Category Archives: Bourbon

The Sunday Pour: America Is Still in the Barrel

Posted on July 5, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

America is not a finished bottle sealed on a shelf. She is still in the barrel — marked by fire, shaped by time, changed by sacrifice, and still becoming what the label has always promised. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 44: Five Evan Williams America 250 Barrels, One Bourbon

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Five bottles. One bourbon. Identical proof, nearly identical age and the same mash bill. So why did one barrel clearly outperform the others? A blind tasting of five Evan Williams America 250 releases reveals just how much difference a single barrel can make. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: The 11-Bottle Double-Oaked Blind

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Eleven double-oaked, triple-oaked and quad-oaked bourbons went into a blind tasting. Some were remarkable. Some simply spent extra time in wood. But only one could win. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The Open Bottle

Posted on June 28, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A forgotten bottle in the back of the pantry became a quiet warning: what we neglect can slowly lose what once made it rich. Faith, joy, love and peace don’t usually disappear all at once. Sometimes they simply evaporate. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 43: The DeBolt Dramworks Finished Bourbon Blind

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Five affordable bourbons went through finishing experiments — four in a small barrel and one in mason jars with oak staves. In this blind tasting, I find out whether finishing can truly improve cheap-but-good bourbon, or whether the original whiskey always shows through. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Jefferson’s Reserve Limited Edition Cask Strength

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Jefferson’s Ocean has always felt to me like standard bourbon with a cruise ticket attached to the price. But Jefferson’s Reserve Limited Edition Cask Strength changed the conversation completely — rich, syrupy, cinnamon-laced and loaded with red fruit, caramel and oak. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: Father’s Day and The Bottle Passed Down

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Some bottles are saved because they are special. But sometimes the best bottle is not the one left unopened on the shelf. It is the one poured with the right people while there is still time to make the memory. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 42: Old Grand-Dad 114 vs. Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Old Grand-Dad 114 has long been one of bourbon’s great value bottles. But is the harder-to-find Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel worth the chase and the extra $15? A blind side-by-side tasting gave me a pretty clear answer. Continue reading →

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Best of the Bourbon Trail Trip, Part Three: The Eight Bottles That Made It Home

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Eight whiskeys came home from the trip. Two blind flights later, there were no bad choices — but one Tennessee single barrel rose above the rest. Continue reading →

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Best of the Bourbon Trail Trip, Part Two: Speakeasies, Unicorn Pours and the Seven Bottles That Came Home

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Continued from Monday. Friday was our unscheduled day, which turned out to be a dangerous thing. Sometimes an unscheduled day becomes wasted time. Sometimes it becomes the day you stumble into the best moment of the trip. We started by … Continue reading →

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