Category: Spirits

I always enjoy experiencing new local spirits wherever I go. I was in a liquor store in upstate New York (well, “upstate” for someone who grew up in Westchester County) when I spotted an interesting looking bottle that seemed to come from a local distillery, specifically this Black Dirt Bourbon. Having tried (and loved!) the maple cask rye from another local distiller, Tuthilltown Spirits, I figured this was worth a taste.

I might live in Texas, but I was born and raised in New York. I appreciate all the flavors and the history of that state, and there seems to be a number of distilleries who are popping up over the last decade in the area trying to capture that local essence and bottle it. One of those producers is Widow Jane, and their flagship product is their 10 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The vast majority of new distilleries in the Austin, Texas area either sell an un-aged whiskey or just re-bottle someone else’s stuff. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t meant as a overt criticism — it makes good business sense when aged whiskey takes time and new distilleries haven’t been open long enough for that. But Fire Oak, a new-ish distillery based in Texas, bucks this trend and that’s what makes this original Texas bourbon unique and worth a look.

There’s not much that’s revolutionary in the world of whiskey these days. The methods have been tested and proven over centuries of production, and they have even been codified into legislation in some parts of the world. Oak & Eden is a company that looked at the current market and, instead of trying to beat everyone else on marketing or branding, legitimately tried doing something new and novel. And it works.

I was spending a weekend in Denver, Colorado a couple months back and it seemed like around every corner was a bottle of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. I remembered liking it, so when it started appearing on local billboards and store shelves I decided to grab a bottle and really put some thought into that notion.

While the Austin, Texas whiskey scene is absolutely bursting with energy, that’s not to say that the rest of the state is bereft of quirky and interesting whiskey distilleries coming onto the scene. One that just hit the shelves with their very first product is Tahwahkaro, a company whose name I almost guarantee you won’t pronounce or spell correctly the first time but is definitely worth the effort to learn and remember.

I might live in Texas, but I was born and raised in New York. I appreciate all the flavors and the history of that state, and it seems I’m not alone in that – in NY, a number of distilleries have been popping up over the last decade trying to capture that local essence and bottle it. One of those producers is Widow Jane, and their Oak & Apple Wood Aged Rye Whiskey piqued my interest when it appeared on my local store shelves.

There are more craft distilleries popping up around Austin, Texas than pimples on a teenager. Some of these are amazing and some are more about being a tourist trap than a proper distillery. Which one is Iron Wolf Ranch and Distillery?

Transparency, full disclosure, and honesty. Those are the values that I brought to hunting and outdoor sporting equipment reviews for the last seven years, and I’m bringing those same values to the whiskey and spirit reviews we post on this site.

I was visiting Seattle on a work trip a couple months ago and, as usual, I was looking for a good place to grab a drink. Much to my surprise, I found that there was a fully operational distillery located within walking distance of the Pike Place Market. They didn’t have any tours that day, but pretty much the entire facility (including their stills) can be seen from the tasting room where I tried their unique take on malt whiskey.