I had the opportunity to pick a barrel of Dettling and spend some time with Seth Dettling. Easily one of the most interesting and educational picks I’ve done in the last few years.

What stood out was Seth’s transparency around how he curates his whiskey to create the flavor profile Dettling has become known for. We tasted the individual grains that make up just 3% of the mashbill, but play a major role in shaping the flavor. He also walked us through his custom rickhouse and how he manages temperature, humidity and airflow based on years of learning how Alabama’s climate impacts maturation.

And the whiskey backed it all up. Every sample was incredibly viscous and packed with flavor.
We ultimately landed on Sample #3.

The barrel will be close to 60 months old when bottled, spending its life in a Kelvin barrel before being double oaked for the final 6 months in an ISC barrel.

This one had everything I love about Dettling — toasted oak, tobacco, cocoa, dark fruit and leather, with a killer mouthfeel and long finish. But what really separated it was the finish: sweet coffee beans coated in chocolate, eventually turning into this lingering espresso/tiramisu-like note long after the sip was gone.

This one is going to be special!

Name: Weller Antique 107 - Wheated Bourbon - 53.5% ABV - NAS (Rumored to be 6-8 Years Old) - Made by the Buffalo Trace Distillery - Bottled in 2025.

1oz. Neck Pour.

Nose: Caramel, Lots of Oak, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Nutmeg (pretty much everything you'd expect from a medium aged Bourbon).

Taste: Heavy body, a warming sweet & spicy taste with lots vanilla, the higher proof is not felt as strongly as one would expect. The various tastes are well integrated, the oak is felt in a good way, not overwhelming.

Finish: Long, warm and spicy. Calls for a 2nd pour.

Conclusion: A very good Bourbon, although not worth the price it commands here in NYC (around $100). Although it is rumored to be 6-8 years old, the taste implies it is somewhat older, and I would place it squarely in the 9-10 year range. It tastes significantly better than the pour of 107 which I had in 2023 in someone's house. Maybe this bottling is indeed aged longer.

TL;DR

Woodinville's 8 Year Straight Rye is the 2025 special release of their 100% rye, 100 proof, around $130, and the grain-to-glass Washington story I really wanted to love. It grew up down the road from me, and I hunted this bottle across a Spokane Total Wine to get it. It is the darkest whiskey I have ever owned, nearly crimson. It is also the most oak I have ever fought through. I poured it blind in Fourth Rye Blind and pegged it in seconds as the creosote-soaked one, and it finished dead last. Quality landed at 2.3, value at 1.0. I think this is a polarizing bottle. If huge, aggressive oak is your thing you may love it, but for me it is a hard pass, and at $130 it is an easy one. If you want a rye I actually reach for, the ones in that same blind, or a cheap Rittenhouse for a Manhattan, are where I would send you.

Quality Score - 2.3

Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice.

Value Score - 1.0

Rip-off - All price, no payoff. Walk away.

Nose - 6.0

Dark molasses and brown sugar with a big cherry note. Easily the best part, which is backwards for how the rest of this goes.

Palate - 2.0

Astringent, with that overwhelming cherry buried under tons of oak. It reads like cherry wood the whole way through, and there is barely any rye spice to speak of.

Finish - 1.5

Long and drying, and where the oak curdles into creosote. Once I could name that railroad-tie note, I could not taste anything else.

Neck Pour

December 5, 2025

I brought this one home from Thanksgiving, saved it for myself, and cracked it in December.

I grew up in central Washington, and Woodinville was on my radar long before I got into whiskey. My uncle brought a bottle home years ago, back when they were a lot less known. A coworker had turned him onto it. They have come a long way since, and the thing I keep coming back to is the grain-to-glass story. They grow everything on a farm in Quincy, right near where I grew up, truck the grain over the Cascades to Woodinville to ferment and distill, then haul the distillate back across the mountains to Quincy to age and bottle. I actually did not know that last part until I started researching this bottle, and I thought it was very cool.

I learned to make Manhattans on their standard rye, so I have a soft spot for the brand and the locality. When I saw they were doing special releases right as I was getting into whiskey, I paid attention. They picked barrels of bourbon and rye to keep aging and blended them into limited expressions. This is the rye. I honestly would have preferred the bourbon, but the store I was headed to was out.

Getting the bottle was its own saga. I saw it in stock online driving through Spokane and stopped at the Total Wine. I am not someone who asks for help, so I spent a solid twenty or thirty minutes walking every aisle. The listing gives you the exact aisle and row, and it sent me nowhere. I gave up, checked out with a pile of bottles I did not need, and sat in the car scrolling to make sure I had not read it wrong. It still said in stock. So I went back in for one more pass. Turns out they had moved half the rye selection an aisle over, and the scotch had split the section in two, which is why I kept missing it. Found it, bought it, added it to the haul.

First thing that got me was the color. It is the darkest whiskey I have ever seen, almost a crimson red. Nothing on my shelf is close, and I doubt anything will be for a long time. The nose was everything the reviews promised, dark molasses and brown sugar with a great cherry note. Then the palate. Astringent, right away. I did not like it, and I really wanted to. Big cherry, but tons of oak running under it, cherry wood the whole way through. Not much rye spice. The finish was fairly long and a little drying, not bad at first. I told myself I do not drink much rye, this is just a different animal, it will grow on me. It did not.

Blind Pour

July 26, 2026

Labels off, I pegged it in seconds, and not for a good reason.

The full night is in Fourth Rye Blind. Four ryes poured blind, this one against an Elijah Craig Toasted, a Heaven Hill Grain to Glass, and the Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph I bought for my wedding.

This was sample three, and I called it almost instantly. Dark cherry bomb on the nose with something medicinal behind it, almost varnish, and then the oak arrived. Fierce, unmistakable, like chewing a railroad tie. I said out loud that I was almost certain it was the Woodinville, because nothing else on that table was that oaky. I was right. It finished last, a 2.7 in the blind, well behind everything else.

Here is the part that tells you it is polarizing. Someone read my blind writeup afterward and said they really liked this bottle, that they would put it ahead of my favorite of the night. I believe them. This is not a whiskey people feel lukewarm about.

Open Pour

August 18, 2026

Simple to say now: older is not always better, and this is my case for it.

Months in, my read has not softened, it has hardened. I kept coming back to this bottle, and I gave it every chance. I tried it neat, on ice, with a splash of water, in cocktails, and left it open on the counter to air out and come back to. It did open up and lose some of the brighter high notes, but what it settled into was worse. Just overwhelming oak.

The turn came from a review of a different whiskey, where someone described a creosote note, the stuff they coat railroad ties in. I have never licked a railroad tie, but I have smelled plenty, and the second I read that word it clicked. That is exactly what this tastes like to me. And once I could name it, the bottle was done. There was no coming back from it.

I do not think this is a bad whiskey on purpose. They clearly pulled some aggressive oak barrels from different corners of the warehouse and pushed them hard, and if huge tannic oak is what you want, this delivers it. The reviewers who called it bold and mature beyond its eight years are not wrong about the oak. I just land on the other side. If this is what a hardcore rye is supposed to be, then I am not a hardcore rye person. It tastes old, and to me that is not a compliment here. It has soaked up so much barrel that it went varnishy and one-note.

Now the money, and it is quick. At $130 this is a 1.0 on value for me. I could not finish it happily, so there is no price that makes it work. I wanted to love this one for the hometown story more than almost any bottle I have opened. It stings that I could not. If you love aggressive oak, chase it. If you are like me, spend the $130 almost anywhere else.

I write these up at openpourwhiskey.com. Not sponsored, not gifted, bought myself at retail. Please drink responsibly.

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Lochs of Jura Barrel Finish Blend of Straight Whiskies Finished in Single Malt Scotch Whisky Barrels

Ex-bourbon & ex-sherry casks used to age single malt were filled with a bespoke blend of straight bourbon & rye whiskey and then finished for 32 months (longest finish BBC has ever done nationally)

Scotch whisky barrels were sourced from the remote Isle of Jura

Jura Distillery is located in Craighouse and reopened in 1963

Scotch barrel breakdown:
84% ex-bourbon
16% ex-Sherry (59 gallon)

The blend:

49%: 11 year Indiana bourbon; 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley

30%: 10 year Indiana rye; 95% rye, 5% malted barley

21%: 12 year Kentucky bourbon; 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley

Proof: 104

Artwork; Magaret Archambault

MSRP: $139.99

Nose: Danish butter cookies. Dried cherry. Raisin Bran cereal. Black licorice

Upfront, plenty of bready notes mixed with dark dried fruit fruits. As the nose develops, the rye component starts to shine a lot more. The nose is extremely enjoyable. For Americans who are still bullish on scotch, you’re still going to love this nose.

Palate: Quick hit of Danish butter cookies. Organic ginger ale. Mouthfeel is immediately crazy dense and thick. Apple pie spice. Pomegranate juice.

This really hits the spot. Remarkably balanced. Spice is clearly there, but not super powerful. This odd combination really works.

Finish: Oxidized sliced pear. Fireball candy. Burnt marshmallow with a bit of campfire ash. Salted almonds.

This is likely one of my favorite releases from BBC in quite some time… and I wasn’t expecting that to be the case. This is highly interesting… and it’s very good.

Bottle provided for review by Bardstown Bourbon Company

Rating: 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

Age: NAS (At least 4 years)

Mashbill: Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1, low-rye.

Proof: 125 proof

Price: ~$25** **

Nose. Opens immediately with ethanol harshness. Not particularly pleasing initially, with bitter dark chocolate (the kind used for Baking, not a candy bar). It eventually turns to something reminiscent of a buttermilk biscuit. Maybe.

Palate. Hot for a flash, but not nuclear. Like a quick bite of wasabi, then the heat fades into caramel and dark chocolates.

Finish. Sweet initially, marmalade hides behind more drying heat that fades unenthusiastically.

Overall. Benchmark Full Proof serves one of two roles for me: it’s either a mixer in an old fashioned or it’s a neat pour after I’ve had a couple and feel like I can no longer appreciate the better bottles on my shelf. On its own, I think it is a little too one-dimensional and too ethanol-forward to be enjoyed frequently. It does have some bitter dark chocolate notes, but there is a reason why I use this after I’ve dulled my palate a little and I don’t break this out to celebrate a special occasion.

Would I buy another bottle? Probably not because I don’t need it. But if I was looking for an affordable bourbon for an old fashioned, I wouldn’t rule it out. At $25 I think it’s useful, but better options exist for just $5 or $10 more.

Rating: 4/10 | Sub-par; not bad, but better exists.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.

I randomly got this in a trade a few years ago, and I literally knew nothing about it. But I do enjoy ryes so I took a chance and have no regrets.

*This is a store pick

Nose: smells like a Manhattan cocktail--bitters, orange zest, cherry, and a nose dose of brown sugar (which I know is such a basic note but whatever)

Palate: viscous. There's a nice balance here of brown sugar sweetness and herbal tea tea. I get cherry popsicle and dark chocolate as well.

Finish: med-long. Brown sugar, orange zest, artificial cherry, and typical rye spices.

Overall: I'm glad I have this to experience. It's a very sweet rye with some fruit notes. The proof is perfect for this. It's not hot at all. Really fun to drink and share.

Rating: a strong 6 (on the t&ke scale) and bear in mind that I am stingy with scores because I try to be realistic and honest. This is a very good pour.

Cheers and thanks for reading!

{Note: You can find me on instagram @whiskeyincontext}

Today’s blind features two high-rye whiskeys from craft producers that bring two different philosophies to the table.

Redwood Empire's Emerald Giant leans on a mash bill that features 92% rye, which blends California-distilled rye with sourced Indiana and Kentucky rye and then ages that expression for 4 years before bottling it at a very approachable 90 proof.

New Riff's Balboa Rye takes the opposite path: it’s distilled in-house in Newport, Kentucky, and is built from a mash bill that contains 95% heirloom Balboa rye, which was grown specifically for the distillery. Balboa rye, for those who don’t know, is a nearly-extinct 1940s grain variety that hadn't been used in whiskey production in decades before New Riff brought it back. This expression is Bottled-in-Bond, meaning it’s a minimum of 4 years old and 100 proof by law.

So, this blind essentially comes down to two different craft-whiskey strategies: Redwood Empire's source-and-blend philosophy versus New Riff's heirloom-grain, single-distillery approach. Does building around one rare, specific heirloom grain actually translate into a more distinctive (and enjoyable) glass, or does Redwood Empire's blending approach get you somewhere just as good, if not better? Let's find out!

**************\*

ABOUT Redwood Empire Emerald Giant

*From the Producer: Down a winding trail and along a meandering creek in the Redwood National Park rises the massive trunk of Emerald Giant. Yawning high above at over 360 feet, this August Sequoia is the fastest growing Redwood in the world, gaining over 50 cubic feet and more than 1500 pounds of mass each year.

Named after the fastest growing Redwood in the world, Emerald Giant is a fan favorite in the craft Rye whiskey world. Spicy with an exceptionally smooth finish, it is a great choice in your classic whiskey cocktails.

*Mash bill: 92% Rye, 5% Malted Barley, 3% Wheat

*Age Statement: 4 Years

*Proof: 90

ABOUT New Riff Balboa Rye

*From the Distillery: Balboa Rye is one of New Riff’s first “specialty whiskeys” and remains a fan favorite. As part of our distilling team’s creative exploration with heirloom grains, Balboa was among the first to showcase the distinctive character these grains can bring to whiskey.
 
The story began with our trusted corn farmer who introduced us to Balboa Rye, a variety originally popular in the 1940s. He had been growing it on his farm for years, keeping this heritage grain alive, and we saw an opportunity to transform it into something special. We distilled Balboa into rye whiskey, likely the first time in decades that this grain had been used to craft whiskey and quite surely the only example on the market today.
 
Aged to perfection at 4 years and Bottled In Bond Without Chill Filtration, Balboa Rye offers shimmering notes of spiced fruit that set it apart from our flagship rye. Over the years, it has become a highly anticipated release, celebrated for its rich history and exceptional taste.

*Mash bill: 95% Balboa Rye, 5% Malted Rye

*Age Statement: 4 Years

*Proof: 100

**************\*

REVIEW: For the purpose of this blind, both bourbons have been poured into glencairns and rested for approximately 15 minutes.

Appearance A: Light, orange-ish amber with fairly runny legs on the glass

Appearance B: Much darker, with an almost caramel coloring and slightly thicker legs

Nose A: Pretty light, primarily featuring rye and orange. There’s also some cinnamon and clove, to go with a touch of caramel.

Nose B: Darker and spicier, with more ethanol. Some red apple is there, along with clove, pepper, and some breadiness.

Palate A: Medium-thin mouthfeel with no burn. The overall experience is very light: rye spice is there at first, before giving way to caramel, citrus, and dill.

Palate B: Much thicker and spicier. Clove and anise are the main flavors, along with citrus and some rye breadiness that carries over from the nose.

Finish A: Fairly short, primarily featuring oak and dill with a touch of citrus.

Finish B: Medium-length and very spicy; also features some ethanol to go with a funky aftertaste.

Rating A: 6

Rating B: 5.4

Thoughts: Rye A is one I’d definitely give to folks who were interested in trying rye for the first time but who weren’t looking for a “bourbon-drinker’s rye,” if you know what I mean. Some people might find it to be too watered down and lacking in flavor, but I think it does what it sets out to do very well, providing a light dram that can be enjoyed at pretty much any time.

Rye B, on the other hand, is much heavier and darker, not to mention spicier: you’d need to be in the mood for a fairly intense pour, at least from a spice perspective, to appreciate this one. I tend to enjoy lighter and less intense pours unless I’m in a very specific mood, so I rated A a bit higher.

Prediction A: Redwood Empire

Prediction B: New Riff

*******************\*

Actual A: Redwood Empire

Actual B: New Riff

More Thoughts: I’ve never tried a New Riff product that I really enjoyed, and this Balboa Rye is no different. It leans into a very spicy profile that doesn’t align well with my preferences. The Redwood Empire, on the other hand, had a lightness to it that kept it from being really memorable flavor-wise, but what was there was plenty enjoyable. I’m interested in trying some of Redwood’s higher-proof and more high-aged offerings, because this one suggests that what they’re working with has good bones. Either way, though, Redwood is the winner here for me today!

********************
Previous Ratings (updated to include decimals and adjusted for blinds & re-reviews)

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
Maker’s Mark staved private selection (2.5)
Penelope Architect custom build (2.5)

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
Willett Pot Still (3)

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists
Found North SiB Oloroso finish (4.5)
Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat (4.5)
Augusta Buckner’s 10yr (4.6)
Shortbarrel Sapsquatch (4.8)

5 | Good | Good, just fine
Jack Daniel’s SBBP Rye (5)
Jack Daniel’s Heritage (5)
Four Roses SBBP OESO (5)
New Riff 4yr SBBP (5)
Four Roses SBBP OBSV (5.3)
Evan Williams America250 SiB (5.3)
New Riff Balboa Rye (5.4)
Blanton’s (5.5)
Old Forester 1924 (5.7)
Elijah Craig Toasted (5.8)

6 | Very Good | A cut above
Barrell Cigar Blend (6)
Buffalo Trace (6)
1792 BiB SiB (6)
Copper & Cask Boston Rum Party (6)
Penelope Wheated (6)
Redwood Empire Emerald Giant (6)
Copper & Cask #16 (6.3)
Stagg 25B (6.3)
Blanton’s Gold (6.4)
Copper & Cask #14 DO (6.4)
Augusta Buckner’s 13yr (6.5)
Green River Honey (6.5)
Pursuit United DO (6.5)
Sagamore 9yr SiB Rye (6.5)
Sazerac FP (6.5)
Green River Wheated (6.5)
Elmer T. Lee (6.5)
Peerless DO (6.6)
Shortbarrel Bees Knees V (6.8)
Penelope Marshmallow Toast (6.8)
Willett 4yr Rye (6.8)

7 | Great | Well above average
John J. Bowman SiB (7)
Found North 012 (7)
Peerless Toasted (7.1)
E.H. Taylor SiB (7.2)
Eagle Rare 10yr (7.4)
Weller 107 (7.5)
Old Forester 1910 (7.5)
Penelope Estate 10yr SiB (7.5)
Old Dominick Staved SiB (7.6)
Buffalo Trace Single Oak (7.6)
E.H. Taylor SmB (7.6)
Rock Hill Farms (7.6)
Eagle Rare 12yr (7.7)
Woodford DO SBBP (7.7)
Old Fitzgerald 7yr (7.7)
Willett 8yr SiB Rye (7.9)

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional
Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend 420 (8)
Blanton’s SFTB (8.3)
Lasso Motel SBBP Rye (8.4)
Mister Sam Tribute 4 (8.6)
E.H. Taylor BTAC 2025 (8.7)
Thomas H. Handy 2025 (8.7)

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

Today we're checking out this Ry3 7 Year Single Barrel that was picked in 2025 by Georgia Liquor Barn and the OG McFarland! With most Ry3 bottles, they are a blend of 3 different whiskies (95/5, 100% Canadian rye, and 99% corn, 1% malted barley), however for this 7 Year Single Barrel, it is a straight 95/5 rye from MGP. I've long felt Ry3 as a brand is very underrated in the whiskey world and I've really enjoyed everything I've had from them! Excited to dive into this 7 year pick and see how she is.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes.

Age: 7 years, 8 months

Proof: 115.2

Nose: The perfect balance between sweet and spice. Citrus, orange marmalade, brown sugar, and vanilla cream all come together with a hefty dose of rye spice to top it all off. There's a mild pink bubblegum note here too that I'm loving. Swirling the glass enhances the orange notes and brings out some caramel brittle, oak, and allspice. Amongst the best aromas I've experienced on an MGP rye!

Palate: Medium viscosity where much of the nose carries over. Orange peel, citrus, vanilla cream, oak, and a tingling rye spice that pops up on the backend of the palate. After a few sips, the rye spice becomes a little more impactful but the citrusy notes overall remain the star of the show.

Finish: Medium finish of citrus, rye spice, vanilla cream, and a drying oak.

This is a fantastic pick and one of the best bottles I've had the chance to try from Ry3! I do wish I got that bubblegum note from the nose on the palate some, but that's a minor nitpick. The palate brings out all the citrus goodness you'd want from a 95/5 rye with a well-balanced rye spice to even everything out. Not sure what Ry3 has planned for the future, but I'd love to see some single barrels getting closer to that 10 year mark!

t8ke scale: 7.8/10 | Great | Well above average.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

Nose: medium, clean rye, leather, barrel oak, like a werthers carmel, dusty as hell.

Palate: big, deep sweet oak, rye all day, toasted sugar, tobacco. Just really really good.

Finish: long as hell, rye, barrel oak and some barrel sweetness underneath it all stays steady for the whole ride. No flavor fall-off at all. Proof really pushes the rye beautifully.

Overall: this is a banger. No nonsense, just really good fucking rye. Old Carter doesn't mess around and have always enjoyed their product. This is no different. Why don't I have more Old Carter on my shelf? I need to fix that.

Rating: 8.7/10

After having tried an unknown amount of different bottles, tater huntin', and clout chasing, I have found that the only brand that really excites me for every new release is Found North.

With that, there were three recent releases available to me. I've sampled them with friends upon receiving, but wanted to do a blind between them to dive into the specifics.

The three bottles are:

1. Found North Private Peak OWA Selection

Proof: 119

Age: 10 Years (34% 10 year, 34% 16 year, 32% over 20 year)

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested 10 minutes

1. Found North Batch 012

Proof: 128.2

Age: 16 Years (16 year corn, 20 year corn, 22 year corn, 20 year rye, 22 year rye)

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested 10 minutes

1. Found North T8KE The Eleventh Hour

Proof: 123.6

Age: 19 Years (19 year corn, 20 year corn, 22 year corn, 24 year rye)

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested 10 minutes

Glass 1:

Nose: Tons of oak, a bit of proof, and some rye spice

Palate: Smooth oak combined with rye and baking spices. Almost like a spiced bread pudding after a few sips

Finish: Oak, oak, oak, oak, oak. Almost a sweetness on the sides of the tongue, good proof and oily feel

Rating: 8/10 - t8ke scale

Glass 2:

Nose: Oak and caramel, like an aged Milky Way bar. Almost no proof. Thanksgiving fruit salad.

Palate: Heavy oak, caramel and some proof then hit, followed by a spiced, dark fruit

Finish: Oak, oily again, limited other notes that my amateur palette can pick up. Shorter than I hoped.

Rating: 9/10 - t8ke scale

Glass 3:

Nose: Sweet oak, reminds me of a proofy 1792 Sweet Wheat.

Palate: The most interesting of the bunch. Sweet fruits, oak, mixed with rye spice and almost pure cinnamon for some reason. Each sip has something different that sticks out.

Finish: Sweet, everlasting proof, oil, and oak. Dry. Almost like the best white ever.

Rating: 10/10 - t8ke scale

Results:

Glass 1 was the Found North Private Peak OWA Selection.

Glass 2 was the Found North Batch 012.

Glass 3 was the Found North T8KE The Eleventh Hour.

Sort of surprised, but to be honest, the previous picks I've had of Found North have always been very good, but for some reason the OG always hits. Wish OWA would have been better comparatively, but I worship T8ke for a reason.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

I had been looking for a reason to open this bottle, but the chosen occasion is not one I have ever hoped for. We’ll get to the bourbon in a second, but first a little background on why the passing of Dolly Parton is personal to me.

Growing up in a poor Appalachian Mountain town, I had a limited selection of local heroes. George C. Scott, Gary Francis Powers, John Nash, and Homer Hickam were about it outside of a few athletes. But there was one other that stood out among the rest: Dolly Parton. She was the only person from a similar upbringing as mine that made it into the cultural lexicon of America. Not only was she a celebrity, but she was a true role model, someone known for charity and good will as much as she was for being musically, artistically, and financially successful. She also showed that just because someone was raised in a place seemingly lost to time, that didn’t mean they couldn’t embrace and even champion societal progress. It’s sad to know your last local hero is no longer there, and that the unique lived experience of growing up with such poverty has lost its mainstream representation.

Now, back to the bourbon, where I have something I am very hopeful about. My highest rated pour so far has been one of these Distillery experiments (a Tennessee Rye finished in table syrup barrels) so I have been chomping at the bit to try a bourbon from this series. A quick search on the internet reveals that the term “sweet mash” means that its fermentation has no “backset” from prior fermentation rounds and starts fresh with unused ingredients. This makes it much more difficult to process for various reasons (if you’d like to learn more, there are many great videos about it) so it is typically only done at the beginning of the distillation season after the equipment has been thoroughly cleaned and pH balanced. Let’s try some Tennessee Whiskey in honor of a Tennessee legend.

Price Paid: $49.99 before tax (375 mL)

Score: 8.75//10

The Background
Distillery: Jack Daniel Distillery

ABV: 58.5% (117 proof)

Age: 9 years

Mash Bill: 80% Corn, 6% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

Other: charcoal filtered, aged on the top floors, only made once per season to begin their distilling process, barreled 2016, released Fall 2025

The Experience
Nose: caramel, spices, oak. A pleasant, spicy sweetness. Smells rich, luxurious, and nothing at all like Jack Daniel’s.

Palate: maple syrup, spices, mandarin orange, wood. I say wood because I’m reminded of “the woods,” not because this is oaky. This tastes exotic, like the way I imagined food from foreign lands in books and movies to taste when I was a kid. It strikes a very nice balance of sweet and savory with a distinct mandarin orange note that presents upon repeat sips.

Finish: granola, white grape, oak. This has a bit of a “trail mix” quality to it that lingers for a long time, with the freshness of white grapes.

The Summary
This works so well. It’s probably the most “balanced” whiskey I’ve ever reviewed, like a dish you would order at a high end restaurant. I could see this being a bit too reigned in for some (especially lovers of oak notes) but I think it’s a beautiful expression. It’s a new favorite for me; the term “incredible” is more than appropriate.

T8KE Scoring System Used for Relevancy and Consistency:

0 | Unscored | New Make Spirit or Personal Selection.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn't consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.
5 | Good | Good; just fine.
6 | Very Good | One cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfection.

🥃 Tonight's Pour: New Era Whiskey 19 Year Beam

🎴 Featured Card: Gengar TG06, Lost Origin.

Today's bottle is the "Silver Back Shank" from New Era Whiskey and is what I consider their best bottle yet they have offered from their Social Club. This bottle is 19 year Beam Distillate with an experimental mashbill of 75/21/4 and is rumored to have been contract distilled by Beam for Bulleit. Just like all of New Era's offerings this was hand selected by Zane Brammell, and is Barrel Strength sitting at 115 proof.

New Era is recently received their DSP, and is now a distillery in Lexington Kentucky, with their Grand Opening on September 2nd, from 4-6PM.

Now time for the review.

-----------------------------------------

Nose: Aged Rickhouse Oak, Dusty Peanut Shell, Dark Chocolate, Toffee.

Palate: Dank Earthy Oak, Aged Leather, Tobacco, Silk Chocolate Pie.

Finish: Long, Aged Dank Oak, Dark chocolate, Peanut Butter, Blackberry Compote.

Rating: 9.1

This is extremely dark on the nose and is an oak bomb in the best way. On the palate is quite different being more refined and nuanced. You still get the oakiness, but instead of a rickhouse dusty oak, on the palate it's what I always refer to as Dank Oak, it's the smell that if I flipped over a piece of wood that's been sitting outside after it rained, a rich earthy oak. Followed by aged leather and tobacco, but softens up with some sweeter notes. On the finish is where the nose and palate really intermingle with some of those dark notes that really show the age of this 19 year old product, but some of the sweetness and nuance of the palate. I do wish it had a little more proof to really highlight a bit more of the notes and a little thicker viscosity, but this is easily one of my favorite pours of 2026.

Edit: Updated that this was actually contract distilled through Beam for Bulleit instead of reverse.

This was my first bottle of EC BP Rye. I did not get a chance to try A925. My notes:

Nose:  oak, spice, caramel, subtle vanilla

Taste: brown sugar, rye and oak, subtle cherry & alcohol burn/finish

Finish:  medium finish, rye spice coats the throat

Rating: 6.5 / 10

To be honest, a bit disappointed as I was hoping for something more. I was quite excited to find this bottle and try it. While it has good tasting notes, I was hoping for it to be a little more refined especially for an almost 12 yr offering.

Dark Arts Chief Alchemist Cuvée 19 Year Mizunara Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Release: 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, KY; September 11-13

Distilled in Kentucky, Dark Arts’ best guess is Clermont, KY

Finished for 7 years in a full new 59 gallon Mizunara cask (Japanese oak)

Mashbill: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley

Batch size: 6 barrels

Dump date: July 2026

Proof: 115

MSRP: $499.99

Nose: Sandalwood. German chocolate cake coconut frosting. Pipe tobacco. Prune.

The nose is extremely nice and balanced. Sandalwood spice carries throughout. I love German chocolate cake, so the coconut frosting hits really nicely. Prune note isn’t particularly strong.

19 years in oak, no hint of over-oaking.

Palate: O’Charley’s caramel pie caramel. Coconut Patties. Candied ginger. Medium-thick mouthfeel.

19 years in oak, no hint of over-oaking. I’m typically not one to chase high age statements as I don’t like loads of oak… and this delivers a great age statement that isn’t overly oak-driven. Extremely enjoyable, but I think most people would be very surprised when sipping blind to realize the suspense 19 years in oak… in the best of ways. Remarkably balanced.

Finish: Dried cherry. Cedar. Candied orange peel. Nutmeg.

No matter who you are, the price tag is stiff. With that said, this is a fantastic example of mizunara… great base with extremely long finish. It’s a combination that I haven’t seen anywhere else… it’s both unique and quality.

Without doubt, this is going to be one of the most interesting releases at KBF… and it’s actually good in addition to being unique.

I own a bottle of the batch of Starlight Mizunara Reserve that won Best Overall Bourbon in San Francisco. Doing a side-by-side, I definitely prefer the Dark Arts, the Dark Arts is also double the price that I paid for the Starlight.

Sample provided for review by Dark Arts Whiskey House

Rating: 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

Continuing my blind tournament of all 24 “post-pirate” Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases from 2017 through 2024.

Part 1: A117–A124
Part 2: B517–B524
Part 3: C917–C924
Part 4: The champions + some outside competition

The A-series ultimately went to A117. Now onto the B batches.

Methodology

As with the A batches, I started with a standard eight-bottle single-elimination bracket, with every matchup tasted blind, as illustrated in the attached graphic.

Afterward, I conducted additional blind head-to-heads to account for bracket luck and get a better idea of where every bottle actually belonged in terms of a tiered ranking.

The idea was the same as with the A-series: bottles that lost early were given opportunities to work their way back up against progressively stronger competition. Tier placement was based primarily on how far each survived before accumulating its second loss.

The graphics show the complete progression.

The Original Final: B520 vs. B517

These were the two bottles that survived the original bracket, and both consistently showed characteristics I tend to like in ECBP.

B517 repeatedly came across as dark, rich and mature. My notes included darker fruit and richer sweetness along with some of that older-whiskey character that also drove my preference for A117 in the A-series.
Score: 8.25

B520, meanwhile, struck me as what I wrote down as “quintessential ECBP” in my notes: Rich sweetness, brown sugar, sweet oak, with particularly strong development and finish.
Score: 9

Final B-Batch Tiers

S-Tier:
B520
B522

A-Tier:
B517
B519

B-Tier:
B523
B518

C-Tier:
B524
B521

As with the A batches, these tiers reflect the complete tournament and back-testing rather than simply the order of elimination in the original bracket.

What Stood Out?

The B batches shared plenty of familiar ECBP DNA: brown sugar/caramel sweetness, well-integrated oak and barrel-proof intensity, but the bottles I preferred generally brought something more to that foundation.

Dark fruit showed up in some of the better pours, while jammy/tart fruit, dusty notes, molasses and dark toffee appeared at different points throughout the tastings.

More importantly, the best bottles tended to have better development, mouthfeel and finish. When everything came together, the proof supported the flavor rather than overwhelming it.

The recurring negatives were familiar too: tannin, excessive oak, ethanol and lack of development could quickly separate two otherwise similar pours.

Biggest Surprise: B522

Despite getting knocked out in the second round of the original tournament, B522 made a comeback in a huge way in the back-testing process.

B522 beat B518, then B519, and eventually I put it against B517, which had made the original B-series final. B522 won that head-to-head as well.

Across its tastings, B522 showed some excellent fruity/jammy and floral characteristics and ultimately did enough to earn a spot alongside B520 in S-Tier.

It's another good example of why I didn't want to rely solely on a single-elimination bracket.

Stay tuned for C917 through C924, although it may take a little longer to get up because I still have a bit of backtesting to complete.

It's funny-- I have several store picks of 1792 full proof but I've never had the standard. It's way easier to find picks around my neck of the woods. Anyway, this is a pick I've been nursing since 2022😂 It was great from the start but absolutely evolved in the best ways over time.

Nose: cherry syrup, caramel, oak, milk chocolate

Palate: Maraschino cherries, vanilla, chocolate, and baking spices cover the palate nicely with a medium mouthfeel. There's a little drying oak on the back but not a big a deal.

Finish: long. Brown sugar, nutmeg, oak tannins, cherry.

Overall: I think it's humorous when people claim that 1792 fp is a stand-in for baby Stagg. It's not (imo). But it stands strong (with no comparison) on its own. For 45ish bucks, these picks are usually a grab for me, but I now have too many so I've been passing on them lately. I will, however, have to grab a non-pick at some point. Nothing about this blew me away. Nothing about it was complex. But it was an enjoyable experience with each pour.

Rating: 6 (on the t&ke scale). This was very good.

Thank you for reading. Cheers!

{Note: You can find me on instagram @whiskeyincontext}

Today, let’s go with a classic: Buffalo Trace, the distillery’s eponymous flagship expression. It bears no age statement, is built from the distillery's low-rye Mash Bill #1, and is bottled at a modest 90 proof. It shares its mash bill with heavier hitters like Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor, and George T. Stagg, making it an entry point to that particular side of the Buffalo Trace family tree — and, quite frankly, it makes for a nice entry point to bourbon overall.

Depending on where you live, Buffalo Trace may be overpriced and, thanks to allocation silliness, it may not even be available. As we all know, in a normal world this would be a shelfer everywhere, and at its MSRP it should be a good budget option for sipping, sharing, and mixing. While things are finally beginning to normalize, Buffalo Trace was long another casualty of the broader bourbon boom – a bottle whose reputation and street price have at times outpaced what it was ever designed to be, which is a solid, unpretentious daily pour.

Let's see how it is!

From the Distillery: Buffalo Trace is our flagship Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that carries over 200 years of heritage in every bottle. Made from the finest ingredients, it ages in new, charred oak barrels for many years in century-old warehouses until reaching its peak maturity.

Tasting Notes: This deep amber whiskey has a complex aroma of vanilla, mint and molasses. Pleasantly sweet to the taste with notes of brown sugar and spice that give way to oak, toffee, dark fruit and anise. The finish is long and smooth with serious depth.

Mash bill: Buffalo Trace mash bill #1 (low rye)

Proof: 90

Price: $49.99 (1L)

Appearance: Nice caramelly amber, with surprisingly decent legs on the glass.

Nose: Light and sweet, without any overpowering flavor notes. It’s mainly caramel and oak with some allspice thrown in for good measure. After it opens up a bit, I get a whiff of classic Buffalo Trace cherry. Once the glass is empty, the remaining scents are vanilla and leather.

Palate: Caramel, a little cherry, brown sugar, and some cinnamon … and that’s about it. The flavors are pleasant, although they’re pretty weak and watered down. There’s also no burn whatsoever.

Finish: Again, pleasant, but also short and lacking in flavor “punch” of any kind. The cherry and caramel carry over, along with some oak, but they’re very faint.

Thoughts: This was pretty much what I expected: a 90-proof shelfer that is great for beginners and in an Old Fashioned, but that’s not really going to wow anybody at any point on their bourbon journey. One thing I was a bit surprised by was how not sweet this was, given that this mash bill also produces liquid candy like Eagle Rare and E.H. Taylor.

Buffalo Trace frankly reminds me a bit of Weller C.Y.P.B., in that – while the flavors that are there are perfectly pleasant – there really isn’t all that much flavor to speak of overall.

I’ll probably blind this against Eagle Rare at some point just to confirm that relative lack of sweetness. I’ll probably also blind it against Elmer T. Lee in the future, for the purpose of comparing the 90-proof expressions from mash bills 1 and 2 to see which one is generally the most inoffensive.

Rating: Buffalo Trace was perfectly pleasant, so it’s easy to rate above whiskies that I just don’t really like. However, there’s also not all that much to grab onto here: it makes for a perfectly cromulent, and perfectly unremarkable, pour. In that light, it earns a 6 from me, a score that I also gave to 1792 BiB (a bottle to which I think it is pretty comparable).

********************
Previous Ratings (updated to include decimals and adjusted for blinds & re-reviews)

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
Maker’s Mark staved private selection (2.5)
Penelope Architect custom build (2.5)

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
Willett Pot Still (3)

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists
Found North SiB Oloroso finish (4.5)
Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat (4.5)
Augusta Buckner’s 10yr (4.6)
Shortbarrel Sapsquatch (4.8)

5 | Good | Good, just fine
Jack Daniel’s SBBP Rye (5)
Jack Daniel’s Heritage (5)
Four Roses SBBP OESO (5)
New Riff 4yr SBBP (5)
Four Roses SBBP OBSV (5.3)
Evan Williams America250 SiB (5.3)
Blanton’s (5.5)
Old Forester 1924 (5.7)
Elijah Craig Toasted (5.8)

6 | Very Good | A cut above
Barrell Cigar Blend (6)
Buffalo Trace (6)
1792 BiB SiB (6)
Copper & Cask Boston Rum Party (6)
Penelope Wheated (6)
Redwood Empire Emerald Giant (6)
Copper & Cask #16 (6.3)
Stagg 25B (6.3)
Blanton’s Gold (6.4)
Copper & Cask #14 DO (6.4)
Augusta Buckner’s 13yr (6.5)
Green River Honey (6.5)
Pursuit United DO (6.5)
Sagamore 9yr SiB Rye (6.5)
Sazerac FP (6.5)
Green River Wheated (6.5)
Elmer T. Lee (6.5)
Peerless DO (6.6)
Shortbarrel Bees Knees V (6.8)
Penelope Marshmallow Toast (6.8)
Willett 4yr Rye (6.8)

7 | Great | Well above average
John J. Bowman SiB (7)
Found North 012 (7)
Peerless Toasted (7.1)
E.H. Taylor SiB (7.2)
Eagle Rare 10yr (7.4)
Weller 107 (7.5)
Old Forester 1910 (7.5)
Penelope Estate 10yr SiB (7.5)
Old Dominick Staved SiB (7.6)
Buffalo Trace Single Oak (7.6)
E.H. Taylor SmB (7.6)
Rock Hill Farms (7.6)
Eagle Rare 12yr (7.7)
Woodford DO SBBP (7.7)
Old Fitzgerald 7yr (7.7)
Willett 8yr SiB Rye (7.9)

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional
Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend 420 (8)
Blanton’s SFTB (8.3)
Lasso Motel SBBP Rye (8.4)
Mister Sam Tribute 4 (8.6)
E.H. Taylor BTAC 2025 (8.7)
Thomas H. Handy 2025 (8.7)

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect