Kentucky Owl Batch #2 Plus Interview

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!

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

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

2015 Fall Bourbon Releases

Every fall some of the best best bourbons are released to Bourbonr’s across the country. Problem is there’s never enough to go around. The past few falls have been welcomed with lots of phone calls and long lines at liquor stores but that’s what makes the bourbon hunt more exciting.

Annual Releases:

Pappy Van Winkle and Van Winkle line

 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC)

 Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition

More info here read more

Is It Stitzel-Weller?

Whether you’re new to bourbon or a veteran of the game you’ve heard the name Stitzel-Weller. In (almost) mythical bourbon discussions the Stitzel-Weller name fly’s free.  The same question pops up when discussing older bottles Pappy Van Winkle, Old Fitzgerald, Weller, Rebel Yell, etc. “Is it Stitzel-Weller?”. Stitzel-Weller became famous for their wheated bourbon recipe and produced some legendary bottles. Even even 20+ years after the distillery shut down it’s still some of the most sought after bourbon. read more

Proof Obsessed

Is Higher Proof Better?

If Bourbonr’s built their ideal bourbon at the top of almost every list (myself included) would be high proof. It seems that everyone is in love with barrel proof or high proof bourbons. Just read the comments of a TTB release that is less than 100 proof and you will see plenty of hate for the low proof swill. You may recognize this guy as your fiend  that brags to strangers about how much ghost pepper hot sauce he puts on his tacos or how he only drinks IPA’s that are more than 100 IBU’s. Maybe, but that’s for another post. Maybe this new age of “proofheads” are just gluttons for punishment. I only pose the simple question “are we proof obsessed?” read more

Booker’s Roundtable Cheat Sheet

Booker’s Roundtable Explained

A couple weeks ago, Beam announced the release of a new Booker’s Bourbon Roundtable release. This created some discussion in another forum about which releases were and were not roundtable selections. This was actually a question I’ve had over the years so I reached out to Beam to get an answer. If you’re not familiar with “roundtable” selections, it’s a Booker’s release that was selected by a panel of whiskey writers and the Master Distiller, Fred Noe. Check out Chuck Cowdery’s post about the selection process. read more

Bourbonr Pro + Van Winkle Giveaway

New BourbonHunt Pro Membership

Update: Everything about Bourbonr will remain the exact same. I’ll still be updating the VW and BTAC maps, posting reviews, articles, etc. This is simply the launch of a new site with new features. Don’t worry, nothing about Bourbonr has changed 🙂

I’m excited to announce the new BourbonHunt Pro Membership! BourbonHunt Pro will be a new site in the Bourbonr portfolio. The perks will include: read more

Updated: History of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection

History of the BTAC

Every fall for the past 15 years Buffalo Trace Distillery has pumped out some of the best bourbons and rye whiskies with their Antique Collection (BTAC). Collectively, the Antique Collection has won over major 150 awards from almost every whiskey competition in the world. These awards range from “Whisky of the Year” in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible to Double Gold Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (but you already know how I feel about whiskey competitions). Aside from that, George T. Stagg holds one of the highest honors bestowed upon a bourbon which is Bourbonr’s (my) favorite bourbon. read more

Bourbon Review: Col. E.H. Taylor Cured Oak

E.H. Taylor Cured Oak Reviewed

With spring bourbon releases in a pretty dismal state EH Taylor Cured Oak (see the specs for Cured Oak here) showed up to save the day for Bourbonrs. Like most hyped bourbon releases (or any limited edition release for that matter) it came with some controversy. The secondary prices quickly rose to $400+ before it was released in most states. Reviews varied greatly. Some claimed it was excellent (Pappy 2.0) and well worth any price tag while others found it to be terrible and way too bitter. I was lucky enough to secure a bottle at retail, now to find one of those boxes, and decided to give it a try. read more