The great mysteries of the modern world: Who was DB Cooper? What happened to MH370? And who the hell keeps buying flavored whiskey? Thanks to that last mystery, I once again took a trip along the bottom shelf of the liquor store to try and make sense out of Jim Beam’s Red Stag offering.

Jim Beam is the most popular bourbon in the United States by sales volume. But while the standard edition of their bourbon might be ubiquitous, there’s a wide world of bourbon in their catalog to try. Today’s choice is their award winning Black edition.

If aging in a charred barrel makes for good drinking, then aging in TWO charred barrels must make for amazing drinking. Or at least, that’s the logic that brings us the Jim Beam Double Oak edition.

There’s something to be said for being the first. Garrison Brothers was the first to come out with a Texas distilled and aged bourbon, but in the intervening years there have been plenty of others who have followed their path. The question is: how well does the original hold up?

I found Bastille 1789 Whiskey in a French cafe in San Francisco (specifically, the aptly named Cafe Bastille). I’d never heard of a French whiskey before and was instantly intrigued, ordering a couple glasses of it to accompany my beef bourguignon. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but one sip and I was intrigued — clearly, I needed a bottle of my own to review.

American whiskey? Absolutely. Scottish whiskey? You bet. Japanese whiskey? Bring it on. But French whiskey? The folks at Brenne Whiskey are working to make the name for French whiskey, so today we decided to find out how they’re doing.

Typically a craft distilled spirit is a premium product, something that demands a higher price. It seems like Devil’s River Bourbon Whiskey is all about bringing that same care and quality you get in a craft distilled spirit to the budget minded purchaser. But do they accomplish this? Let’s drink up and find out!