Author: Nick Leghorn

As the mandatory social distancing during this COVID-19 pandemic situation continues, my whiskey stockpile has dwindled down to nearly nothing. So, in an attempt to bolster my supply without breaking the bank, I’m trying another bottom shelf bargain brand: Colonel Lee.

Over the last few years, the Old Forester brand has been releasing a number of whiskey expressions dubbed the “Whiskey Row” which are intended to showcase the history and development of their whiskey. Today we’re looking at the final expression to be released, one that commemorates a specific moment in time for the company which had the potential to bring their whole operation to an end.

I’m a sucker for small batch locally produced whiskey. Doing things in-house gives distilleries the ability to oversee every aspect of production and create something that exactly matches their vision, and usually that means some interesting flavors or novel production methods. Woodinville is one such distillery, where they truly create a “grain to glass” whiskey — and their flagship bourbon seems to be a great place to start checking out their offerings.

The color green is as synonymous with Ireland as shamrocks and Guiness. And making good marketing use of this fact is Green Spot, a popular Irish whiskey now available in the United States. Green Spot is a blended whiskey that has lasted the test of time and survived where its other colored-paint brethren have all been discontinued.

I’m always interested to see different takes on whiskey, whether that means aging it in a novel way or using different ingredients. For Slaughter House American Whiskey, it was taking a chance betting a famous wine producer could translate his wine success to the spirit industry. And we took a chance testing this out to see how the end result tastes.

There’s nothing that epitomizes American whiskey more than seeing a business opportunity and seizing the day — especially if in the process, you might stray a bit outside the law. From moonshiners to rum runners, it’s a time honored tradition and Ezra Brooks’ history modernizes that story a bit, setting it in the Mad Men age of marketing and branding.

I like apples. I like whiskey. And I like America. So.. based on the fact that today’s subject is called American Born Apple Whiskey, this should be a home run. Right?

No matter where in the state they’re from, there are a few brands that all Texans absolutely love: HEB, Bluebell Ice Cream, Bucc-ee’s, Whataburger, and… Shiner Bock. Every Texans (and many non-Texans) favorite beer. Taking their Lone Star credentials up a notch, the folks at Texas-based Balcones Distilling are paying homage to Shiner Bock in their latest whiskey release.

As I’m writing this, we’re deep in the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown. I’ve chugged through most of my ready supply of whiskey, and what I really want is something new and different to knock me out of this monotony. So when I saw that my local liquor store had started stocking something called a Peanut Butter Whiskey, it sounded like music to my ears. Something different! (…and hopefully also tasty.)

Salted caramel is one of my favorite flavors, and, in general, caramel is a great flavor when it comes to whiskey. So naturally, when I saw a bottle of cheap whiskey that specifically called out that flavor, I was hooked and knew that I needed to take it home a bottle of Ole Smoky Salted Caramel Whiskey and try it myself.