BourbonSmith

Getting into the spirit(s) early

Labor Day plus the week the NFL season kicks off (and with it, fantasy football) is enough of a reason for me to crack into some of the good stuff! This is a 2017, which has me thinking, what's the oldest OPEN bottle you have? #bourbon #whiskey #nfl #laborday

. . . . . . #bourbon_smith #bourbonwhiskey #americanwhiskey #bourbongram #whiskeygram #bourbonporn #whiskeyporn #instawhiskey #instawhisky #charredoak #whiskeymoments #whiskymagazine #oklahomajoes #oklahomajoesmoker #oldfashioned #smokedcocktail

Tonight calls for some of the good stuff! @smokewagonbourbon WC Elevator Batch. #bourbon #whiskey

Birthday pours! Which are you going for, the Lot B or the WLW? Sneaky 3rd option if you swipe to the next pic. #bourbon #whiskey

BIG NEWS! Back in November, I got the chance to do something that has long been on my bucket list. I hopped on a private plane, flew to Kentucky and blended together my own custom batch of bourbon! The experience was awesome, and I learned a lot. Choosing bourbons that will taste better together than on their own is no easy task and I've got a new respect for those master blenders out there. It took a lot of tinkering, but I'm proud of the blend that I created. It's a blend of 4 different wheated bourbons, all from *Indiana*, bottled at a full-flavored 113 proof. It's a batch of just 30 bottles, and I grabbed 5, so only 25 left. Available exclusively at @maplepartyshop starting this week! A huge thanks to @maplepartyshop for their generosity in letting me do this! #bourbon #whiskey #custom

Sunday night new pour! This Nulu toasted rye is fantastic. A ton of depth, plenty of kick but not overly hot. I'm a huge fan. Have you tried this one? Ps, stay tuned tomorrow for an exciting announcement 😉. #whiskey #ryewhiskey #rye

NEW REVIEW! Barrell Bourbon's annual release of New Year, the 2022 batch. This is always good, but read on to see how this year's batch stacks up! Nose: Full of sugar with a nice splash of cherry cobbler! There's a floral element as well as an earthy element. It may be my Christmas tree, but I swear there's a hint of an evergreen tree in the nose. Very appealing. Palate: The evergreen note from the nose is definitely for real and jumps out. I also get elements of clove and honey, with a citrus kick towards the back. There's plenty of oak as well. The mouthfeel is a bit dry, but not overly so. Finish: Peppery with more of the earthy elements from the nose, but it fades quicker than expected. On the back end the sweeter notes return, this time vanilla and honey. Overall: This is really good, and that pine tree/evergreen element gives it a uniqueness that a lot of bourbons are searching for. It's tough to rank against other batches of the New Year release, but this one stands up well. I'll definitely be having another glass to ring in the new year! #bourbon #whiskey #bourbonreview

Somebody sent me this article this morning and all I can say is it's about time! If you haven't seen it, BT is putting these NFC chips in the foil caps and they can track exactly when a bottle has been opened for the first time. So, let's say you buy a bottle from a bourbon connection, you can open the lid, scan the chip and find out if that was the first time or if it had actually been opened 6 months ago. What are everybody's thoughts on this? Whether you like or hate the secondary market, I think this is a great move. #bourbon #whiskey @buffalotracedistillery

I'm really impressed with this Restoration Rye pick from @thebottleshopga. It's 121 proof but not hot in the slightest. Tons of florals and citrus notes. It's light but with plenty of flavor, making for a very unique overall sipper. If you haven't had a chance to try this one yet, I recommend you grab one! #whiskey #ryewhiskey

NEW REVIEW! Barrell Bourbon Batch 30, one of the latest releases from @barrellbourbon. This is a blend of 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 15 year barrels from Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and Wyoming, bottled at 117.32 proof. Lets dive in! NOSE: Lots of vanilla and solid barrel char pop out first. The high rye bourbon from the blend makes itself known quickly with a nice, cinnamon rye punch. After that is a nice rum raisin note and even a hint of apple. PALATE: This sip really punches you in the mouth! The rum raisin note continues, but this time more like a warm rum raisin cake. There are some bolder notes of clove and rye spice. There's a noticeable and consistent dryness to the palate, but it's not problematic. This one is a little spicier than some previous barrel releases as well, but it's balanced out with some nutmeg and a little vanilla. FINISH: This is a long, warm finish, bordering on hot. More rye, nutmeg and oak dominate the finish as a lot of the sweeter elements fade away. OVERALL: 3.75 out of 5. This is a very solid batch. It definitely stands out from some of the more recent batches I've reviewed, which leaned sweeter than this one, but with the addition of some of the new whiskeys to this blend this isn't a surprise. As always with Barrell, it's expertly blended and none of the flavors are out of balance or overpowering. If you want something bold and spicy that brings some new flavors, this is your batch. *This bottle was provided at no cost by Barrell. Thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. #bourbon #whiskey #reviews

NEW REVIEW! Barrell Seagrass, another new and unique finished whiskey from the folks at @barrellbourbon. Seagrass is a blend of American and Canadian rye whiskeys finished in Martinique rum, madeira and apricot brandy barrels. There’s no age statement, but it clocks in at a solid 119.84 proof. Read on to see what I think! NOSE: Every bit of the nearly 120 proof is present when I first dive in, but dried fruit, vanilla and fresh caramel quickly rush in. I’m definitely getting some tropical fruit notes as well, and the apricot really comes through. It’s not all sweet though, as rye spice and some bolder notes join at the end. We’re off to a good start. PALATE: In what has become a calling card for Barrell products, the first sip just explodes and seems to activate every taste bud I have all at once. It’s sweet and hot, bold and velvety, spicy and fruity all at once. It’s the type of first sip that tells you every new sip is going to bring out something new. There’s more apricot, a little grape and even some citrus, but then comes the rye and familiar licorice kick. Classic vanilla and caramel mingle well with the other notes, but the bold rye and spice come right back to round things out. FINISH: This is a long, warm finish. It’s not hot, but it’s not muted either. Interestingly enough, the finish is more similar to a standard cask strength whiskey, one that isn’t finished. A lot of the more unique elements fade into the background as the rye lingers. OVERALL: 4.25 out of 5. Finished whiskey is easy to mess up or overdo, but Barrell has once again proved to be one of the absolute best at it. This is another winner. It’s bold, it’s sweet, it’s got great depth, and best of all it’s unique. The 2021 whiskey landscape is an endless sea of similar whiskeys all trying to separate themselves with a bottle design or marketing gimmick. This is actually something different, and it’s very well done. When this bottle runs out, I’ll be grabbing another. *This bottle was provided at no cost by Barrell. Thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. #bourbon #whiskey #reviews

Weather cooling off, NFL kickoff and a new barrel proof whiskey. If you need me for the next 3 hours, I'll be in my happy place. @coalitionwhiskey #rye #whiskey

New pours on a Tuesday! This is a 4yr, barrel proof MGP straight bourbon that clocks in at 114.6 proof. 4-5 years ago at $50-55 it would've been a "premium" bourbon, but I dare say in 2021 it's almost a value buy. Any fans of The Representative out there? #bourbon #whiskey

Here's a new bottle I picked up last weekend. @thomassmoorebourbon Port Finish. I've been on a bit of a cask finished kick for the last few months so this was calling out to me on shelf. If you like heavy finishes, this one is definitely for you. I don't know how old the bourbon is, but the port finish is definitely bold and the star of the show here. Have you tried this particular bottle yet? #bourbon #whiskey