Near the start of vacation, my best friend, Scott, met up with Daryl and me for dinner in Chattanooga and delivered the bottles I couldn’t bring home from our Tennessee-Kentucky bourbon-whiskey trip.

There were a lot of them.

So on the final night of vacation, I went into the boxes and pulled four bottles that caught my attention — some I hadn’t tasted all week, and some I hadn’t tasted at all. I arranged them from lowest proof to highest: Blade and Bow, Bushwood Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon, Middle West Dark Pumpernickel Rye and Buzzard’s Roost Double Oak Single Barrel Cigar Bourbon.

That made the tasting feel a little like opening presents I had technically bought for myself.

Blade and Bow opened the night with a respectable 78.45. The color was deep amber, though still light on my scale. The nose brought sweet oak up front, with a little dusty peanut, nutmeg and vanilla. For a lower-proof pour, the mouthfeel surprised me by leaning slightly creamy. The palate was not especially complicated, but it delivered cinnamon, caramel, a touch of peanut butter and a little oak. The finish was moderate but enjoyable, with caramel, vanilla and light oak.

Bushwood Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon came next and scored 78.66. It definitely won the best decanter contest, though unfortunately for Bushwood, the bottle’s style does not count in the scoring.

The color was even lighter than Blade and Bow, landing somewhere around mid-amber. The nose was a bit unusual, with buttered roasted corn, toffee and savory baking spice. The roasted corn carried into the palate, joined by cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla. The mouthfeel was just north of creamy, and the finish was surprisingly decent, leaving brown sugar, toffee and light cinnamon behind.

Then came the Middle West Dark Pumpernickel Rye. I was really curious about this one because if there is one bread I truly love, it is pumpernickel. But I also know rye whiskey can bring a serious bite, and rye and I do not always shake hands like old friends.

The color was deep amber. The nose had a serious herbal quality, but there was also sweetness with light caramel and vanilla. The palate led with honey, toffee, vanilla and light mint. The mouthfeel was shy of viscous, but still pleasant. The finish was decent and sweet, with honey and mint managing the exit. It scored 78.34.

Finally, I poured the Buzzard’s Roost Double Oak Single Barrel Cigar Bourbon, which is almost as hard to say as it is to fit on a label.

This one had the best color of the night, a strong mid-copper. The nose led with smoke, sugar and more smoke. Have I mentioned how smoky this bourbon seemed? The viscosity impressed me immediately and was easily the best of the night by a wide margin.

The smoke was there on the front end of the palate, but it was quickly joined by brown sugar, toffee and cinnamon. The finish faded a little too quickly, but it was still tasty, with brown sugar, cinnamon and caramel. It finished as the clear flavor winner at 82.13.

So if this were only a straight tasting, Buzzard’s Roost would walk away with the trophy.

But this is Bourbon Cheapskate, and Bourbon Cheapskate is never only about the trophy.

Buzzard’s Roost was by far the most expensive bottle of the four. It should have been the best pour, and it was. Middle West was the cheapest bottle. Bushwood and Blade and Bow were close enough to the Cheapskate range to keep the value conversation interesting.

That is where my admittedly imperfect price algorithm comes in. Once price entered the room, the standings changed.

Middle West climbed from last in straight scoring to first in value, just edging out Buzzard’s Roost and Bushwood. Blade and Bow finished only about a point behind the others.

That is the part I love.

The best whiskey of the night was Buzzard’s Roost. The best value was Middle West. Bushwood was right there. Blade and Bow was not far behind. None of them embarrassed themselves. Nobody got dumped into a Coke Zero. Nobody got quietly shoved to the back of the cabinet with the phrase “maybe guests will drink this someday.”

All four were solid.

And maybe that is the real story.

Near the beginning of my bourbon journey, a tasting like this might have included one bottle I loved, one bottle I tolerated and one bottle that made me question my life choices. Now, even when the lowest score of the night is 78.34, I am still having a pretty good evening.

I have managed to build a whiskey collection where it is getting hard to go wrong. Some bottles are special. Some are smart buys. Some are just reliable pours that make an ordinary night feel a little more enjoyable.

On the final night of vacation, that was enough.

Four bottles. Four good pours. One useful reminder.

Sometimes the best bottle is the one that wins the tasting. Sometimes the smartest bottle is the one that wins the math. And sometimes the real victory is realizing you have enough good whiskey around you that either way, you win.

Enjoyed this? Subscribe and get future reflections, bourbon notes, and assorted nonsense delivered straight to your inbox.

Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.