Tag Archives: whiskey

Tasting Tuesday: Chestnut Farms vs. 1792 Full Proof—A Five-Bourbon Blind Tasting

Posted on August 18, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A Total Wine recommendation convinced me to spend $129 on Chestnut Farms Single Barrel. Then I did some research. So I put it blind against two 1792 Full Proofs, an Elijah Craig store pick and E.H. Taylor Small Batch to find out whether I had actually gotten my money’s worth. Continue reading →

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

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 →

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

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 →

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

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 →

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

The Sunday Pour: The Tasting Note You Missed

Posted on June 14, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The whiskey did not necessarily change. My attention did. Sometimes the same is true in life. God’s mercy may be present long before I slow down enough to notice it. Continue reading →

Posted in Bourbon, Faith, The Sunday Pour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sunday Pour: The Uneven Fill

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Comparison has a way of ruining both glasses. If mine is fuller, I can become proud or careless. If mine is lower, I can become bitter and suspicious. Either way, I stop receiving and start measuring. Continue reading →

Posted in Bourbon, Faith, The Sunday Pour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sunday Pour: The Borrowed Glass

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Sometimes grace does not arrive as something grand or dramatic. Sometimes it looks like a bartender handing you a small glass when you forgot your own — and suddenly, you have what you need to receive what someone else was willing to share. Continue reading →

Posted in Bourbon, Faith, The Sunday Pour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tasting Tuesday: The Bourbon Hunt Shouldn’t Feel Like a Shakedown

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Bourbon hunting should feel like discovery, not a shakedown. Some liquor stores build loyalty with fair prices, good picks and real customer relationships. Others treat bourbon drinkers like walking wallets — and those stores may find out the hard way that we remember. Continue reading →

Posted in Bourbon, Tasting Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Pour for Rowdy: Remembering Kyle Busch

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A Rebel single barrel once felt like a good bourbon with a NASCAR name on the label. Tonight, after Kyle Busch’s death at 41, the Rowdy bottle feels different — a reminder of talent, fire, flaws, family, memory and a life that ended far too soon. Continue reading →

Posted in Bourbon, Random, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sunday Pour: The Quiet Season

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Some seasons feel stagnant because nothing obvious is changing. But roots grow underground, whiskey matures in the dark, and God often does His deepest work where no one can see it. Continue reading →

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