It’s been about a year with Old Tub. There were highs. There were lows. But would I grab another bottle? Let’s find out.

Craft distilleries seem to popping up every other week, but rarely do they have big pockets and big names behind them. Boondocks has both, which makes their 11 year cask strength American whiskey a very compelling offering - on paper.

FAE-01 is one of two limited releases Maker’s Mark plans for 2021. For this expression, the crew at Maker’s have taken normal cask strength Maker’s Mark and finishes it with additional time exposed to 10 American virgin oak staves. The goal is to highlight the strong wood influence in the bourbon making process and bringing a deeper complexity to the traditional cask strength Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Let’s see if they’ve succeeded.

Jim Beam has an extensive portfolio of everything from its signature White Label to limited release Booker’s and Knob Creek expressions. Jim Beam Black definitely falls on the lower end of the spectrum, boasting an MSRP around $20. But Jim Beam promises this to be older, and more complex than its ubiquitous White Label. But is Jim Beam Black worth the couple extra bucks? Let’s find out.

High West’s latest experiment is a distillery only release of an American single malt. Named High Country, this expression is a blend of three 2-9 year old malt whiskies that are finished in French oak Port pipes. It’s an intriguing proposition, one that sadly few people will likely get to experience unless they travel out to Park City to grab a bottle.

Weller 12 bourbon. The original Weller unicorn. “Poor Man’s Pappy”. Whatever you call it, many bourbon drinkers would jump at the chance to purchase this bourbon anywhere near MSRP. But secondary prices have climbed to almost $200. Is a 90 proof bourbon really worth that kind of money? Let’s jump in and find out.

A newcomer to the American whiskey scene, Redwood Empire has quickly made a name for itself for its interesting blends, bourbons, and finished whiskies. Their Lost Monarch expression promises to blend the spiciness of rye with the sweet smoothness of bourbon. How does it fare?

After spending over a year with this bottle, I take a look back at my feelings around my first Stagg bottle and if I would hunt to restock this.

Baker’s just underwent a major rebranding that Jim Beam hopes will breathe some new life into this core product. But does moving to an age stated single barrel make it better? Let’s find out.

High West has traditionally had a fantastic barrel selection program for stores and restaurants who want to come in and grab a unique barrel for their clients. Folks can come in and select anything from bourbons finished in barrels used to age High West’s Manhattan pre-mixed cocktails to rye whiskies finished in Islay peated whisky casks.

With Stagg Jr. Batch 15 now being released across the country, let’s take a step back and examine Batch 11 – the first Stagg bottle I ever bought.

Somewhere in the middle of the core Buffalo Trace range lies Eagle Rare. A 10-year product that is known for producing woody, rich flavors that punch well above its price.

After Ironroot Harbinger won Bourbon of the Year at the World Whiskies Awards in 2019, the small Texas distillery has shot to the world stage for producing great, small batch bourbons. How does the 90 proof version compare to its bigger brother?

While the rest of the bourbon industry struggles to keep up with demand Jim Beam somehow continues to consistently release 12-15 year bottles at incredibly affordable price points. Nowhere else in the bourbon world will you find 15 year bottles at around $50. At 120 proof and aged for so long, there is a quality here that is hard to match even at double the price.

Let’s see if this blend of sourced and proprietary whiskies live up to the hype of some of the older Smooth Ambler bottlings. Can Batch 200 make me a believer in Smooth Ambler?

After having this bottle for two years, it left my puzzled. For me, this unicorn didn’t live up to the hype.

While the original Maker’s Mark is a bit thin, sickly, and lacking oomph, the cask strength version promises to crank everything to 11, coming in at 111.3 proof and with all the straight out of the barrel goodness bourbon fanatics are looking for these days.

The annual release from High West Distillery, A Midwinter’s Night Dram is Christmas in a glass. But is it worth the hunt and the steep price tag?