March Bourbon Madness: Best-of-the-Shelf Challenge—First Round Matchups 13-16

Opening Pour

The fourth segment of the Round of 64 continued the trend: high proof doesn’t guarantee advancement—but it certainly helps when balanced. A couple of strong performances emerged, one razor-thin decision surprised me, and a few mid-seeds quietly made their move. As always, everything below was scored blind before the reveal.

Let’s see who moves on.

🥃 Matchup 13 — Blind

S vs. U

Blind Tasting Notes

Color: Light mahogany
Nose: Serious proof with buttery brown sugar, chocolate, savory baking spice
Palate: Heat controlled; buttery brown sugar carries through with gentle spice
Mouthfeel: Lush
Finish: All flavors remain; deeply satisfying
Score: 90.49

Color: Light copper
Nose: Savory baking spice, tree fruit, vanilla, sugar
Palate: Peaches, cinnamon, caramel
Mouthfeel: Modest
Finish: Fruit and spice linger nicely
Score: 80.72

Reveal & Result

S: Nashtucky 7-Year (#5)
U: Old Grand-Dad 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond (#60)

✅ Winner: Nashtucky 7-Year (#5)
➡️ Advances to Round 2

Post-Matchup Thoughts
This one wasn’t particularly close. S delivered richness, control, and depth. U was solid and enjoyable, but it simply couldn’t match the texture and staying power.

What decided it:

Lush mouthfeel and superior balance under proof.

🥃 Matchup 14 — Blind

O vs. KK

Blind Tasting Notes

Color: Light copper
Nose: Savory baking spice and oak ahead of vanilla and caramel
Palate: Similar profile; sweetness edges forward slightly
Mouthfeel: Borderline creamy
Finish: Ends earlier than expected
Score: 79.31

Color: Light copper
Nose: Slightly dusty oak, vanilla, tree fruit
Palate: Creamy caramel and baking spice join oak and fruit
Mouthfeel: Creamy
Finish: Caramel and spice linger
Score: 81.81

Reveal & Result

O: Pikesville Rye (#28)
KK: Noah’s Mill (#37)

✅ Winner: Noah’s Mill (#37)
➡️ Advances to Round 2

Post-Matchup Thoughts
A tight one, but KK’s extra creaminess and slightly stronger finish made the difference. O was steady but never fully asserted itself.

What decided it:

Better texture and a more persistent finish.

🥃 Matchup 15 — Blind

W vs. LL

Blind Tasting Notes

Color: Light copper
Nose: Brown sugar, tree fruit, caramel
Palate: Brown sugar, apples, nutmeg, caramel
Mouthfeel: Modest
Finish: Spice and fruit carry the exit
Score: 80.18

Color: Modest amber
Nose: Pleasant balance of caramel, brown sugar, apples
Palate: Brown sugar apples with light oak, cinnamon, caramel
Mouthfeel: Silky
Finish: Brown sugar and cinnamon linger
Score: 79.96

Reveal & Result

W: Company Seismic Rye (#12)
LL: Penelope Four-Grain (#53)

✅ Winner: Company Seismic Rye (#12)
➡️ Advances to Round 2

Post-Matchup Thoughts
This one came down to very small margins. Both were enjoyable and well-constructed. W edged ahead by the slimmest of differences, mostly on flavor clarity.

What decided it:

Slightly sharper fruit-and-spice expression.

🥃 Matchup 16 — Blind

GGG vs. OO

Blind Tasting Notes

GGG

Color: Light copper
Nose: Strong proof, but mint, caramel, cinnamon show clearly
Palate: Creamy caramel, mint, oak, baking spice
Mouthfeel: Creamy
Finish: Brown sugar, oak, spice linger
Score: 84.09

Color: Deep amber
Nose: Caramel, oak, touch of vanilla
Palate: Banana cream pie up front; caramel and light oak behind
Mouthfeel: Lightly viscous
Finish: Nicely sweet and lasting
Score: 84.20

Reveal & Result

GGG: Copper & Cask Small Batch (#21)
OO: Rebel Single Barrel Kyle Busch Edition (#44)

✅ Winner: Rebel Single Barrel Kyle Busch Edition (#44)
➡️ Advances to Round 2

Post-Matchup Thoughts
This was razor thin—the closest yet. Both delivered proof, structure, and flavor. OO’s sweetness and slightly more complete finish nudged it ahead by a hair.

What decided it:

A touch more viscosity and a sweeter, longer finish.

🔀 Second-Round Matchups Created

Nashtucky 7-Year (#5)
vs.
Noah’s Mill (#37)
Company Seismic Rye (#12)
vs.
Rebel Single Barrel Kyle Busch Edition (#44)

Closing Reflections

We’re now a quarter of the way through the bracket, and a clear pattern is emerging: mouthfeel and finish continue to separate contenders from mid-pack bottles. Several mid-seeds are advancing confidently, and a couple of tight decisions suggest Round 2 will only get more intense.

The margin for error is shrinking. I’ll see you on Tuesday with the next four matchups in the first round.