Review #639 - Balcones True Blue Cask Strength Single Barrel - BevMo Pick
Balcones' True Blue whisky is made with roasted blue corn.
Review #638 - New Riff High Note First Decade Rye
The companion bottle to New Riff's First Decade Bourbon - this is the First Decade Rye.
Review #637 - Found North Peregrine First Flight
The first release in Found North's High Altitude series.
Review #636 - New Riff High Note First Decade Bourbon
The oldest whiskies from New Riff to date - in the Spring of 2025, for the distillery's whisky club releases, they bottled a 10 year old bourbon and 10 year old rye.
Review #635 - Wild Turkey Master's Keep Beacon
Potentially the final release in Wild Turkey's Master's Keep collection, at least for the time being - this is Beacon, a Kentucky straight bourbon.
Review #634 - Balcones ZZ Top Tres Hombres
A Texas whisky made in collaboration with the band ZZ Top - this is Tres Hombres from Balcones.
Review #633 - New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon - Total Wine Pick
New Riff's high-rye mashbill often contributes to a strong spicy note in their bourbon.
Review #632 - Sagamore Reserve Series 9 Year Rye
Sagamore doesn't actually distill this 9 year rye - they don't yet have distillate this old, and this whisky was sourced from Indiana, specifically from MGP.
Review #631 - Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon
This is Jim Beam's Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon, one of the best-selling bottles in the $25 to $40 range.
Review #630 - Single Cask Nation 'Williamson' (Laphroaig) 8 Year Single Cask
Single malt labeled as Williamson is actually Laphroaig - the name Williamson is a reference to their famed distillery manager and owner Bessie Williamson.
Review #629 - Single Malts of Scotland Bruichladdich 29 Year Single Cask - Spec's Selection
It isn't often you see unpeated Bruichladdich bottled by an independent bottler; it's even less common that is has a hefty age statement such as 29 years.
Review #628 - Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye
This blend takes Knob Creek bourbon and Knob Creek rye and mixes them together.
Review #627 - Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series 9 Year Bourbon (2025)
This bottle harkens back to the 'diamond' decanters used for the Old Fitzgerald brand in the 1950s.
Review #626 - Single Cask Nation Auchroisk 11 Year Single Cask
Auchroisk is a large operation with a theoretical capacity of just under 6 million liters per annum; most of that production goes into Diageo blends.
Review #625 - Castle & Key Restoration Rye Single Barrel
While the Castle & Key brand is quite young - it began operations in 2018 - the distillery that it employs has a much longer history.
Review #624 - Hirsch Double Oak Single Barrel - LAX Wine & Spirits Pick
While the source isn't specifically disclosed, the mashbill used for these double oaked 'gold label' single barrels is consistent with the Willett distillery mashbill.
Review #623 - Single Cask Nation Royal Brackla 9 Year Single Cask
This single cask was matured for a total of 9 years; in an unusual move, the bottle actually lists a second fill ex-bourbon hogshead as the 'finishing cask' on the label.
Review #622 - Thomond Gate Chateau Kirwan Cask Finish
There was a Thomond Gate distillery that operated from 1809 to 1919, but it closed due to a combination of grain rationing and the American Prohibition.
Review #621 - Isle of Raasay Dun Cana
Raasay specifies that both Oloroso- and Pedro Ximenez-seasoned casks were used for finishing (50% for each type).
Review #620 - Balcones Bottled in Bond Texas Rye
The current rye whisky offering from Balcones Distilling - this is their bottled-in-bond Texas rye.