Everyone probably knows by now that bourbon is distilled in all 50 states in the US.  One perk we have with this passion project is discovering new-to-us distilleries and connecting with the folks who truly love what they do.  We accidentally ran across Watershed Distillery and now they are popping up everywhere we look online.  A fifteen minute phone call with a representative from Watershed made us instantly feel like part of the family and we couldn't be more excited to talk about this bottle. The Watershed Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a 4 year-old offerin ..read more

  Did you know there are approximately 750 whiskey and bourbon distilleries in operation in the US?  Did you know that not all great distilled spirits come from central Kentucky?  We did and today we are sharing one of those with you.  We're tasting and sharing the Ironton Distillery Colorado Straight Bourbon today and we are thrilled to have connected with these folks.  The female leadership team of Kallyn Romero (co-owner) and Laura Walters (head distiller) is making their mark in the Colorado distilled spirits scene by offering up a nice selection of lower proof w ..read more

We could not be more excited for an opportunity to sample and share with you the Dovetail finished whiskey from Barrell Craft Spirits.  We have been a BCS fan for sometime, polishing off a few bottles of their Seagrass Rye and other offerings over the last year.  Tasted from sample, this offering of Dovetail comes in at 124.7 proof but does not drink hot at all.  The fact that it was finished in rum, port wine and Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from Dunn Vineyards really adds some incredible finesse and flavors to this lovely and aromatic whiskey. On the nose is a soul-searching ..read more

Green River Distilling Company recently expanded their offering by releasing their first ever Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.  This 95 proof bottle joins their previously-released and very successful bourbons.  This whiskey is a blend from four to six year barrels and has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley.   In the bottle is a bright mahogany colored whiskey with a nose that includes red fruit, mint and baked biscuits.  This is a very easy sipper and will appeal to devoted rye whiskey enthusiasts as they taste  black tea, hints of spice, Cinnamon Toast ..read more

  What does a country music superstar and one of the world's most famous distilleries have in common?  Well, let's find out!  Right out of the gate, we're going to tell you that we were surprised that this wasn't a marriage between the 8-time Grammy winner and Jack Daniel's, but we'll get to that later. Chris Stapleton has teamed up with Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley to offer this first-of-a-kind blended whiskey with a celebrity association from the Frankfort, KY landmark.  Gimmick?  Genius marketing?  When this bottle was released just a few w ..read more

  This wine is another testament from the pulpit where we continually exclaim that not all wine has to be expensive to be good.  This is a non-vintage Harvester Cabernet Sauvignon from Austin Hope Winery.  Non-vintage generally eludes that this wine is a blend of several vineyards and vintages and the production is on the higher side.  That not only means that this wine is readily available, but it is also affordable.  We originally tasted this bottle at a local wine shop and while it didn't mirror the $100 Ghost Block that we tasted, it certainly held its own. This ..read more

  There has been a buzz online for several months about J Rieger's whiskey offerings.  Admittedly, we weren't familiar, but the excitement was growing both locally and across the country since they released their first bottle about 20 months ago.  Well, it's not their first, but there was that pesky Prohibition that go in the way.  It only takes a spark to get a fire going, right?  When we came across this bottle of J Rieger's Kansas City Whiskey at a local liquor store, we snatched it up.  In fact, it was the last bottle on the shelf and it has been difficult t ..read more

  Just over a year ago I had the opportunity to taste Russell's Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon for the first time.  A friend of mine had picked up a bottle locally for $107 (MSRP at the time was $99) and surprised me with a taste.  He knew, at the time, that this was on my top-10 "wish list" so I was ecstatic to have this opportunity.  We later discovered that he had Batch 2 of this limited release bourbon from Wild Turkey Distillery. The mash bill on this is 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley and it comes in just under 115 proof (114.8).  The initial nose was on ..read more

  Don't worry wine snobs.  Not all great wines have corks.  The 2018 Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir is a screwtop but there is nothing screwy about this wine!  Blueberry compote, leather bound book, wet stone and barn dust are prevalent on the nose.  You really get lost in the aromas of this juice and we found our noses in the glass repeatedly!  Berry cobbler, mocha and ripe plum dance on the palate with a firm but not overbearing acidity.  Medium and memorable finish puts this wine in a "must buy" Oregon Pinot category.  It's quite lovely ..read more

  About ten years ago, I blindly reached out to Krupp Brothers winery to introduce himself as a fledgling wine blogger.  The winery was kind enough to send Jeff a few bottles to review, and the rest, as they say, is history.  We have been very enthusiastic fans of Krupp Brothers wines and have enjoyed sharing these wines not only virtually with their readers, but in person with their friends.  And, just as it should happen, it did.  Those friend started buying Krupp Brothers wines and eventually some of them became wine club members.   In late August, we h ..read more