Upon hearing “Never Say Die,” James Bond may be the first thing that comes to mind. However, I’d like to introduce you to the whiskey brand of the same name. It’s perfectly understandable if you’ve not yet heard of Never Say Die Kentucky Straight Rye, as until very recently, they’ve been exclusively an export brand for the United Kingdom. However, as of April 2024, the rye is now available in select American markets. Never Say Die was a famed racing horse that won the Derby Stakes at Epsom Downs with 33:1 odds, after allegedly taking a shot of bourbon for some motivation. Never Say ..read more

There’s a pretty simple sales pitch for this latest Master’s Keep release: At 10 years old, it’s the oldest age-stated rye whiskey that Wild Turkey has ever released. During a Zoom-based tasting, Eddie Russell guided a handful of journalists through a quick history of the Wild Turkey distillery, his own personal taste profile, the reason why you don’t see a lot of old rye on the market (because no one wanted it, basically), and the impetus behind the upsurge in rye today (thank bartenders for that). All of that was prelude of course for a tasting of Triumph, a barrel pick of 10- to 12-year-ol ..read more

We’ve been chronicling the releases of Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. for years — with plenty of winners and losers recorded over that time. This latest limited edition of 1900 bottles is an update to its 2022 Honey Smoke release, a single barrel expression of Kentucky-distilled American whiskey (99% corn, 1% malted barley), aged for 6 years and finished for 5 months in barrels featuring added staves taken from both honey barrels and Texas sotol barrels. The honey does a lot of the heavy lifting here, giving the nose a clear but sharp sweetness that has the distinct touch of earth that evokes hone ..read more

In a modern landscape filled with a seemingly endless supply of large and craft distillers, the title of “master distiller” is a bit murky. We all know who has definitely earned the title of master distiller, but the bigger question is regarding those who claim the title with a questionable or unaccomplished resume. We don’t challenge whether or not someone is a distiller or even head distiller, but have they properly earned the title of “master”? Alan Bishop is one the most brilliant and innovative minds in modern spirits. Alan Bishop does not claim to be a master distiller. Alan Bishop does ..read more

Dixon Dedman and his 2XO Icon Series have rapidly become one of those must-watch release stories since launching in 2023. Drinkhacker has kept studious pace from the get-go with each of their three limited release blends to date: The Pheonix Blend, The Innkeeper’s Blend, and The Tribute Blend. The backstory and profile of this new venture has been covered in previous reviews, so we’ll just dive into the latest and greatest that brings us here today. With three noteworthy releases in the cap already, 2XO continues to raise its own bar. So with grand expectations, we dip into the latest Kiawah ..read more

Woodford Reserve’s Batch Proof release for 2024 arrives early this time, arriving this year at a relatively tame 121.2 proof. As always, “Batch Proof showcases the flavor nuances created from batching 100+ different Woodford Reserve barrels together, then presenting that bourbon at the exact proof from the barrels.” Other than abv, it’s essentially a barrel pick of Woodford’s best stock available at the moment. Unlike many annually released cask strength bourbons, Woodford’s Batch Proof doesn’t immediately seem to change a whole lot from year to year, though spending some time with the whiske ..read more

Just last year we introduced you to the impressive core range from Pokeno, and now the Kiwi whisky maker, which has only been distilling since 2017, is out with another lineup of unique single malts. Pokeno’s Exploration Series is a line that is intended to showcase the distillery’s most innovative whiskeys with emphasis on the culture and unique environment of Pokeno’s hometown, Aotearoa. Say that three times fast. If you can even pronounce it. Thoughts follow. Pokeno Totara Cask New Zealand Single Malt Whiskey – Fully matured in first fill bourbon casks with a secondary maturation in 200 li ..read more

  While they are known for their “riffs” on American whiskey traditions, Kentucky’s New Riff Distillery is out with a new bourbon that’s about as straightforward as they come. That said, it is twice as old as the flagship bourbon they debuted in 2018, making it their oldest rye bourbon yet (a more limited eight-year wheated bourbon and rye made up the High Note Collection last year). Per New Riff: A new riff on a coveted classic, this 8-year-old expression of New Riff’s award-winning flagship bourbon is bottled without chill filtration at 100 proof with a mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye a ..read more

We got our first taste of an M&H Apex single cask single malt back in 2022. Several single casks, in fact, including a stripped and recharred cask like this latest expression that recently crossed our desk. As a reminder, Apex is the top of the Milk & Honey portfolio featuring both small batch and limited edition, single cask expressions focusing on unique finishings and maturation. We weren’t given any specific age or maturation information on this one other than the obvious fact that it was aged in a shaved, toasted, and recharred cask (STR). Head distiller Tomer Goren reportedly se ..read more

The latest release from Hirsch is a second edition of its Single Barrel Double Oak release, Kentucky distillate made from 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley, bottled at 9 years old. The first 8 years were spent in a new American oak barrel, char #4, followed by another year in a #1 ultra-light char barrel. Hirsch says the finishing barrel was done at a lower proof than in the first edition, should you be looking for a point of comparison with the earlier release. (We unfortunately haven’t tasted it.) There’s no shortage of barrel influence here, the nose providing a grand gesture of cha ..read more