Category Archives: Bourbon

Tasting Tuesday: Two Decorative Winners from Lucky Seven

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Two highly decorative Lucky Seven bottles step into the glass — Holiday Toast and The Frenchman — and both deliver far beyond their modest prices, with The Frenchman taking a clear but respectable win. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The Miracle of Oak

Posted on April 19, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Oak does far more than hold whiskey — it changes it. Fire, pressure, and time transform ordinary wood into something capable of giving richness, character, and depth. Perhaps faith often works the same way in us. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 33: Is New Riff Bottled in Bond Really the Best Bourbon in the World?

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The 2026 World Whiskies Awards crowned New Riff Bottled in Bond the world’s best bourbon. At $40, it qualifies for Bourbon Cheapskate — but how does it hold up against New Riff’s own 6-year single barrel? Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Brown-Forman’s 100-Proof Family Battle

Posted on April 14, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Eight bottles. One whiskey house. Two blind rounds. Brown-Forman’s 100-proof lineup delivered exactly what you’d expect from a great whiskey family: consistency, value, and one clear winner. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The Empty Glass

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A shared bourbon glass eventually empties, but the empty glass is not always asking for another pour. Sometimes it is simply reminding us that enough can be enough. Continue reading →

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Open Letter to Heaven Hill Distilleries: Don’t Promise What the Shelf Can’t Deliver

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Two recent Evan Williams releases — one patriotic, one collegiate — have bourbon drinkers asking a simple question: if the bottle is announced nationally, why can’t anyone actually find it? Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 32: Four Budget Bourbons, One Pecan Experiment

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

What happens when four sub-$30 bourbons spend nine hours with toasted pecan wood? A simple experiment produced four very different results — and proved once again that affordable bottles can be surprisingly flexible. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Nine Bourbons, Extra Oak, and One Familiar Winner

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Nine bourbons with extra wood influence—double oak, triple oak, quad oak, cask finishing, and one personal experiment—went head to head in a blind tasting. A few surprises emerged, one bottle overperformed, and one familiar favorite proved again why it remains one of the best finished bourbons on my shelf. Continue reading →

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March Bourbon Madness: Best-of-the-Shelf Challenge—Final Four and Championship

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The bracket comes down to depth versus dessert. Far Better outlasts a loaded field with layered complexity and a finish that simply wouldn’t quit, edging Toasted Pecan in a category-by-category championship battle. Sixty-four bottles entered. One remained. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The Distiller’s Hand

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A great bottle carries intention from mashbill to bottle. So does life. Even when we cannot see where things are headed, God has never been guessing. Continue reading →

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