Tag Archives: Jim Beam

Tasting Tuesday: Double-Oaked Challenge Play-In Round

Posted on September 15, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The Double-Oaked Challenge begins with eight bottles fighting for four spots in the Round of 16. Blind tasting, head-to-head matchups and four survivors. 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 One: Rickhouses, Barrel Picks and One Very Questionable Motel 6

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The first half of our Bourbon Trail trip brought the Stateline Whiskey Tour, barrel picks, rickhouse pours, Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel, Green River, Beam, Wild Turkey, Heaven Hill — and one Motel 6 that may still owe us an apology. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 39: When a $69 Bottle Sneaks Into the Cheapskate Lane

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Baker’s 7 usually sits above the Bourbon Cheapskate price range, but a $39 sale put it right in the lane. So I poured two different bottles blind — one aged seven years and three months, the other eight years and six months — to see whether the extra time made a difference. 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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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 24: The Bourbon That Refuses to Apologize

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

At $32–35, Old Grand-Dad 114 delivers a depth, mouthfeel, and finish that linger far longer than the price tag. Bold, honest, and unapologetic, it has earned the top spot on my Bourbon Cheapskate shelf—not by pretending to be more than it is, but by executing exactly what it promises. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 19: Old Grand-Dad Showdown — Bonded vs. 7-Year vs. 114

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Douglas Blaine

Today’s Bourbon Cheapskate pits three Old Grand-Dad expressions against each other — the classic Bottled-in-Bond, the resurrected 7-Year Bonded, and the crowd-favorite 114. I broke the blind tasting down category by category, and the results surprised me. I thought the 114 was the runaway favorite… until the 7-year started quietly flexing its muscles. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Apple Wood, Toasted Oak and a Surprise Standout

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Douglas Blaine

Tonight’s Tasting Tuesday features three bottles newly added to my shelf re-ranking project as I prepare for next year’s 64-bottle March Madness showdown. Company Distilling, Daviess County, and Noah’s Mill all bring something different to the table—but only one emerged as the clear standout of the night. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Upsets Brewing in the 95-and-Under Whiskey Challenge

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Douglas Blaine

The 95-and-Under Whiskey Challenge is heating up. After two weeks of competition, we already saw Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch (25 seed) pull off a Cinderella run into the Sweet Sixteen, proving that low seeds can still pack a punch. … Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 5: Legent’s Global Blend of Value and Class

Posted on September 4, 2025 by Douglas Blaine

  What Is Legent? Legent (pronounced “LEE-jent”) is a unique bourbon born from a rare East-meets-West collaboration between two titans of whiskey: Fred Noe, seventh-generation master distiller at Jim Beam, and Shinji Fukuyo, chief blender at Japan’s Suntory. Both companies … Continue reading →

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