Low barrel entry proof, once commonplace in the earliest stages of American whiskey, is all but completely foregone in an era where maximizing profits and efficiency trump quality. Enter Michter's distillery, at 103 proof, to be exact. Modern regulations, first introduced in 1962, mandated that straight whiskeys not be entered into the barrel above 125 proof. This was an increase from the post-prohibition era, which had a rule that read barrel entry proof was to be "not more than 110 and not less than 80 proof." Despite 125 becoming the near-de facto standard across the industry due to th ..read more

Distilled by the legendary late Parker Beam, this year's Heritage Collection release is all about Bernheim. Barrels were filled on December 29th, 2005, from a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, this whiskey would spend the next 18 years in rickhouse 1I at the Bernheim location. Often credited by the Shapira's as one of the saving graces of the distillery's rebirth from the literal ashes of the 1996 distillery fire, Bernheim has played an integral role in the distillery's success since its purchase in 1999. Heaven Hill describes the lore of this location on their website ..read more

Cedar Ridge has long been on my list to taste, but busy has been my palate with a thousand other whiskeys... until now. The sweet wordsmith behind this sample, who goes by Jes Smyth, has shared two ounces of Iowa-grown and distilled liquid sunshine for me to explore, and for that, I am grateful! In my latest efforts to explore much more than just the big six Kentucky distilleries, I find myself drawn towards craft distillers that are doing things right. That takes many forms, but in the case of Cedar Ridge, there's a family that goes by the surname Quint who has been quietly crafting some se ..read more

Sweet Staggy Stagg! This phrase, often said in the voice of Norbert from the old Nickelodeon cartoon Angry Beavers, is a nostalgic line you'll often hear from me, a self-proclaimed Stagg man. As the eponymous hero of the Stagg Hub, my goal will be to keep this page up to date with all the latest releases of both Stagg Jr (which no longer features the "Jr" on the label as of the batch 18 release) and the more senior George T. Stagg (a staple of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, or BTAC for short). If all the batches, proofs, and years have you confused, read on and keep this page bookmarke ..read more

Batch 13 comes right on the heels of what was widely received as one of the best Stagg batches, with many enthusiasts finding the profile of an ultra-aged bourbon we're used to finding on the more senior George T. Stagg bottling. What a tough act to follow. This batch was perhaps doomed from the start, given the high expectations that come with proximity to greatness. I pride myself on being able to throw out expectations, however, offering a standardized approach to evaluating whiskey that puts honesty paramount. So, what does batch 13 taste like? Let's jump into a glass and find out. C ..read more

An excellent opportunity has presented itself thanks to the generosity of my friends Jess and Drew Flavell who work all kinds of magic in the whiskey community. I happened to see what Drew was sharing with his wonderful wife this past Valentine's day. When Drew saw my jaw sitting on the floor, he gave me a nudge to quit the drooling, and included a sweet sample of that exact bottle I was salivating over in a care package that once again left my mouth agape. I'd like to thank Drew for sending this along in order for me to be able to give it an honest review. Let's dive in for a quick explorat ..read more

Batch 12: the long-lauded best-of-the-bunch Stagg Jr release by whiskey enthusiasts far and wide. Ask anyone who has been in the whiskey world a while what their favorite batch is, and you're going to hear the number 12 from a sure vocal majority. When I originally sat down with every batch from 12 to 18, there were some serious surprises after the blindfold came off. 12 was at the bottom of the barrel. That caveat? The batch 12 example I tasted that day came out of a sample jar. I've since written about the woes of certain polycone caps, so to give batch 12 a fair shake, I cracked open my on ..read more

"Attend to the dragonflies, newly arrived. Agate last week, emerald the week before. Turquoise creatures now, damsels I think one calls them, delicate as a grass blade and positively bold. Yesterday, a warm day, I was lying out after a swim and one landed on my knee, fluttered up to my thigh, sat for a while as if aware of the eros attendant in her trajectory, and then demurely took to the sky, only to change her mind and return to land low on my belly. Heart pounding then, my world reduced, incredibly, to that faint tickle, astounded at the ludicrousness of my arousal, and yet completely aliv ..read more

"There is no bad whiskey. There are only some whiskeys that aren’t as good as others." -Raymond Chandler Irish whiskey, believed to be one of the earliest distilled spirits, likely originated in the 1100s, when Irish monks brought back some learned techniques from southern Europe. Since its first official documented record in 1405, the production of Irish whiskey has undergone a tortuous evolution into the dynamic and delicious whiskey category we have today. Notable moments in history that caused changes would include the invention of the Coffey still, the notable taxation from the Crown, whi ..read more

Single malt Irish whiskey may be a little different than what you would normally expect from the Irish whiskey category as a whole. This single malt distinction simply means it is made from a mash bill of 100% malted barley and has been produced by a single distillery. Though there will be parallels to your Jameson or Redbreast you likely know and love, the flavor profile of this type of whiskey might be more likened to that of the single malt Scotch whisky category. This new flavor wheel is one I have been exploring in depth lately, and as such, I'm glad to bring you a review of this 16 year ..read more