The Bourbon Bard’s Blog

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Every Old Soul Bourbon Reviewed [2021]

20 - Jun - 2021 | Craft Distilleries, Review

Old Soul Bourbon is made by Cathead Distillery in Mississippi. First of all, I love their name, logo, and slogan ("A Sip of the South"). Cathead was founded in 2010 by Austin Evans and Richard Patrick and is led by Distillery Phillip Ladner. Cathead is Mississippi's...

Pursuit United Bourbon Review [2021]

19 - Jun - 2021 | Blended, NDPs, Review

Pursuit United Bourbon is a blended whiskey from Pursuit Spirits (AKA Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil, the duo behind Bourbon Pursuit). They started Pursuit Spirits offering Pursuit Series — single barrels of uncut and unfiltered whiskeys. I've had three or four of...

Every Found North Whisky Reviewed [2021]

19 - Jun - 2021 | Blended, Canadian, NDPs, Review

Found North Whisky is premium-aged, cask strength, and a blend of Canadian whiskies. They offer flavor like a Tyson right hook and are priced competitively. Zach and Nick Taylor, Co-Founders of Found North, started out consulting for other...

Every Gold Bar Whiskey Reviewed [2021]

19 - Jun - 2021 | Finished, NDPs, Review

Gold Bar Whiskeys are award-winning spirits out of San Francisco and minted with the ethos of Napa Valley. Monty Paulsen is the master blender. He's got roots in California Wine Country. He worked for over 25 years with wine including time...

10 Four Roses Single Barrel Recipes Ranked

18 - Jun - 2021 | Barrel Proof, Four Roses Distillery, Review, Singel Barrels

Four Roses Single Barrel Recipes are only offered as one-offs. Let me tell you it's a rabbit hole to dive into Four Roses' 10 recipes but it's worth it. These recipes consist of two mash bills and five yeast strains. The 2 Four Roses mashbills are: Mashbill E: 75%...

Every Weller Bourbon Reviewed [2021]

17 - Jun - 2021 | Buffalo Trace Distillery, Featured, Highlighted, Review, Weller, Wheated

You're here because you've been asking, "Which Weller bourbon is the best?" We've got you covered with reviews of every Weller in your Weller bourbon collection plus more. Some of you may be newer to bourbon and may just want to know the types of Weller bourbon....

Hancock’s Reserve Bourbon Review [2021]

16 - Jun - 2021 | Buffalo Trace Distillery, Review, Singel Barrels

Hancock’s Reserve Bourbon generates a lot of questions. It's not listed on Buffalo Trace's Our Brands section, so many whiskey enthusiasts end up asking, "Who makes Hancock Reserve bourbon?" The answer is Buffalo Trace Distillery. That leads us to the next logical...

Every Henry McKenna Bourbon Reviewed [2021]

16 - Jun - 2021 | Heaven Hill Distillery, Review

Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon may also be listed as Henry McKenna Single 10 Year Old Bottled in Bond Bourbon. Don't get that bourbon confused with Henry McKenna Straight Bourbon. The Single Barrel is award-winning and premium aged, whereas the latter is a...

Every McAfee Benchmark Bourbon Reviewed [2021]

15 - Jun - 2021 | Buffalo Trace Distillery, Review

Is Benchmark bourbon the same as Buffalo Trace? Benchmark Bourbon and Buffalo Trace have the same mashbill. It's a low rye mashbill commonly called mashbill #1 in terms of Buffalo Trace's whiskeys. That doesn't make them the same bourbon though. Age, warehouse,...

4 King’s Family Distillery Whiskeys Reviewed & Ranked [2021]

12 - Jun - 2021 | Craft Distilleries, Review, TN Whiskey, Wheated

King's Family Distillery rests just outside of Pigeon Forge in the Great Smoky Mountains. Justin and Cara King, husband and wife, started King's Family Distillery in 2018 after having worked in the whiskey industry for a decade plus....

Every Basil Hayden’s Whiskeys Reviewed [2021]

7 - Jun - 2021 | James B. Beam Distilling Co, Review

Basil Hayden's bourbon is the same mashbill as Old Grand-Dad which is fitting as Hayden is the Grand-Dad emblazoned on the label. The mashbill is high rye at 27% followed by 63% corn and 10% malted barley. What are the differences between OGD and BH? Old Grand-Dad...

Every Bower Hill Bourbon Reviewed [2021]

6 - Jun - 2021 | NDPs, Review

Bower Hill Bourbon is named after the Battle of Bower Hill. This battle was the first military action of the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. The rebellion was a response to the Excise Whiskey Tax of 1791. Many Revolutionary War vets turned...

Broad Branch Rye Whiskeys Reviewed [2021]

5 - Jun - 2021 | Craft Distilleries, Finished, Review, Rye Whiskey

Broad Branch Distiller finds its home on the historic Trade Street in the Art District of Winston-Salem, NC. They are the second distillery in Forsyth County and have embraced the old-time Blue Ridge Mountain distilling traditions — which...

Every Still Austin Bourbon “The Musician” Reviewed [2021]

4 - Jun - 2021 | Craft Distilleries, Review

Haven't heard of Still Austin bourbon? I've got you. Three Austin families — the Bohms, Seals, and Braunbergs — opened the Still Austin Whiskey Co. in 2015. And its opening was no small feat. Still Austin was the first urban whiskey...

Every Heaven Hill Bourbon Reviewed [2021]

4 - Jun - 2021 | Heaven Hill Distillery, Review

Heaven Hill bourbon is a household name in Kentucky. Chances are you've had bourbon from the Bernheim Distillery even if it wasn't branded as Heaven Hill. The Shapiros have owned and operated Heaven Hill since 1935. They are one of...

Barrell Bourbon Private Release BA1C Review

31 - May - 2021 | Barrell Bourbons, Blended, Review

This Barrel Bourbon Private Release was offered at my local Total Wine. Barrell does their "single barrel" program a bit differently which I like. They are known for their blending prowess. These Private Releases function in much the same way a single barrel would....

Every Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon Reviewed [2021]

31 - May - 2021 | Buffalo Trace Distillery, Review, Singel Barrels

Elmer T. Lee was a legendary master distiller for Buffalo Trace. But he didn't start as a legend. He was hired by Colonel Blanton in 1949 as a maintenance engineer after serving in World War II as a Radar Bombardier. He worked his way through the ranks until he was...

Every Blanton’s Bourbon Reviewed (Guide 2021)

31 - May - 2021 | Best Bourbons, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Review, Singel Barrels

The legend of Blanton's bourbon goes something like this: During Albert Bacon Blanton tenure as the master distiller at the George T. Stagg Distillery (now Buffalo Trace Distillery), he would regularly select honey barrels from the center of Warehouse H to impress...

Good Times Bourbon Review [2021]

22 - May - 2021 | Finished, MGP Ingredients, NDPs, Review

Who makes Good Times Bourbon? Good Times Bourbon is distilled by MGP but finished and bottled by Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. in Frankfurt, KY to create unique finished whiskeys and single barrel experiences. They have the widest variety of...

The Prideful Goat 15-Year-Old Bourbon Review

22 - May - 2021 | Craft Distilleries, Premium Aged, Review

The legend of The Prideful Goat goes something like this. In 2020, the bourbon market saw a glut of aged bourbon totes hit the open market. I can't recall another time where I saw so many 15-year Kentucky bourbons available through Non-Distilling Producers (NDP) and...

Green River Bourbon Review [2021]

8 - May - 2021 | Craft Distilleries, Review

Green River Bourbon is a historic brand that had a killer slogan — "the whiskey without a headache." J.W. McCulloch started making his whiskey in Owensboro, KY, in 1885 as KY-DSP-10. Sadly McCulloch's success was short-lived as a distillery...

Country Smooth Premium Whiskey Review

2 - May - 2021 | MGP Ingredients, NDPs, Review

Country Smooth was founded by Lori Carcich, the original female Founder and CEO of an American Whiskey Co. She wanted to create a whiskey brand that imaged American ideals and her love of country music. She was a wine drinker first and was...

Every Woodford Reserve Whiskey Reviewed [2021]

27 - Apr - 2021 | Best Bourbons, Brown-Forman Distillery, Review

Woodford Reserve is a newer whiskey brand distilling at the historic Old Oscar Pepper Distillery. Distillation has been happening at this location since 1812. Woodford Reserve was founded in 1996 by Brown-Forman. Its whiskeys stand out with its traditional copper pot...

Every Bluegrass Distillers Whiskey Reviewed [2021]

24 - Apr - 2021 | Craft Distilleries, Review

Bluegrass Distillers is a craft distillery in Lexington, KY, that currently distills three styles of whiskey: Bluegrass Distillers Blue Corn Bourbon Bluegrass Distillers Wheated Bourbon Bluegrass Distillers High Rye Bourbon They started...

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