Tag: whiskey

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Branch on Fire: Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye

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This was one of my free quarterly selections from my Flaviar subscription, which I have since let expire as I really need to drink through what I have for a while. Sagamore Spirit is out of Maryland and is fairly news. This straight rye got a 95/100 from Tasting Magazine in 2017, for that this is worth. They get their name from the local thoroughbred racing farm. This is one that started out using MGP-sourced juice. Checking in at just 83 proof, this is light on the heat, as in there is practically none. This can be left on the … Continue reading Branch on Fire: Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye

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Branch on Fire: Driftless Glen Straight Rye Single Barrel

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I bought this one by accident. Seriously. I meant to grab a store pick from the same distillery and did not notice that this bottle was in the wrong row. With that being said, not exactly a horrible mistake. Driftless Glen is a craft distillery in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Never heard of Baraboo? Me neither. It is northwest of Madison, up not too far from the Wisconsin Dells. And, I recently learned, they source their grain from Teutopolis, IL, an hour from my hometown. The Single Barrel Rye has won a few awards, including a gold medal best in class at … Continue reading Branch on Fire: Driftless Glen Straight Rye Single Barrel

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Branch on Fire: Peerless Double Oak Bourbon

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Peerless has only been a distillery in its current iteration since 2015, located in downtown Louisville. But they quickly made a name for themselves when their Rye started winning awards in 2017. The rye has been the flagship since, by and large. Enter Peerless Double Oak. Double Oak means exactly what you would think it means, it gets taken from one fresh oak cask, after aging, and put into another fresh oak cask for more aging. The idea being that new wood provides more flavor. It is a concept that is getting more and more popular, although I will admit … Continue reading Branch on Fire: Peerless Double Oak Bourbon

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Branch on Fire: Indiana Whiskey Just Whiskey Cask Strength

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The Indiana Bourbon Club did the March Madness thing for whiskey recently. You know, pit a bunch of local places against each other and have fans vote on champions. It is as unscientific as it gets, but generally fun. I have only had a few of these: Hotel Tango, Starlight and Indiana Whiskey. I have heard good things about Hard Truth and have been looking for that one. Seeing this reminded me I still have a couple of bottles I picked up at Indiana Whiskey in South Bend, so it is time for a proper write-up. Indiana Whiskey was started … Continue reading Branch on Fire: Indiana Whiskey Just Whiskey Cask Strength

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Book Nook: Pappyland, by Wright Thompson

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I’m just old enough to remember finding Pappy Van Winkle on the liquor store shelfs. I can still remember the last bottle I found in the wild. I was in Effingham, right when the Van Winkle boom was kicking up, and there was a bottle of Pappy 12 for $80. I snagged it. I drank it, not realizing at the time what was about to happen to the whiskey industry. The last time I drank Pappy 23 was the day I started my new job nearly three years ago. We were in Chicago for my training and we found a … Continue reading Book Nook: Pappyland, by Wright Thompson

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Branch on Fire: Knob Creek Single Barrel Brown Butter (A1 Store Pick)

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I haven’t written up any whiskey reviews lately, but wanted to throw this one up since, as you can see in the picture below, I’m about to polish this one off. A1 Liquors and the Rusty Water Society did this single barrel selection a while back and I was lucky enough to get a bottle of the Brown Butter, as they call it. Brown Butter is a 9 1/2 year old, 120-proof bomb from Knob Creek. Nirav Patel, the godfather of Rusty Water, tends to lean toward the higher proof whiskeys for their selections. Not a damn thing wrong with … Continue reading Branch on Fire: Knob Creek Single Barrel Brown Butter (A1 Store Pick)

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Branch on Fire: Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition

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I’ve been watching Peaky Blinders of late, so it seemed like a good time to kill of my bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey Caskmates, Stout Edition. Yeah, I know, lengthy freaking name. This was a bottle given to me a while back, purchased by someone who liked the IPA version but did not love them. I agree. the IPA version was better with it’s hopped up profile. Still, there is nothing wrong with this bottle for it’s $30 price profile (or $50.90 if you live in Fairfield). The Stout portion comes from aging Jameson whiskey in barrels previously used by … Continue reading Branch on Fire: Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition

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Branch on Fire: Hercules Mulligan Rum & Rye

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I’m mostly a whiskey guy when it comes to my firewater, but I’m an equal opportunity guy. So I was intrigued when I saw the Hercules Mulligan Rum & Rye blend on Flaviar, the spirit subscription service I use for delivery. Named after the tailor turned spy of the Revolutionary War, HMRR is a new take on an old recipe, lifted from the times of the man himself. This is part spirt, part heavy-hitting cocktail. The recipe: Here is what makes up this blended drink:50 percent rum (3 different Caribbean rums from Jamaica and Guyana)50 percent rye (3 different Ryes, … Continue reading Branch on Fire: Hercules Mulligan Rum & Rye

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Branch On Fire: Glenfiddich Fire & Cane

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Glenfiddich is one of the most established makers of Scotch out there. They have been doing single malts for a long, long time and are the biggest seller of single malts out there. They are known for the sweeter side of scotch, from the Speyside. Fire & Cane, however, is one of their new offerings, an experimental whiskey. Fire & Cane takes their rare peated single malt and combines the fruit-forward Speyside, making it “half-peated”. Peated Glenfiddich was previously hard to find, mostly in duty-free stores. Both are aged in ex bourbon barrels. The “Cane” comes from the cask finishing … Continue reading Branch On Fire: Glenfiddich Fire & Cane