward with hints of chocolate, marula fruit sweetness and a long linger of orange creamsicle and manageable spice. Yum. Rating: Two thumbs up! Hopefully you can get your hands on one of these! I know these are starting to go fast and it was only the first day of the release. If you strike out keep your eyes peeled for a @MassBourbonAlliance NEBCo set of picks we have in the pipeline! Cheers folks!

It's day 4 of Irish week and this train just keeps on rolling! All this week I will be running a giveaway on my Instagram where you will have the chance to win a bottle of Green Spot Irish whiskey or 4x 2oz samples of 4 bottles of your choosing that I drink this week! There will be 5 total days of nothing but Irish whiskey reviews from me as part of this; keep participating every day to increase your odds. If you want a boatload of bonus entries make sure to drop a comment on this webpage with your Instagram handle and your favorite Irish whiskey you want to see reviewed (or just some love)! As a special thank you to my website subscribers (love you all!), each of these comments are worth 10x more than an Instagram tag! Also feel free to drop a comment on all of my previous Irish reviews below: Bushmills Black Bush High N' Wicked - The Wild Rover Redbreast Lustau Edition Red Spot and Redbreast Lustau Head to Head Redbreast PX Sherry Finish Redbreast Small Batch Cask Strength Tomorrow on the 17th @amongstthefernsco and I will be tasting through just about everything we have, so stay tuned for a big finale. I'm glad to be changing pace on the distillery tonight. Let's see how this unique Irish offering turned out. This bottle was unwittingly shared with me for review by Brendan Winch; Amongst the Whiskey thanks you for the dram! Company on Label: Teeling Whiskey Company (Cooley Distillery) Whiskey Type: Finished Irish Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 95% Corn, 5% Malted Barley Proof: 92° Age: NAS (aged 6 years in Californian cabernet sauvignon barrels) Further identification: This is a rare example of a single grain Irish whiskey, which means it was column distilled from a mash of multiple grains, often corn, rye, unmalted and/or malted barley, and wheat and made at a single Irish distillery; it is stated as being non-chill filtered Nose: Woah, definitive corn sweetness up front here. There's a lighter oak and dust level compared to many of the other releases I've been through. Faint metallics and a light floral undertone are hard to pick up, but nice on the senses. Hm, a swirl brings out a funky savory note I wasn't expecting here. Wet cask iron (a sin) keeps coming back to me on this. I really can't say this nose early on does much for me. Time for a sip to see if things open up! Again the nose stays quite tame here as just traces of oak continue to rise off the surface of the whiskey. Ah, here we go - now I get a bit of a lemon twist over tea with a soft honey; if this were warmed to the point of steaming I could mistake it for a hot toddy. Copper and caramel flash up briefly before the red berry fruit parfait medley comes back to show off again. The empty glass smells of red licorice, moss, campfire ash, and sweet cornbread. Palate: Yum, yum, yum! That first sip was a complete 180 from the nose. Oh wow - the fruit parfait on this is just delectable. It's got some slight effervescence as if you popped a whole bunch of nerds candy in your mouth all at once. There's just an incredible softness to this that makes it feel like my tongue is being gently put to bed after falling asleep in the car. It's dessert savory like a really nice frosting, but devoid of that cloying sweetness some other Irish whiskeys drive at you. There is a bit of creamy coffee bean that I love to find. It also almost comes across like it has a flat milk kind of mouth feel which surprisingly is a lovely experience here. The fruit I mention at the start that I can pick up on are strawberry and red raspberry while a syrupy grenadine flavor ties them together. There is definitely a thicker, creamy yogurt feel to this which makes the parfait comparison still feel like it is ringing true later in the glass. This develops really well with time, but continues to be quite subtle. This is a pour you need to be paying attention to in order to pick up its character. The slight metallic feel I had early on in the nose transferred now to the palate as well. My last sip is a creamy, dreamy array of vanilla granola, light orange zest and soft florals that fade slowly into a long linger of faint peach brandy. Rating: 4/5 This one is surprising for its own unique reasons. I think this is the type of release that if you're not paying attention you could crush way too many drams of this very quickly, and that would be a damn shame because this whiskey shines best when you take your time with it. This also feels like most of the magic comes on the first sip and you're left chasing that high a bit through the rest of the dram. I hope you can enjoy some of this in a glass near you soon to see what I'm talking about. Cheers!

It's day 3 of Irish week and I am back baby! Fingers crossed we don't lose this review like we lost the Blue Spot write up I did! All this week I will be running a giveaway on my Instagram where you will have the chance to win a bottle of Green Spot Irish whiskey or 4x 2oz samples of 4 bottles of your choosing that I drink this week! There will be 5 total days of nothing but Irish whiskey reviews from me as part of this; keep participating every day to increase your odds. If you want a boatload of bonus entries make sure to drop a comment on this webpage with your Instagram handle and your favorite Irish whiskey you want to see reviewed (or just some love)! As a special thank you to my website subscribers, each of these comments are worth 10x more than an Instagram tag! Also feel free to drop a comment on all of my previous Irish reviews below: Bushmills Black Bush High N' Wicked - The Wild Rover Redbreast Lustau Edition Red Spot and Redbreast Lustau Head to Head Redbreast PX Sherry Finish On the 17th @amongstthefernsco and I will be tasting through just about everything we have, so stay tuned for a big finale. Now, let's see what cask strength Irish whiskey does to me tonight! Company on Label: Pernod 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 release from Redbreast that carries the label "Batch No. B1/19" likely an omen of future batches that inevitably got squashed by COVID - as this whiskey took until 2021 to get released in the US (exclusively, as far as I know). The whiskey starts its finishing timeline in bourbon and sherry casks but gets an extra 70 days of finishing in Oloroso Sherry butts. It was a rather expensive release which might be why you are here looking for a review of it! Nose: Yum. The nose starts very traditional for an Irish whiskey with light, bountiful sugar cookie notes and a soft, buttery consistency in the nose. Woah a second, deeper inhale definitely shows off the extra proof. It's interesting to note this comes out at the same proof as Blue Spot... There's a clear dustiness and funkiness to this. Dried citrus fruits are very light, but present on the back end of a draw. Buttercream frosting parts slowly into a vanilla base and then falls suddenly into black pepper. Mmm, there's a nice, crisp floral sweetness on this as well that doesn't come off too hot. I'm actually quite impressed that this has so far managed to take what a good Irish whiskey is supposed to do and cranked it up a bit in intensity. Ah - now tilting the glass a bit side to side I can finally find some of the fruit that the sherry casks & butts should have imparted. Oh, oh my - there's a distinct Choco Taco (the ice cream) vibe to this now. Don't let your proof nostril get too close to this though as 117.4 on an Irish comes off a bit more intense than you'd expect. I get much more barrel influence on this than anything else; it's quite dry in the nose with a dusty feel and loads of typical oak spice. Time for a sip to see if we can open this up. After a sip a distinct metallic note that reminds me of barrel hoops shows up but doesn't last long as a beautiful caramel note takes over. Wow, I was beginning to get a bit disappointed in this glass until very close to the end when the sweet factory just turned their lights back on. I get a blueberry pie smell, prune sweetness and a light, earthy oak bark. The empty glass smells of soft molasses, sawdust, smoke, a hint of minty licorice, fig and pear. Palate: Coffee ice cream leads the way on the palate with a chocolate buttercream linger. It drinks quite easy with your traditional oily mouth coating keeping any potential ethanol bite off the surface of your tongue. Sleek, creamy orange pound cake comes off delectable yet very soft. Another sip builds more creamy tones, but I struggle to really draw a lot of flavor from this release so far overall. For me tonight there's just the creamy start, the spicy crescendo, and then a pulsing, proofy wave of vague sugary desserts. Introducing a little air during a sip increases the vanilla characteristic but also brings a big wave of spice that carries allspice, nutmeg and almond. If you really dig on the palate, a touch of strawberry and peach can be found. My last sip is soft again with creamy vanilla once again leading the way and a short linger of strawberry cereal and sweet coffee creamer. Rating: 3/5 There may be good reason most Irish whiskeys are bottles near 92 proof... At 117.4 (and with some bourbon barrel aging going on) I'm too closely reminded of a plain bourbon itself; something that I would reach for if that was my hankering. I also was not quite impressed with the relative lack of complexity of this - something that other cheaper releases of Redbreast can accomplish handily. I still liked all the flavors this glass threw at me, I just wish there were more of them for a whiskey of this caliber. It started really promising on the nose, but as whiskey is meant to be drank I have to bump this down to a middle-of-the-road 3, which (per my scale) means it's decent. I can go either way on it. I will say it's surprisingly crushable despite the proof, so be warned! I'll certainly continue to explore, learn and enjoy this bottle and I recommend you give it a try for yourself too if you can.

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

Time for a sample from the magic whiskey drawer! This port wine finished pour comes courtesy of @ra1nmannn, who also provided me with a bottle of the 2021 release to benchmark against as well. See the bottom of the page for a bonus head to head ranking of 2018, 2020 and 2021 releases. There's something about cold, snowy weather that always beckons me towards port wine finished whiskey; whether it be A Midwinter Night's Dram, Isaac Bowman, or this tasty treat - there's something to the mix of snow and the comforting respite of a well-finished whiskey in the warmth of your own home. I've previously reviewed the 2020 release already and am just coming off a Bardstown Bourbon "The Prisoner" review as well. I'm glad to be getting into these today - let's see how the 2018 tastes first! Company on Label: Louisville Spirits Group Whiskey Type: Finished Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley Proof: 124° Age: NAS (supposedly up to 7 years) Further identification: This years release is also port wine finished - though other finishes have been used in the past Nose: Milk chocolate, toffee and a creamy raisin bread come up first. Dusty plum is right there immediately - certainly an offspring of the marriage between bourbon and port wine. More bread-like tones keep coming up mixed with plenty of berry notes; it reminds me of something like Stollen (German Christmas bread). There's plenty of level oak in this glass; it feels well-tempered like it has been properly stored at all the right conditions to not deteriorate. Surprisingly easy on the nose for the proof. Time for a sip! Yum. Some really nice caramel and butterscotch aromas have built well in this glass. Deeper inhales shows off a flavorful vanilla profile. I'm liking the creamy characteristics that are building now as it cuts through some of the dry dustiness and spices. Coming back after a long rest I get more dusty caramel and a touch of molasses. There seems to be surprisingly little depth here. The empty glass smells of earthy, dry dirt notes, cherry skins, red grapes and fig newtons. Palate: Wow. This is quite punchy from the get-go. I get aromatic bitters, cherry Garcia ice cream, plum, raisin, fig jam, and an intense cinnamon slap to the throat. Whew! The nose was deceiving! Another sip is less surprising with loads of dark red berry notes bellowing out. This is definitely a spice-forward release with allspice and nutmeg charging forward before settling into a plum base with cinnamon hots coating the edges of my mouth. The linger is short with chocolate, earthy funk and raisin. The sweet flavors are definitely there, but I'm finding them to be quite hidden under an undulating wave of heat that obfuscates the flavors. My last sip is pleasantly vanilla forward with Nerds candy, raspberry and maraschino cherry juice. Rating: 3/5 The 2018 was a surprising bit of a let down for me tonight. There were certainly some fleeting moments of greatness, but overall the whiskey drank a little too hot for me. Head to Head Rankings: Angel's Envy Cask Strength 2018 vs 2020 vs 2021 2020 As I nose into the 2020 release I'm greeted with a lot of the same dusty sweetness but it feels much more well-kempt. There's a lovely paper note I always enjoy which is likely an oak artifact. It's much more leadingly sweet and has a buttery nose-feel. This one drinks malt-forward with surprising pear and apple notes. All the same lovely fruit you'd expect. Really... Wow.. This one definitely feels on-par with a good Midwinter Night's Dram Act. Yeah, wow, this one drinks like silk compared to the 2018. Lovely port wine influence that just checks the box while still remaining predominantly a whiskey for me. I might be getting a little soft in my whiskey preferences; I feel like I used to be the barrel proof king and now I find myself targeting a lot of the sweeter profiles. This one fits that bill. Delicious! 2018 The second time going into a half-glass of this I get something really strange; it's like a fruit fluoride, or something that reminds me of my old dentist's office. That note passes and returns to the chocolate and breadiness I was expecting. Back to a sip of this my proof pain point has certainly been diminished as I'm getting into a higher volume of whiskey. This reveals some nice citrus notes I didn't get in my initial review, but the flashy linger is still quite stinging and tingling on the mouth. 2021 Well, this feels somewhere in between the other two with nothing prominently jumping out as different at first glance. There's much more dry oak to this and something like powdered nitrile rubber gloves that is subtle yet quite confusing on this nose. It drinks much softer and sweeter than the 2018 release with a lovely grape-forward profile. The linger is much, much longer than the 2018 was giving me and I'm impressed with the delivery of strawberry and aprium. Returning to the nose on this, I feel like this one might be the most complex and a touch on the darker side compared to the very, very sweet profile of the 2020. It drinks easily and certainly earns a spot in the ATW study. Final Ranking: 2020 > 2021 > 2018 Though 2020 and 2021 are very close but for different reasons.