West Cork – Barrel Proof

St. Patrick’s Day is now only three days away and West Cork is one of my favorite affordable Irish Whiskey brands. You can’t beat the taste, price, and quality. This barrel proof was no exception if you can handle a strong whiskey. Nose: fruit, malt, and sweetnessPalate: malt, oranges, and fruitFinish: fruity and sweet with…

John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel

,This bottle was gifted to us by our friends who live in Virginia (thanks Jeff and Sara). Prior to this we had not heard of this brand. This Single Barrel is produced by the A. Smith Bowman Distillery, which is currently located in Fredericksburg, VA. The distillery is also owned by Sazerac. Nose: oak, vanilla…

Penelope Bourbon Barrel Strength

Now here’s a bourbon that we picked up not because we were familiar with the brand but rather because we had heard good things about it so, we wanted to see if truly was a good bourbon. Penelope Bourbon is distilled at the MGP’s distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana and is bottled in Kentucky. We picked…

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B521

Before I get into it, this is a 12 year bourbon. The letter “B” indicates the order it was released that year. The first number the month it was released and the last two numbers indicate the year. If you thought batch A121 was unusually low in proof at 123.6 compared to other batches we’ll……

Amrut Fusion and Peated Indian Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky

I first tried Amrut Fusion over six years ago and tried it again this past weekend when sampling it for this blog. Yup, it’s still good and if you’ve never heard of Amrut, it is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. Although first established in 1948 by Shri J.N. Radhakrishna, it…

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A121

Elijah Craig’s newest Barrel Proof release is here and it’s different from previous years with a lower proof. Past releases have ranged between 128.0 to 140.2 proof. This batch, A121 has a proof of 123.6 or an ABV of 61.8%. Still very strong by all accounts but for those who look forward to the extremely…

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye Barrel Proof

Now here’s a rye bourbon that is affordable, tastes great and doesn’t disappoint. Rare Breed Rye is bottled at 56.1% abv. It has a msrp of $60 and we purchased our bottle at $55.99. Nose: caramel, vanilla and toffee  Palate: vanilla, cinnamon, pepper and light honey sweetness  Finish: smooth, wood and sweetness Personally I really…

Stagg Jr. Batch 15

Buffalo Trace went out with a bang last year as they ended 2020 with the release of this Stagg Jr. Batch 15 131.1 Proof. I’m here giving them a standing ovation because wow… this is super tasty. We were lucky enough to have a friend who gifted us this bottle, I know crazy. The retail…

The Glenlivet Enigma

The definition of an enigma: mysterious, puzzling or difficult to understand. Today we raise a glass to Robert Burns on Burns Day with this Enigma. Glenlivet’s Enigma comes in a beautiful matte black bottle with a puzzle display in the front. They encourage you to solve the puzzle and share with them. It’s a no-age-statement…

Redbreast Small Batch Cask Strength Batch No. B1/19

I’m a huge Redbreast fan! So, when I saw this bottling made exclusively for the U.S. I knew I had to get it. Not only because it’s Redbreast but, because it’s cask strength. Cask strength whiskies are always a go for me and this one has an ABV of 58.7%. This single pot still whiskey…

Highland Park Cask Strength Edition No. 1

I’ve always been a huge fan of Highland Park. So much so that when we visited Scotland about three years ago, this was one of the distilleries we visited. This Edition No. 1 is the first in a new series from Highland Park. The whisky is predominantly matured in sherry seasoned American oak casks (of…