Review: Kentucky Nectar Bourbon
Nostalgia is part of the allure of bourbon. Amidst the current boom, new brands are faced with the choice to craft fresh branding or revive bygone vintage brands. Andrew English and Troy LeBlanc chose the path of reviving history with the formation of Old Commonwealth Distillery. Their second release pays homage to Mellwood Distillery’s Kentucky…
Review: The Dalmore Cask Curation Series II, Port Edition – 27, 30, and 43 Years Old
The second of The Dalmore’s Cask Curation Series is upon us, and featuring 27, 30, and 43 year-old Highland single malts, it’s one of the distillery’s most exclusive releases. Only 150 three-bottle sets will be released globally, with just 26 hitting the United States at an SRP of $44,450. This particular series is dubbed The…
Review: 2bar Single Barrel Bourbon 6 Years Old
The Pacific Northwest is ripe with American single malt whisky, but Seattle’s 2bar Spirits sets its sights on executing quality bourbon. Nathan Kaiser established the modest Seattle distillery in 2010 and formally opened in 2012. Drinkhacker first checked in with 2bar’s bourbon in 2014 with a bottling aged for 9 months in 15-gallon barrels. Given…
Review: J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky 42 Years Old
Nestled along the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario, J.P. Wiser’s is no stranger to producing whisky with multi-decade age statements. Their newest stateside offering — the first of “The Decades Series” — comes with an eye-popping 42 year old age statement. Distilled in 1982, this blended Canadian whisky was aged across a combination of Speyside…
Review: Penelope Private Select Estate Collection Bourbon 9 Years Old
After launching in 2018, Penelope made waves blending and finishing whiskey distilled by MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Fall of 2024 adds a new slant to the Penelope tradition by adding Kentucky bourbon to the mix with the inaugural release of the annual Penelope Private Select Estate Collection. The May 2023 acquisition of Penelope by MGP/Luxco…
Review: Left Bank Bourbon and Single Cask Bourbon
Left Bank Distilled Spirits has a distinctive process for making their whiskey. They begin with two-year-old sourced bourbon made from a balanced mashbill including roughly 69-72% corn, 18-21% rye, and 5-10% malted barley. Then, finishing staves are added to the barrels. These consist of 34 pieces of oak: 1/3 heavily charred American oak, 1/3 heavily…
Review: 2021 Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon and James Joshua
Priest Ranch has nothing to do with the church (read on for the backstory of the name), but from its hillside home — with elevations as high as 1700 feet — winemaker Cody Hurd preaches a religion of his own: The gospel of Napa and the amazing grapes that are grown here. Hurd has been…
Review: Row 94 Bourbon
In 1994, Dierks Bentley moved to Nashville to chase the dream of finding a home on Music Row. Bentley has certainly found success and fame as a country music singer, but September 2024 brought a new venture with the launch of Row 94 Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The country music icon transitioned from singing about whiskey…
