Category: Hall of Fame

I think I’ve been begging for an age stated OGD for the better part of a decade which is why I was so pleased to see a 16yr old Old Grand Dad at 100 proof just drop! Beam’s high rye mashbill is on full display in this allocated offering, serving up licorice, orange marmalade, oak spice, fine leather and an impeccably chewy finish. This is a big, spicy, yet elegant whiskey right at home on the TOP shelf in any collection.

In case you didn’t know, Coy Hill is the highest point on the Jack Daniel’s property, atop which sits Warehouse 8, from which issues the eponymous relesae of this much loved single barrel series. Drawn from middle cut warheouse floors and bottled at cask strength, this particular batch weighs in at 127.2 proof and is everything you’ve come to expect for Jack’s specialty releases in the last several years. It’s beyond rich with caramel, nougat, almond, leather, orange, lime, chocolate, and oak. The palate is a complete masterclass in leather wrapped oak with spice, fruit, and rich butterscotch. Jack makes world-class whiskey, period! And Coy Hill may be their best ever.

The 18th edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection® consists of 14-year-old Malt Whiskey aged in the upper floors of Rickhouses O and Q. Then, barrels that previously held Cognac were reconstructed to include a handful of new heavy toast staves. The Malt Whiskey was then rebarreled in the reconstructed barrels and aged for almost four months. Bottled at 107 proof without chill filtration, the rebarreling transforms the Malt Whiskey’s earthy, herbal characteristics into complex notes of molasses, dark chocolate, and dried summer fruit.

If you ever wondered if Booker’s was capable of releasing a “next level” bourbon, you can wonder no more…this is it. It’s a blend of 8 different bourbons from 8 different warehouses ranging from 8yrs old to 14 years old, taken from the middle cut of the warehouse and bottled at cask strength, with no filtration. Brown sugar and dark cherry on the nose with the deepest, sweetest caramel and vanilla notes I’ve ever tasted in a Beam release…candy, candy, candy, with just a touch of spice on the finish. I thought the Birthday Bourbon and Russell’s Reserve 15 couldn’t be beat this year. I think this just beat it!

Some of the oldest Maker’s Mark barrels EVER to be bottled including 85% 13yr old whisky, the 2024 Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged pushes into the deepest darkest char notes I’ve ever tasted from this brand. These barrels have been sitting in a 47 degree cellar though since 2017, mitigating some of the effects of longer ageing on this relatively delicate and fruit forward distillate. The result is a flavor juggernaut with layers of nougat, brown sugar, and very intense oak leading into darker fruit territory throughout.

Freddie Noe’s latest Little Book, “The Infinite” contains casks laid down by three generations of Beams, including 20yr old made by Booker, 14yr old made by Fred, 7yr old made by Freddie and a dash of shared 8yr. The result, one of the best damn bourbons ever produced by the Beams. No foxy orange yeast note to be found here, just insanely rich fruit notes along with brown sugar, spice, and caramel. It’s the closest flavor to the experience of walking into a bourbon warehouse for the first time, just very finely rendered wood and sugar! Bottled at 119.3 proof.

This year’s Master’s Keep is a 104 proof 10+ year old non-chill filtered rye whiskey that’s not playing games. It’s big, bold, spicy, sweet, with extra char but enough rye spice to lighten things up JUST enough to keep it from falling over from the oak. A touch of citrus throughout both the nose and palate along with a very complex fruit note akin to grilled peaches. This doesn’t taste like ANYTHING else out that, and for once, that’s a good thing!

This year’s expression of Birthday Bourbon is a 12yr old 107 proof brown sugar bomb blended from 209 barrels which lived their life in Warehouse G and L just outside downtown Louisville. Warehouse G is NOT heat cycled and is known to produce fruit and sweet which is certainly prevalent in this year’s release. Warehouse L tends to produce higher proof expressions, known to be spicier with more baking spice, as well as brown sugar, caramel and cherry. This year’s Birthday is essentially a “greatest hits” record of Brown Forman flavors with brown sugar and spice in perfect harmony. Plus, you get the amazingly flavor forward but still drinkable 107 proof just like another whiskey we love.

Simply put, one of the best Wild Turkey releases in years, and that’s saying a lot, becaseu there have been some real hits. It’s got big oak, akin to the older Pappy releases, but instead of softened wheat fruit and leather it exhibits intense sweetness along with baking spices. The nose alone is worth the price of admission, but the carmel topped apple crumble on the palate will make you melt. 117.2 proof and non-chill filtered. Them Russell boys know what they’re doing!

This year’s single barrel of Weller Antique 107 destined for Bourbon World is a distller’s pick from Sazerac. Quintesential 107 leather and fruit on the nose with caramel, toffee, and orchard fruit. On the palate, very fruit forward with the leather taking a back seat. I’ve always said Antique 107 was just about the perfect bourbon, and this particular single barrel falls right into line with that. It’s got enough proof to carry the flavor, but not so much that the alcohol numbs and drowns out all the drinkability.