Category Archives: Bourbon

The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 37: Evan Williams America 250 (times three)

Three bottles. Three barrels. Same Evan Williams Single Barrel 250 release. Same 117.76 proof. Very different results. Barrel 222 proved why higher-proof single barrels can still deliver serious value at around $40. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, The Bourbon Cheapskate | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tasting Tuesday: Knob Creek, Three Ways

Knob Creek’s Blender’s Edition No. 1 promises a sweeter side of the classic Beam profile. I put it in a blind tasting against Knob Creek 9-Year and a 125-proof cask strength single barrel store pick to see where it landed. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sunday Pour: The Shared Recipe

The best recipes are more than instructions. They are love, memory, tradition, and sacrifice passed from one generation to the next — often learned by watching the people who loved us enough to keep making them. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, The Sunday Pour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 36: The Triple Oak Mason Jar Project

Can a $19 bourbon get even better with a week in a mason jar and a couple of oak sticks? I put Member’s Mark Single Barrel through a homemade “triple oak” experiment and tasted it against the original. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, The Bourbon Cheapskate | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tasting Tuesday: Hard Truth Sweet Mash Wheated vs. Four Grain

Hard Truth brings some serious sweet mash credibility from Brown County, Indiana. But between the Wheated Bottled in Bond and the Four Grain Bottled in Bond, one bottle gives me more flavor — and more bang for the buck. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, Tasting Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sunday Pour: The Warehouse Heat

Warm-climate bourbon ages differently because the heat drives the whiskey deeper into the barrel. Life can work that way, too. Pressure does not always destroy. Sometimes, it accelerates purpose. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, The Sunday Pour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 35: The Single Barrel Bargain Brawl

Four value-friendly single barrels go head to head: Evan Williams 86.6, Benchmark Single Barrel, Member’s Mark Single Barrel and Evan Williams America 250. Some are decent. One is an outrageous bargain. And one makes me wonder why Heaven Hill hasn’t already given us a higher-proof Evan Williams Single Barrel as a regular release. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, The Bourbon Cheapskate | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tasting Tuesday: Six Single Barrels, One Surprise Value Threat

Some single barrels arrive with reputation. Others arrive with a lower price tag and very little fanfare — until they force their way into the conversation. That’s what happened when Evan Williams America 250 stepped into a blind lineup against five respected single barrels and nearly stole the whole night. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, Tasting Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sunday Pour: The First Crack of the Barrel

Some cracks sound like failure. Sometimes they are simply the first sign that pressure, heat, and time are shaping something stronger than before. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon, Faith, The Sunday Pour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 34: Bonded on a Budget—Old Bardstown Faces Two Familiar Rivals

Three low-cost bottled-in-bond bourbons. No stars. No hype. Just a blind test to see where Old Bardstown belongs — and in the end, one bottle quietly separated itself. Continue reading

Posted in Bourbon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment