Ready to see some of the most famous rye whiskeys go head to head in a blind tasting? This month I’m joined by spirits writer Jonah Flicker, Head bartender at Lizardville in Ohio (And Cleveland Bourbon Club member) Crystal Bics, Brian Haara from Sipp’n Corn and Ron Bourbondy.

January’s blind tasting was all rye whiskey. There are some great rye whiskeys available today. There are also some expensive rye whiskeys. I tried to break this tasting down into a few parts. I wanted there to be a similarity in the proof. All of these whiskeys are between 90-110 proof. Pikesville being the highest at 110. There is also a great disparity in price. I included a bottle of Van Winkle Family Reserve rye which routinely sells for more than $1,000. I also included Jim Beam Rye which sells for around $20 and is available just about everywhere. Time to see if there’s a correlation between price and taste. read more

The 2017 Bourbonr Whiskey of the Year vote is in! For the past few years, Bourbonr has crowdsourced the Whiskey of the Year selection. I’ll still add my favorite whiskey but this is about the whiskey you loved. Plus, I disagree with most books/sites for “Whiskey of the Year”.

Every year there seems to be a clear-cut winner. This year was no different. Four Roses Al Young 50th Anniversary Limited Edition is the 2017 Bourbonr Whiskey of the Year! It beat out the second place whiskey by more than 50%. There’s no doubt that Al Young’s 50th was a great release. It’s interesting that it didn’t do as well in the Bourbonr blind tasting. If you’re unfamiliar with the Al Young release it’s a blend of 23-year-old OBSV, 15-year-old OBSK, 13-year-old OESV and 12-year-old OBSF. It was released to honor the 50th anniversary of Four Roses Senior Brand Ambassador, Al Young. read more

It’s time to cast your ballots! The 2017 Bourbonr Whiskey of the Year is officially open. For the past few years, we have crowdsourced the Whiskey of the Year selection on Bourbonr. I’ll still add my favorite whiskey but this is about the whiskey you loved. Plus, I disagree with most books/sites for “Whiskey of the Year”. read more

Here’s the format. Each episode there are 4-5 tasters with 5-10 whiskeys. Each taster is sent samples and submits their reviews and ratings before the live reveal. Every bottle in the blind tastings has been purchased by me. No outside bottles or media samples will be selected. I try to purchase every bottle at retail but, with today’s bourbon market, have to rely on fellow Bourbonr’s to source certain bottles. read more

Are you unfamiliar with Nelson Green Brier Distillery? You may recognize their “sourced” brand, Belle Meade. The distillery/brand was (resurrected) by two brothers, Andy & Charlie Nelson in 2013. While they started with sourced whiskey, they released the first of their own distillate. Nelson Green Brier 108 Tennessee Whiskey is aged just over two years in 30-gallon barrels. This is a distillery only release and will be followed by a four-year 53-gallon release in 2019. It’s a wheated whiskey similar to a wheated bourbon mash bill. read more

Here’s the format. Each episode there are 4-5 tasters with 5-10 whiskeys. Each taster is sent samples and submits their reviews and ratings before the live reveal. Every bottle in the blind tastings has been purchased by me. No outside bottles or media samples will be selected. I try to purchase every bottle at retail but, with today’s bourbon market, have to rely on fellow Bourbonr’s to source certain bottles. read more

As I mentioned early this week, Pappy Van Winkle started to release. However, with everyone hypersensitive to spotting fake bottles the same picture started to circulate on Bourbon and the Facebook bourbon world. It was a picture of a 15-year Pappy Van Winkle with a red cap (thanks, Blake Cloninger for this picture). Many claimed the bottle was fake. A bad fake at that. Then more 15 years popped up without the traditional black cap. read more

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Taste of the Decades at the Tousey House in Burlington, KY. I promoted it on Bourbonr and was pretty excited going into the tasting. I ended up completely blown away by the tasting and organization the event raised money for. I don’t want this buried in the post. I’m going to mention the Dragonfly Foundation before the details of the tasting. Dragonfly mission is simple “Helping young cancer and bone marrow transplant patients (ages 0-30) and their families find strength.” They provide support, quality of life enhancements, multiple weekly events, and opportunities to patients and families enduring treatment and the emotional, physical and financial toll of treatment. If you’re looking for an organization to support, please consider the Dragonfly Foundation. read more

Please Read: Each state is highlighted when one bottle is reported in that state. There’s a good chance that means that store, and a lot of times that city, is already sold out. This map isn’t an official release tracker from Buffalo Trace. This is a network of bourbon drinkers looking to help each other. Stores are dealing with smaller allocations and greatly increased demand. Please be understanding of this fact. Happy Hunting! read more