Category: Hall of Fame

This traditional wormwood based shot liqueur from Chicago hasn’t changed much since Carl Jeppson founded the brand in the 1930s. Our barrel aged version, bottled exclusively for Bourbon World is just the thing you need. Earth, citrus, gasoline, month-old potato, with a dash of pinesol. On the palate, an all consuming dry herbal assault, kinda makes you hungry for any encased meat within reach. Long, regretful finish. Don’t burn the chops!

This year’s “Bourbon World” Eagle Rare is from Warehouse P, Floor 3 and delivers a velvet glove of fruit, spice, oak, and soft honey. Unlike this year’s Blanton’s which was deliciously off-profile, this Eagle Rare delivers a very soft, very drinkable, and extremely balanced version of the Eagle Rare 10yr profile that we all know and love. A touch of nuttiness mid-palate, some cocoa, some toffee, and a little creamy butterscotch to go with the oak, spice, and honey. There’s just a little bit of everything to love.

Brownsburg baseball legend and major league reliever Drew Storen bought ALL the actual corn in the field made famous by Kevin Costner’s 1989 hit movie Field of Dreams, fermented it, distilled it, and after years of ageing, finally bottled it at 93 proof. Whether you’re a fan of the movie, a baseball nerd, or just a whiskey lover, you’ve got to grab this piece of history. There are only 22,860 bottles, ONE for each player in the HISTORY of the major leagues. Soft corn, fruit, oak, and a touch of spice. It’s young, but worth the price of entry.

Big fat juicy slabs of oak greet your nostrils with growing licorice, cream de cassis, and dark berry emerging. Completely different than any Blanton’s nose I’ve had before. On the palate more cream de cassis, Chambord, raspberries, and chocolate covered cherries. This stuff tastes downright berrylicious. Emerging honey through the finish but more berry notes pop up as well. LOVE THIS PICK!

Pure whiskey candy! This 100% rye from Alberta Distillers has long been available up north, but only in recent years has it made its way to the US. It’s one of those truly under the radar greats that people tend to try once, really like it, then flee back to known waters. I would suggest returning to this bottle as a regular line up item. It’s just so rich, flavorful, balanced and truly one of the WORLD’S GREAT WHISKIES. Aged approximately 5 years and bottled at 127 proof, the nose starts off with sweet mint, vanilla, toffee, milk chocolate, and fresh cut oak. So much FRESHNESS from the minty rye, you have to keep going back for more. The palate is as crisp and rye focused as anything you’ll ever taste. Rye at this proof and this mashbill turns into fresh, herbal, mint-inflected rock candy. Top that off with a creamy toffee and some more vanilla.

The second release in the historic Borchetta Bourbon single barrel series pays homage to Bobby Unser’s 1972 AAR Eagle, the first racecar to ever break 200mph on a closed course. The actual car is OWNED by Scott Borchetta, and is lovingly reproduced on the bottle stopper. In the historic box sits a single barrel of 5yr, cask strength Tennessee Bourbon bottled at 122.5 proof and hand-numbered. This honestly has to be the most detailed, story-oriented package of whiskey I have ever seen. It’s worth the $299.99 just to read the story on the darn label. The whiskey inside boasts dark cherry, ripe banana, rich oak, and leather. It’s definitely craft, but one of the better ones I’ve had, honestly.

Naturally proofed down 109.4 OBSO aged 10 years and 4 months, high rye recipe, rich fruit profile, tier one with the floral yeast. Toffee and cinnamon raisin bread on the nose, but big hits of orchard fruit, especially apple on the palate, with hints of caramel. LOVE EM when they naturally proof down, because you get the full flavor without adding ice to modify and soften.

Batch 01 of Jack Daniel’s 12yr is a 107 proof flavor juggernaut. Ever since Heritage showed the world how complex and delicious Jack Daniels could be in a luxury price point, they’ve kept bringing out hit after hit. The nost alone on Jack 12 is worth the pirce of admission. Rich toffee and caramel with touches of coffee, chocolate, and orchard fruit. On the palate, EXCEPTIONALLY rich mouthfeel. More fruit, more leather, subtle spice, and a load of dessert like flavors. The folks in Lynchburg MUST have known how good their spirit was in these ages, but now the rest of the world gets to experience it. Do whatever it takes to get a bottle this year!

This 35% high rye mashbill combined with the delicately fruity standard “V” yeast, aged 10yrs and 2 months, in the northern section of Warehouse T, rick #31, Tier 3 in position H (8) and bottled at 113.8 proof presents subtle tropical fruit on the nose with sweet banana, passion fruit, and pineapple. The palate drips with delicate cinnamon and fine leather. The best of Four Roses single barrels fall into two categories, flavor bombs, and/or essays in elegance. This is the latter. So subtle, so sippable, and just damn easy to drink.

From an undisclosed source, this is one of the most perfumed oak noses on the bourbon market. Other 10yr old bourbons do NOT smell like this much age. Rich varnish with intermittent apple skin and pear aromas. Some orange bitter and cherry as well. This tastes like the liquid version of the “bourbon candy” that seeps from the barrels in the warehouses. The 94 proof while maybe not the favorite of the diehards is a great drinking proof, which means you can happily consume neat and enjoy all the chewy chocolatey, nutty oak flavors this very rare and allocated bourbon has to offer.