Review: 2015 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection

Blakein
Posts

You’ve probably come here to read a review of this years BTAC but allow me to take a quick detour. This is a statement/observation about whiskey reviews. Every bourbon cycle I read reviews about the current year’s limited edition whiskeys, and it’s always “98 points”, “outstanding!”, “fabulous,” etc. Can every limited release be a 95+? What’s the problem? Is it that the reviewers haven’t tasted enough 95+ bourbon to know what’s special compared to what is simply good bourbon? Does a free sample change someone’s opinion that much? Is it confirmation bias because we’ve paid $100+ for a bottle?
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Maker’s 46 Cask Strength Review

Blakein
Reviews

While the release of a cask strength version of Maker’s 46 has been rumored for a couple of months now Maker’s Mark Distillery finally released Maker’s 46 Cask Strength a couple of weeks ago. While it was a distillery only release I was able to get my hands on a bottle thanks to the kindness of a fellow Bourbonr. Maker’s Mark 46, which was released back in 2011, is regular Maker’s Mark, but they add toasted French oak and allow it to age for an additional 2-3 months. The cask strength version comes in between 108-114 proof (mine is 108.9). read more

Fall Bourbonr PSA

Blakein
Posts

You Can Drink Limited Edition Bourbon

Bourbon is not just for collecting anymore. Whether you just won a Pappy Van Winkle lottery or made a trip to the Willlett Gift Shop feel free to peel back the perforated foil around the top of the cap and pour yourself a glass. This PSA is great news heading into the fall bourbon season. Your new bourbon score doesn’t have to sit on your shelf or go straight to Craigslist! read more

Happy Bourbon Heritage Month

Blakein
Posts

If you didn’t know, in 2007, September was named Bourbon Heritage Month by the US Senate. If you’re a frequent reader of this blog every month is probably a celebration of bourbon but it never hurts to make it official. How will you celebrate? Maybe crack open a special bottle from the back of your cabinet? Get your fall bourbon hunt started by searching for Buffalo Trace Antique Collection? Fred Minnick has some great suggestions for a Bourbon Heritage Month checklist. read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery Update (GTS News)

Blakein
Posts

Every few months Mark Brown, Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO, sends out an update email with different happenings from around the distillery. They usually include things like distillery events, updates on Warehouse X  or the continued “bourbon shortage” recap. However, today’s email (you can read the whole thing here) included some intriguing information that I think most Bourbonr’s would be interested in. read more

Kentucky Owl Batch #2 Plus Interview

Blakein
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Kentucky Owl Releasing Batch 2

If you’re not familiar with Kentucky Owl here is a little bit of the back story.

From Garden & Gun
Dixon Dedman is resurrecting his family’s distillery one easy-sipping bottle of bourbon at a time “My grandfather used to tell us that if he ever won the lottery, he’d do two things,” Dixon Dedman says. “First, he’d buy a limousine. And then he’d start the whiskey business back up.” Dedman’s relatives have been spinning stories about the family distillery since 1916, when state authorities shut the original Kentucky Owl down in a fit of pre-Prohibition puritanism. The fifth-generation innkeeper already had his hands full eight years ago when, at the dawn of the whiskey renaissance, a friend suggested that the time might be right to revive the distillery. But the idea stuck with him, and now the family brand is blazing its way back into liquor stores with a powerful barrel proof bourbon swaddled in velvety layers of fruit and cinnamon. read more

Bourbonr Blog Turns 2!

Blakein
Posts

Two years ago I started this blog as an extension of the Bourbonr site. Originally, the blog was me writing on an iPad with terrible grammar. Two years later it’s still just me however I’ve upgraded to a laptop and the grammar has improved slightly (still working on that one). The first post I wrote on the blog received a whopping 31 visits and I never would’ve imagine, 160+ posts later, it would grow into what it is today. read more

New Bourbon Documentary: NEAT

Blakein
Posts

NEAT: A Film About Bourbon

If you want to get excited about bourbon just watch the trailer below. There have been a few documentaries (and now a TV drama) about bourbon but this one has caught my eye.  I got the chance to talk with the executive producer, ­AJ Hochhalter, and he’s a legit bourbon guy and is ready to tell the story of bourbon. The documentary will cover everything from how it’s made to the current boom of the bourbon industry. read more