Twenty bourbons and whiskeys. One bracket. One winner.
This Double-Oaked Challenge is going head-to-head.
The field is seeded 1 through 20, but with 20 bottles and only 16 spots in the main bracket, the bottom eight seeds have to earn their way in. That gives us four play-in matchups:
#13 vs. #20
#14 vs. #19
#15 vs. #18
#16 vs. #17
The tasting itself is blind. I know which eight whiskeys are involved, but once they’re poured, they become simply A through H. I taste and score all eight first, then sort them back into their assigned head-to-head matchups and reveal which bottles survived.
Four winners move on. Four bottles go home. Then the Round of 16 begins.
The Field
- Old Forester 117 Series 1910 Extra Extra Old
- Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Father’s Day Selection B
- Lucky 7 Frenchman
- Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
- Bondstone Heritage Reserve Quad Oak
- Old Forester 1910
- Pursuit United Double Oaked Bourbon
- Lucky 7 Holiday Toast
- Bondstone Limited Release Triple Oak
- Bondstone Double Oak Cask Strength
- Buzzard’s Roost Single Barrel Double Oak Cigar Bourbon
- Death Roll
- Forty Creek 40 Double Barrel Reserve
- Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak
- Kentucky Credential Double Oak
- Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve
- Jim Beam Double Oak
- Heaven Hill Double Mash
- Project 109
- Old Reporter
The Play-In Matchups
#13 Forty Creek 40 Double Barrel Reserve vs. #20 Old Reporter
#14 Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak vs. #19 Project 109
#15 Kentucky Credential Double Oak vs. #18 Heaven Hill Double Mash
#16 Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve vs. #17 Jim Beam Double Oak
Before pouring, here’s a quick look at the eight bottles fighting for survival.
#13 Forty Creek 40 Double Barrel Reserve
This Canadian whisky brings a rich, buttery profile with toffee, caramel, vanilla, cherries and oak. It has enough sweetness to feel dessert-like, but the fruit and wood keep it from becoming one-dimensional.
#14 Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak
Buzzard’s Roost leans toward honey, vanilla, cinnamon and toasted oak. It is more straightforward than some of the heavier hitters in the field, but it can still deliver a pleasing texture and finish.
#15 Kentucky Credential Double Oak
Kentucky Credential brings toasted oak, baking spice, smoke, tart cherries and cardamom. Its challenge is whether the mouthfeel and finish can keep up with the flavor.
#16 Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve
A simpler, lower-proof pour built around butter, caramel, nutmeg and cinnamon. This one has the profile of an easy-drinking porch sipper.
#17 Jim Beam Double Oak
Beam’s familiar peanut character is part of the equation here, backed by caramel, nutmeg, cinnamon and toasted oak.
#18 Heaven Hill Double Mash
This one leans more savory, with leather and tobacco showing early before red fruit, toffee, cherries and baking spice soften the experience.
#19 Project 109
Project 109 is my own experiment: a collection of Jack Daniel’s whiskeys aged with an oak stick. It brings oak, cherries, brown sugar, barbecue notes, cinnamon and caramel, with a distinctive sweet-savory balance.
#20 Old Reporter
Old Reporter is another personal finish, this time Old Forester finished in a three-liter oak barrel. Expect caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and fruit.
Now it’s time to lose the labels.
For the tasting, the eight whiskeys become simply A through H.
Blind Tasting
Glass A
Solid copper color. The nose leads with savory baking spice and toasted oak, with buttery toffee following.
There’s a touch of smoke early on the palate, but tart cherries immediately jump in front. The baking spice leans toward cardamom, while cherries and caramel dominate, especially the cherries.
The mouthfeel drifts into the thin range, and that may be the deciding factor in this first-round matchup. I really like the flavor, but the finish isn’t long enough for this to go deep into the competition. The strong suit is still those cherries and some nice baking spice.
It’s not bad, but it will probably get lost among better competition.
Score: 82.24
Glass B
The color is just shy of mid-copper.
The nose is a bit light and maybe even confusing. I’m lost between chocolate, caramel and oak, but none of them really dominates or speaks to me.
There’s a good bit of leather and tobacco up front on the palate, but some sweet and tart notes break through, even if gently, to make the sip more pleasing. There’s some nice red fruit and a bit of toffee, but this will, like A, get lost in the shuffle of stronger drams.
The mouthfeel isn’t thin, but it also isn’t viscous. The finish is better than A, maybe even good. Cherries and light baking spice make this an enjoyable experience.
Score: 81.86
Glass C
Great color, just shy of A.
The nose is also a winner. I usually don’t like savory notes, and this one is loaded with them. But the appeal is delicious. I can’t even really describe what I’m smelling except that it’s making me want to take the first sip.
Once I get there, it’s worth the anticipation.
There’s really nice oak, sweet cherries, brown sugar and some barbecue notes. This one is a bit complicated, and I’m digging that.
This is probably the best mouthfeel so far, modestly viscous, and the finish is solid with more tart cherries, cinnamon and caramel.
Another great sipper and a potential semifinalist.
Score: 84.25
Glass D
Mid-copper color.
The nose is solid butter with hints of caramel and nutmeg. Not complicated, but super inviting.
This is clearly lower proof, so it’s surprising that there’s a little proof on the palate. Past the proof, the same flavors show up in pretty much the same order.
It’s still uncomplicated, but I could see sipping this on the porch on a warm night.
The mouthfeel is modest, and the finish is pleasant but not overly long: cinnamon, butter and caramel.
This won’t score highly, but it’s probably a reliable sipper in spite of the score.
Score: 80.67
Glass E
Light copper color.
The nose leads with dusty peanut shells, caramel and nutmeg. I’m immediately thinking Jim Beam or something masquerading as a Beam.
The palate goes in a bit of a different direction with a wave of cinnamon spice, backed by earthy, savory caramel.
The mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side, and the finish is fairly quick: peanuts, caramel and baking spice.
It’s not terrible, but it’s not going to be my first choice.
Score: 79.91
Glass F
Deep amber color.
The nose starts out a little proofy, followed by some light oak and vanilla.
Honey, vanilla and cinnamon lead lightly toasted oak on the palate. It’s nicely sweet, but fairly basic compared with some of the other pours.
The mouthfeel and finish end up being the best parts of this dram. The mouthfeel is lightly viscous, and the finish lasts longer than expected, even if it is mostly a fading version of what was already on the palate.
Score: 80.07
Glass G
Light- to mid-copper color.
The nose is on the lighter side, but not terrible: caramel, brown sugar, nutmeg and vanilla.
Cinnamon and caramel lead the palate, with some chocolate and what I think is pineapple.
That’s a confusing note for me.
The mouthfeel is mid-level, and the finish is spicy and better than average, with caramel, oak and fruit dominating.
It’s OK, but not a go-to.
Score: 81.97
Glass H
Solid copper color.
The nose is delicious: solid butter with rich oak, toffee and nutmeg.
The palate is also delicious. Cherries are there, bouncing between sweet and tart. So is that buttery toffee, joined by nutmeg, oak and a hint of dark chocolate.
The mouthfeel is nicely oily, and the finish is strong, with sweet cherries, sweet caramel and light oak.
This is one of the clear standouts of the round.
Score: 84.09
The Reveal
Now it’s time to put the names back on the glasses.
#13 Forty Creek 40 Double Barrel Reserve vs. #20 Old Reporter
Glass H: Forty Creek 40 Double Barrel Reserve — 84.09
Glass G: Old Reporter — 81.97
Old Reporter had some interesting qualities, but Forty Creek Double Barrel brought more richness, more texture and more depth.
That buttery profile showed up immediately, and the cherries, caramel and dark chocolate gave it enough complexity to separate itself.
Winner: #13 Forty Creek 40 Double Barrel Reserve
#14 Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak vs. #19 Project 109
Glass F: Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak — 80.07
Glass C: Project 109 — 84.25
This one wasn’t particularly close.
Buzzard’s Roost was pleasant and dependable, but Project 109 had considerably more personality.
The combination of oak, cherries, brown sugar and barbecue notes made it one of the most interesting pours of the round, and the stronger mouthfeel helped seal the decision.
My homemade experiment survives.
Winner: #19 Project 109
#15 Kentucky Credential Double Oak vs. #18 Heaven Hill Double Mash
Glass A: Kentucky Credential Double Oak — 82.24
Glass B: Heaven Hill Double Mash — 81.86
This was the tightest matchup of the play-in round.
Heaven Hill had the better finish, but the leather and tobacco kept it from matching the cherry, caramel and baking-spice profile of Kentucky Credential.
Kentucky Credential’s thinner mouthfeel nearly cost it, but the flavor was enough to carry it through.
Winner: #15 Kentucky Credential Double Oak
#16 Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve vs. #17 Jim Beam Double Oak
Glass D: Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve — 80.67
Glass E: Jim Beam Double Oak — 79.91
Neither whiskey overwhelmed me, so this came down to simple enjoyment.
Forty Creek brought butter, caramel and cinnamon in an easy-drinking package, while Jim Beam’s thinner mouthfeel and peanut-heavy profile left it just behind.
Winner: #16 Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve
Four Move On
The play-in round is complete.
Advancing to the Round of 16:
#13 Forty Creek 40 Double Barrel Reserve
#19 Project 109
#15 Kentucky Credential Double Oak
#16 Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve
Four bottles are finished. Four more have earned the right to face the top seeds.
Thursday, the Double-Oaked Challenge moves into the Round of 16. That’s when the bracket gets serious.
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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
