Tag Archives: Bourbon

The Sunday Pour: The Barrel That Stayed Put

Posted on August 9, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

We celebrate the people who go, move and take the next big step. But sometimes God’s calling is to stay — steady, faithful and exactly where He placed you. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The Unlabeled Bottle

Posted on August 2, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

An unlabeled bottle strips away reputation, price, and expectation. Blind tasting reveals what is really there—and so does careful discernment when we look beyond the labels people wear. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The First Dilution—When Humility Opens the Pour

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A drop of water does not ruin a strong bourbon. Sometimes it reveals what was already there. Humility works the same way, not weakening us, but helping the best notes come forward. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: The Real Winner Was the Bag

Posted on July 7, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I packed five bourbons in a four-compartment bag and turned vacation into a blind tasting. Old Glory won the overall title, Evan Williams won the blind, and I learned I know my palate pretty well. Continue reading →

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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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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 Boring Life I Used to Mock

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

When I was younger, routine sounded like a prison sentence with a mortgage. Now I understand that boring may not be the opposite of living. Sometimes it’s what protects the life you love. 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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