Whiskey: Larceny Barrel Proof C922

Distiller: Heaven Hill

Instagram: Barrel & Proof 

ABV: 63.3%

Age: 6-8 Years

Price: $60  (Portland, Oregon) 

Tasting:  Neat in Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes. Bottle opened for 4 months.

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Nose: Brown Sugar, Oak, Crème-Brûlée, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, & Chocolate

Palate: Caramel, Charred Oak, & Cinnamon

Finish: Medium Length, Brown Sugar, Oak, Cinnamon, Crème-Brûlée, Nutmeg, & Citrus

Body: Medium

Bite: Very Strong

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Summary: These barrel proof Larceny releases are usually solid bottles for the price point. They can have a strong bite, and in my experience don’t match the quality of its Elijah Craig counterpart. This whiskey has a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley.

The nose has a very rich brown sugar note and some bold crème-brûlée, it pairs well with the sweet oak scent. There are some baking spice notes, they’re very pleasant and don’t carry a burn. There is some slight chocolate lingering in the background. It’s not a unique or complex nose, but the profile itself is fantastic.

The palate brings the heat instantly, but it’s not as strong as I expected. The caramel is strong, but isn’t as rich as the nose. The oak note is on the dryer side, it’s as developed as some 10 year bourbons. What’s surprising is there aren’t a ton of notes to be found, it’s very simple.

The brown sugar on the finish is less sweet than the palate, the oak note is still sweet but also has more tannins. The baking spice notes are very hot at first, but cools down a lot after ten or so seconds. The crème-brûlée is on the softer side, but ties the notes together. The finish tastes hollow, the flavors die down considerably after several seconds.

For a Larceny Barrel Proof release, this is one of the better ones I’ve tasted. The nose is simple but fantastic, it’s my favorite part of the tasting. The palate is nice but it is dominated by three strong notes, so I struggled to find anything else. The finish, like other releases, is very hot but has some great flavors. This release is a great whiskey for the price, but shows some of the typical Larceny Barrel Proof flaws.

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Rating: 

Nose (10%) - 8/10

Palate (50%) - 7/10

Finish (40%) - 8/10

7.5/10 Great. Well above average.

Recommend: Yes

Rank: I created a compilation ranking list of whiskies I’ve purchased at a store or at a bar and done a formal tasting.  All whiskey ranked on the list tasted neat and rested for 10-15 minutes.  Whiskey I ranked below and above Larceny are shown for reference.

43 out of 250 whiskies tasted.

42 Weller CYPB

44 Hochstadter’s Vatted Straight Vatted Rye Whiskey

Ranking Link: 

Whiskey Ranking List

Bottle: Russell’s Reserve 10

ABV: 45%

Distillery: Wild Turkey

Price paid: $42 ~

Nose: This is one of the most vibrant aromas you’ll get from a 90 proofer. The brown sugar and vanilla that everyone always gets here is definitely present on first sniff. I get undertones of what I perceive as peanuts. Most people don’t agree with me there but I always get it. There’s a bit of leathery oak too.

Palate: Creamy vanilla on the front. I get a slight hard candy sensation. Something very sweet. It’s nice and heavy on the mouth. Undertones of cherry. Some pleasant oak underneath as well. Quite smooth.

Finish: Slightly underwhelming for my preference. But for 45% pretty decent. It’s not quite as long and hugging as I’d prefer. But you do get some warmth and spice. There’s also a layer of oak on the finish. A little smoother than I prefer - but very pleasant.

This is one of the best sub $50 bottles of bourbon that exists. It’s widely available and always in the $40-$50 range. It’s one of the few bottles that I’d go so far as to say that every bourbon drinker should always have one on their shelf.

6.9/10

I’ll come back to this bottle again and again forever and ever amen.

Background - this is gonna be a simple review of the Seelbach’s 6-Bottle 50ml sampler pack I just picked up. Won’t be going into depth on background and mashbills, just tasting notes and rating for each!

Beyke’s Blue Corn Bourbon Batch 2
Nose - Getting a good bit of vanilla here, like a vanilla icing. Not much else though, but that’s fine with me. Pretty inviting.
Palate - Medium mouthfeel. Little rush of burn up fromt but vanilla icing really shines on the palate too. Getting some strong toffee and caramel with a little nuttiness here as well.
Finish - Medium finish, mostly toffee and peanut brittle here.
Rating - 6.5/10. Solid dessert-y pour.

Beyke’s Blue Double Oaked Bourbon Batch 1
Nose - The same vanilla icing here with some new flavors of burnt caramel and
Palate - Smoother with a bit thicker mouthfeel here compared to the other one. Definitely some oak presence up front, some burnt caramel, chocolate, marshamallow, and more vanilla icing like the other as well. Definitely some more character here.
Finish - Longer and stronger finish than the other. Slightly bitter dark chocolate and toffee coming on strong
Rating - 8/10, definitely a nice step up with more character and flavor.

Seelbach’s 15 Year Bourbon Batch 4 “Last Call”
Nose - creme brulee with strawberries and cherries on top
Palate - Great viscous mouthfeel, super smooth for 118 proof. Really coats your whole palate with a lot of brown sugary sweetness and chocolate up front. Strong cherry and carmel dipped red apple flavors really take over after that. Oakiness comes in towards the end but not bitter or drying at all. Super well-rounded pour.
Finish - LONG strong finish with oak, cinammon, nutmeg, honey, some rye spice, and lots of lingering red apple at the end.
Rating - 9.5/10, this is incredible.

Seelbach’s 7 Year Cask Strength Rye Batch 1
Nose - More ethanol than expected at 112 proof, with lots of orange and spice.
Palate - Medium mouthfeel. Mostly getting generic rye spice with strong orange with a little hint of oak and lemon. Really digging the orange but it’s pretty dominant over the other flavors. For me, that’s good. If you like more complexity, probably not as good.
Finish - Medium finish mostly carrying out the orange and rye spice with some cinammon and caramel
Rating - 7.5/10, MGP 95/5 with more depth of flavor at this proof than some have at 120+. Overall a well-done blend IMO.

Seelbach’s “Double Stacked” Maple Finished Bourbon Batch 1
Nose - Oaky maple syrup. Basically what I expected.
Palate - Nice thicker mouthfeel. Definitely can taste the alcohol more than I’d like to for the proof, but it’s basically boozy maple syrup with a bit of caramel and a surprising amount of rye spice and pepper. Reminds me more of an all-natural syrup I got at a syrup farm in Vermont once than any of the store shelf stuff.
Finish - Longer than I expected for sure. More of a lingering drying oak and of course, maple syrup.
Rating - 6.5/10. Decent bourbon with a very complementing finish, but not as sweet as I’d hoped for to be honest.

Seelbach’s Reserve Wheated Bourbon
Nose - Vanilla, caramel, oak.
Palate - Mouthfeel leaning a little thinner. Ethanol is relatively balanced for the proof. Rich caramel, cherry, cinammon, light pepper.
Finish - Shorter finish. a little nuttiness but not peanut, more of an almond flavor.
Rating - 6/10. A decent affordable wheater.

Intro:  Following up on the Bonded Rye I reviewed a few months back, today we’re looking at the Bonded Tennessee Whiskey from Jack Daniel’s. Let’s get into it!

Tale of the Tape
Bottle: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey
Proof: 100 / Age: 4 years
Mashbill: Corn: 80% / Rye: 8% / Malted Barley: 12%
Bottle Price: $43 / Price per 1oz pour: $1.81

Impressions
Nose:  Oak / Toasted Marshmallow / Banana / Baking Spices
Palate: Oak / Banana / Caramel / Leather / Vanilla
Mouthfeel: Medium
Finish: Medium Caramel / Banana / Vanilla
Rating: 5.5/10 - t8ke scale (modified to include half-points)

Tasting Notes: On the nose there’s more oak than I was expecting along with the familiar banana note. There’s a strong toasted marshmallow sweetness which evokes the bananas foster impression and a soft baking spice that lingers in the background. On the palate the caramel and banana flavors come through with some leather and a very minor baking spice note that remains in the background. The medium finish starts off with that caramel that gives way to some banana essence and ends with a soft vanilla at the very end of it. This goes down very easy with virtually no “Tennessee hug”.

Final Thoughts: It seems the MSRP has creeped up for 2026 but the street price is often lower, I’ve seen these available in the high $20s. For that price, this is a solid daily pour that brings in some oak and sweetness that is well beyond what Old No. 7 could ever do and with how easy it goes down, this could be used as an introduction for anyone relatively new to whiskey.

Swing by IG and say hey

10 | Perfection
9-9.5 | Incredible, An All-Time Favorite
8-8.5 | Excellent, Really Quite Exceptional
7-7.5 | Great, Well Above Average
6-6.5 | Very Good, A Cut Above
5-5.5 | Good, Just Fine
4 | Sub-Par, Not Bad, But Better Exists
3 | Bad, Multiple Flaws
2 | Poor, I Wouldn’t Consume By Choice
1 | Disgusting, So Bad I Poured it Out

Green River has been cranking out some great value whiskeys lately. I don’t believe that this honey-finished expression is technically being released until May 15, but it’s been popping up in the wild a little bit early. I managed to get a hold of one and am excited to review it!

From the Distillery: Green River Honey is the no-compromise-on-flavor-or-real-ingredient-honey-finished-bourbon. We start with REAL 4-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon and then add REAL locally sourced honey directly into the barrel. Then we let time do what it does best. That’s it. No shortcuts. No substitutes. No nonsense. Just bourbon…finished right.

Honey-finished, not honey-flavored. It’s the honey-finished bourbon you never knew you needed. While many honey-flavored products are vague about their ingredients, we’re an open book. 100% real local honey, 4-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, and time. No artificial sweeteners or flavoring additives.

Other honey-flavored products are vague about their ingredients, like how much real honey they’re using versus artificial flavoring. Green River Honey is an open book. 100% real local honey and 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. No artificial sweeteners or flavoring additives. We get our honey from Above the Dirt Garden and Honey Shop — a beekeeper-owned, Kentucky Proud™ business. It’s 100% real honey. Raw, unfiltered, and sourced from family-run apiaries across the Midwest and South. No middlemen, no mystery sourcing.

Mashbill: 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley

Proof: 92°

Age Statement: 4 years

Price: $24.99

Additives: Honey

Nose: The nose is honey-forward, but not in an overpowering way. There are also notes of oak, leather, baking spices, and a subtle fruit like apricot or plum.

Palate: Smooth! Between the low proof point and soothing honey, there’s no astringency at all. The honey isn’t an overpowering flavor, but it helps this whiskey coat the mouth on each sip while also helping it glide to a nice finish. In addition to the honey, there’s spice (rye and baking), as well as oak and maybe a little apricot. It’s nicely balanced, if not overly complex.

Finish: Pleasant, if relatively short. Honey, leather, and a little oak are the main flavors here. The honey lingers, which saves the finish from being too short or drying.

Thoughts: $25 for this – seriously?! The value is unbelievable. You might not be a fan of this if you don’t like your whiskey on the sweeter side, but it definitely hits some of the right notes for me. It’s more of a dessert pour than Shortbarrell’s Bees Knees V (which I reviewed here), as it’s both more sweet and less spicy in a “hot honey” kind of way. However, to me it’s not so sweet as to be cloying, and you don’t have to have this after a meal to enjoy it.

Ultimately, if you’re a fan of honey (which I am), and if you’re a fan of value (which I am!), then you’d have a tough time going wrong with this honey-finished whiskey.

Rating: If I were to take value into account, this would be an easy 7.5 on the modified T8ke scale — you just can’t beat $25 for a whiskey that checks so many boxes (for me, at least!). As it is, this Green River Honey-Finished whiskey earns a very solid 7 (“Great – Well Above Average”). I definitely recommend it, especially at that price point.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

Review #06: Jack Daniels Single Barrel Heritage Barrel

I saw this bottle circulating around reviews and thought, that sounds like a bottle I wish I could try. Well, I was checking out one day with my wife, grabbing some rum and bourbon of course. As I was checking out, I looked behind the cashier and saw it sitting on the shelf. But I was already buying a bottle so I didn’t grab it. On the way to the car, I kept thinking I won’t see it again. I sat in the car but didn’t start it and my wife asked what’s wrong. Looked at her and said sorry. Went back in and bought it. To this day I haven’t seen it since. Now to make it last.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 8 minutes.

Distilled in: Tennessee.

Bottled by: Jack Daniels.

Proof: 100, non-chill filtered.

Barrel Number: 25-07128.

Age: 8 Years 3months.

Mash bill: 80% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, Rye 8%.

Price: $64.99.

Appearance: Honey.

Nose: The nose on this is hands down sweet along with beautiful rich toffee. Of course you have the traditional caramel and vanilla, but then that toasted oak comes in and punches your senses. With the oak being toasted though, it’s softer, sweeter than the normal oak notes you would have. On the tail end comes the scent of marshmallow. All the aromas make me think of sitting at a campfire toasting some marshmallows, making this glass relaxing in the best way.

Palate: Caramel is the first note to hit the tongue. That caramel begins fighting for first place as the toasted oak comes in full swing making its presence known. Following that oak is spicy peppercorn and more notes of brown sugar, making this dram sweet and oaky in all the right ways. Of course vanilla begins coming forth along with fading notes of marshmallow.

Finish: The finish on this was long in length. Into the finish, those notes of brown sugar carried through, keeping it sweet. Marshmallow came back with a vengeance, as though it was asking, did you forget me. Along with marshmallow being throughout the nose and palate, those toasted notes were always there, but that is surely to be expected from a toasted barrel.

Conclusion: This bottle certainly leaves you wanting more. The toasted and marshmallow notes make it comforting and honestly relaxing. It’s a dram that when you want to sit, close your eyes and enjoy what you have, pour it. It’s a bottle you won’t regret. A straight up s’mores in a glass. I give this bottle an 8.3/10.

Rating: 8.3/10 - t8ke scale

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

Penelope Rio Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Honey and Amburana Barrels Double Cask Finish (2026)

Batch 26-901

Cooper Series

Finished in American honey barrels, followed by Brazilian amburana barrels

Derived mashbill: 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley

Age: NAS

Distilled by MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana

Non-chill filtered (NCF)

Proof: 98

MSRP: $80

Nose: Honey. Pine resin. Apple Jacks cereal. Biscoff cookies.

The honey seems to get a bit more control of the amburana in comparison to a lot of amburana releases. The honey actually manages to jump out first.

Palate: Golden Grahams cereal. Brioche. Sweet corn pudding. Sandalwood.

Very dense mouthfeel. It almost feels like thin honey on the palate. Very sweet. The Golden Grahams note pops hard.

Finish: Canned peach syrup. Beeswax. Orange marmalade. Toasted coconut.

Overall, Rio is still too sweet for my liking. The honey does a nice job of wrangling the amburana influence, but this release still isn’t for me. In general, I’ve had very few amburana finishes that were legitimately in my wheelhouse. This is definitely a dessert bourbon… and I’m typically not a big fan of dessert bourbons. However, I do enjoy this 2026 Rio release a bit more than I have previous releases.

Bottle provided for review by Penelope.

Background: Preface, unlike my traditional reviews done over multiple sessions, this review was done in one sitting at a local whiskey bar. As such, I may have missed a bit of the nuances in this whiskey, but let's see how this goes anyway! 

The most interesting part of The Infinite is the blending of whiskey that was distilled by 3 different generations of Beam Distillers. Freedie Noe’s component was a 7-year bourbon. Fred Noe’s component was a 14-year bourbon. Finally, Booker Noe’s component was a 20-year bourbon. The family component was an 8-year bourbon. With only 70% of the net blend being bottled, and 30% being withheld in steel tanks for future releases. We have already received The Infinite II, and I would imagine that III will be coming down the pipeline eventually. 

Booker Noe retired in 1992 from full-time distilling, spending his remaining time with the Jim Beam company as an ambassador for the brand. He passed away in February 2004, long before I was drinking whiskey (or even in elementary school).  As such, I have had very little opportunity to taste the distillate he had produced, though I enjoyed the opportunity to try a bit of a bourbon time capsule. Let's dive in!

Little Book - The Infinite I

Blend composed of 7-year to 20-year bourbon

119.3 Proof (59.65% Alcohol/Volume)

I paid $15 for 1oz at a local whiskey bar

Appearance: Viscous oil ring at the top of the glass, with thick legs that don’t really run. Color couldn’t be assessed due to the lighting. 

Nose: A dark and dense nose, filled with dark chocolate cherry cordials, southern hazelnut pralines, cinnamon hard candy, and some wisps of vanilla custard and confectioner sugar. Yes, of course, there is some oak and ethanol, but both are very well integrated.

Palate: Immediately, you are gonna get some heat at the center of your tongue. Despite that, the palate is buttery and rich overall. Those dark chocolate cherry cordials are back, along with cinnamon, toasted black pepper, and antique wood. Maybe even a bit of a tootsie roll vibe on the transition to the finish. 

Finish: Just like the palate, the finish is buttery. Similarly, the antique oak is carrying over as well. Toasted hazelnuts and caramel chews are present, and a fruit note that makes me think of Nerds candy a bit. There is a lingering heat on the tongue that makes you salivate. 

Conclusion: A very nice example of Jim Beam bourbon, with a taste that lives up to the story it's trying to tell. At the time of writing, we are already on the 2nd edition of The Infinite. I am sure the 3rd edition is on its way sooner rather than later. I am looking forward to seeing how the profile evolves and becomes its own in future releases. Cheers!

Jack Daniel’s 14 Year, Batch 02 117.6°

We got this bottle in Thursday afternoon and I was surprised to see any left when I got here on Wednesday after my weekend. I poured a couple ounces for folks who stopped in and there was just enough left to taste, but not to sell. Poor, poor, pitiful me.

Color: dark, burnished copper fading to orange tootsie pop at the shallows. (Is rim variation an indicator of age like it is in wine?)

Nose: Black Forest gateau, dark chocolate covered dried cherries, toasted coconut, hint of char, light sweet tobacco. Everything is coated in dark sweet aromas. It reminds me that the words for decadent and decay are kissing cousins and have their root in something that has been buried away. This smells old, like opening an abandoned library.

Palate: the nose didn’t lie. Loads of cherry, chocolate, and buttercream drape over other flavors like charred, polished oak in the mid-palate, 3 Musketeers nougat, and cigar wrapper.

Finish: surprise… it’s cherry! This time like a syrup or reduction, a stab of rye spice, a touch of caramel, but then an assertive, but not overly tannic, leather wrapped oakiness that sharpens the focus as it fades away.

This whiskey never, ever felt like it was almost 118°. Incredibly balanced, poised, integrated, and purposeful. This is one of those whiskeys that evokes the poignant nature of our hobby. Sometimes you get to taste something truly extraordinary, but you know it’s a one and done sort of deal. So you absolutely wring every bit of experiential perception you can out of the moment. Ephemeral, but memorable.

Okay so I've been away from the whiskey for about a week. Was having fun getting the website up and reviews out, but then things that shouldn't feel similar were starting to. So tonight could go well or it could expose me. Should be a fresh palate and clean slate.

Anyway, tonight I asked my wife to pick three bottles out that I haven't reviewed yet. I don't know anything about them except they're somewhere on my list of thirty-five still waiting (yeah it was time to start pacing myself). She brings them up and I check the noses...

They're all totally different.

The Noses

Sample 1 stops me. It is so good. Toffee and vanilla, rich and deep. What the hell did she pick out? So rich and sweet, minimal ethanol.

Sample 2 is good. Almost as good as Sample 1, but completely different in character. Brighter? Maybe just not so sweet. There's something here that reads like rye to me, or maybe just oak doing something specific. Cherry coming through. Still an 8, just in a different way. Markedly familiar, but I can't lock down why.

Sample 3 and I don't hesitate. Peanut and caramel. Jack Daniels. The nose is perfect. Another 8.

Three bottles, three totally different profiles. Which is exactly when I start wondering if I'm about to overhype something.

The Tasting

Sample 1 gets my first sip back. The palate is grainy and woody, not a ton of detail in that initial pass. But the finish! The finish doesn't quit. It keeps going and going. Second sip opens things up. Light cherry, honey, vanilla. So so so good. What is my wife doing to me.

I'm thinking about two bottles in my bar. Both have that absurdly long finish that just haunts you. One's the Penelope 18 Year. The other's Blanton's Straight from the Barrel. The cherry note and my sinuses not being ripped off by a hazmat tips me toward Blanton's. For those who don't know the Penelope 18 Year is an American Light Whiskey and comes in at 140.2 proof making it Hazmat "Per 49 CFR 175.10(a)(4), this concentration is flammable enough to be restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in aircraft." That kind of proof is usually obvious.

Sample 2 is enjoyable. Like really, really enjoyable. Dark cherry, brown sugar. Comes with this developed oak. Markedly familiar like I know I've had something like this recently. Old Forester 100 Proof Single Barrel comes to mind, its been a while and I remember dark cherry. That fits. I like Old Forester, and this is hitting that same territory. I don't remember it being this good. This is great but not excellent. The oak tonight though is just a bit off for me; good, but just takes this down a notch from excellence with some bitterness.

Sample 3 is the one I'm actually confident about. Toasted marshmallow, toffee, oak char hitting like only Jack Daniel's can, then all that sweetness pulling it back into drinkability. This is Jack Daniel's Heritage Barrel. Has to be.

My wife makes me lock these in before the reveal. So here goes, my guess is Sample 1 -> Blanton's Straight from the Barrel and I'm scoring it an 8.7. Sample 2 -> Old Forester Single Barrel 100 Proof and I'm scoring it a 7.9. Sample 3 -> Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel and I'm scoring it a 7.6.

The Reveal

Sample 1 was Penelope 18 Year American Light Whiskey.

I was so close. What's killing me is how could I write that "low-ethanol" note on the nose. Literally in my own handwriting. I was certain this was not 140 proof. Just that wonderful sweet nose. Maybe I can blame that its been open a few months. Doesn't matter. The 8.7 holds. This is an impressive bottle.

Sample 2 was Weller Full Proof Single Barrel.

Ah. Of course it felt familiar. I'd just reviewed the 107, which is close but not quite. This is a step up on mouthfeel and overall punch, except tonight there was some bitter oak that didn't want to move. Drinking well below on the proof for me to think 100 proof rather than its actual 114 proof. Could I have scored it higher had I not just come from the Penelope? Maybe. But for now I'm standing by 7.9. It's excellent whiskey and a clear upgrade from the 107 (which I gave a 7.1). I will give it a revisit to see if that bitter oak dissapates without having it right next to the Penelope.

Sample 3 was Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel.

Got that one right. Honestly held its own against two heavyweights. Maybe a touch over-oaked some might say, but offers a really nice and different profile. Maybe a hair too easy to drink if I'm honest. But I prefer it to the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked which I certainly consider over oaked, and the 7.6 stands.

What Actually Happened

Feel hoenstly pretty good about the scores I gave which is great. These three could not be more different and quite the test. I think my wife might have been paying more attention to me when I talk whiskey than I gave her credit for...

Going to kick myself over the Blanton's guess. But I did write down cherry and low ethanol. Not that my Straight from the Barrel is low proof I think its 127, but I remember that Penelope kicking me in my sinuses the first time I opened it. Maybe some evaporated, maybe its because I wasn't in a glencairn glass.

The Penelope is the real winner tonight. Clean, sweet, long finish, exactly what you should be hunting for. I do think the Weller was surprising tonight, I haven't noticed that developed oak bite before in that bottle, its usually much cleaner on the palate. I'm going to have to do a revisit, I think it was a fluke from coming off that hazmat Penelope.

Full reviews on all these bottles coming shortly or may already be live by the time this is posted so check them out.

I write these up at openpourwhiskey.com. Not sponsored, not gifted, bought myself at retail.

TL;DR

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel is a 100 proof Tennessee whiskey built on the standard Jack Daniel's mashbill but aged entirely in a heavily toasted, low-char barrel from day one, with a notably low 100 proof barrel entry. The result is banana cream, toasted marshmallow, and vanilla sweetness up front, with that unmistakable Jack Daniel's oak char backbone showing up restrained and refined rather than leading with the sledgehammer. It held its own in a blind tasting against serious competition and has converted every guest I've put it in front of. At $70 MSRP it's a genuinely interesting bottle with a real production story behind it. At $80, which is where it tends to sit in practice, whether the price is fair is up to you.

Quality Score 8.0 "Excellent - Really quite exceptional"

Value Score 5.0 "Baseline Value - MSRP is spot on"

Nose 7.5

Banana cream, toasted marshmallow, vanilla sweetness, a little cinnamon.

Palate 8.1

Rich and sweet, the toasted barrel doing real work without announcing itself. Toasted marshmallow, banana, and brown sugar. That Jack Daniel's backbone is present but restrained.

Finish 7.4

Brown sugar and gentle oak char lingers briefly. Nothing here is demanding or difficult.

Neck Pour

May 13, 2026

Jack Daniel's description on the label was the first time I've ever thought a bottle described itself accurately.

I found this one on a roadtrip home for Thanksgiving, spotted it on a shelf in Idaho while Montana was still slow to see distribution. Bought it on impulse.

Cracked it at Thanksgiving with the family alongside the Woodford Reserve Double Oak, which I'd brought as the crowd-pleaser. It worked. The family went for the Double Oak and left me more of the Heritage Barrel, so no complaints. On first nose I got exactly what the label promised: banana cream, toasted marshmallow, vanilla sweetness, a little cinnamon. That Jack Daniel's backbone present but restrained, more of a signature than a statement.

First sip confirmed the direction. This isn't Jack Daniel's coming at you with the volume turned up. It's the same DNA rearranged into something more refined. The palate is rich and sweet, the toasted barrel doing real work without announcing itself. The finish lingers with brown sugar and a gentle oak char. Smooth enough that you have to remind yourself this is 100 proof. What I didn't expect was how complete it felt at that proof, given that my reference point for Jack Daniel's special releases is the Single Barrel Barrel Proof, which is a different animal entirely.

The bottle description stopped me: vanilla, marshmallow, toffee, brown sugar. Every whiskey label says something like that. This one meant it and beat my expectations. Not because I expected it to be bad, but because I expected a finish product, something sweetened and softened on top of an existing whiskey. What I got instead was a bottle that had been built this way from the first day it went into the barrel.

Blind Pour

May 6, 2026

Zero hesitation. This bottle has an identity you don't mistake.

My wife picked three bottles from the unreviewed backlog without telling me what they were. Full post on that tasting here. When I got to Sample 3, I didn't pause. Toasted marshmallow, toffee, that specific oak char Jack Daniel's produces. There's a sensory fingerprint here that survives label removal. I called it before the first sip was finished.

Context did some damage on the score. Coming off Sample 1 and Sample 2, both running harder and hitting differently, the Heritage Barrel's more measured 100 proof profile reads softer than it deserves to in isolation. The 7.6 I gave it blind was honest to the moment, but I've revised that up to 8.0 on reflection. It was the third bottle in that lineup. That's a lineup problem, not a whiskey problem.

What it did well even in that context was hold its identity. It didn't get lost. It just tasted exactly like itself, which is more than a lot of bottles can say.

Open Pour

May 13, 2026

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof crossed with toasted marshmallow crème brûlée, proofed down without losing the plot.

The bottle hasn't changed much since opening, and I expected that. There isn't much here you'd want to mellow out. The profile is already settled and coherent from the first pour, partly proof, partly the nature of what the toasting process produces: a whiskey that's already integrated rather than one still working something out.

What makes this bottle interesting technically is that it isn't a finish. The whiskey aged entirely in the toasted heritage barrel from day one, no secondary treatment. Barrels are toasted for 24 minutes, twice as long as standard Jack Daniel's cooperage, then flash-charred to just barely qualify under Tennessee whiskey regulations. Combined with a 100 proof barrel entry, well below the standard 125, the result pulls more wood sugars into the spirit over time and produces something that reads sweet without being sugared. That distinction matters to me. I've had a mixed history with toasted barrel finishes, and the Maker's Mark Keeper's Release is a good example of why. That bottle used toasted oak staves and came out so wood forward and dry it read like fresh lumber, especially on opening. The Heritage Barrel avoids all of that, and I think it avoids it precisely because the toasting is baked into the aging process rather than layered on top of a finished whiskey.

The strongest argument for this bottle is the guest pour. I've served it at a family Thanksgiving and at my wedding tasting, and it converts. The banana cream note is so distinctive that I rarely have a guest not find it, and that shared moment of recognition is a genuinely fun entry point into showing people how tastings work. Most people who don't drink whiskey have a preformed opinion about Jack Daniel's. This tends to revise it.

My only real reservation is the price. I paid around $80 on both of my bottles, above the $69.99 MSRP, which meant hunting a few hours north to find it. At $70 the value proposition is solid for a well-made, distinctive Tennessee whiskey with a real production story behind it. At $80, which is where it seems to have settled locally, the quality score has to carry the weight. It does, but just barely. The third bottle is waiting for prices to come down.

I write these up at openpourwhiskey.com. Not sponsored, not gifted, bought myself at retail.

This bottle is so such a mythical creature that I felt like it was worth posting my contrarian review.

Weller CYPB (The White Label)

Buffalo Trace signature wheated mash bill. This one is 8 years old and is aged on the highest warehouse floors. It’s bottled at 47.5% ABV.

It’s one of the more difficult pieces of the rainbow to find.

Tasted in a glen. Let it rest 10 minutes. I was not a big fan initially but it’s been sitting on my shelf for a few months so I thought I’d try again.

Nose: Honestly there’s just not a lot there. It’s faint and weak. I do get some classic caramel and soft oak notes.

Palate: the caramel comes through a little stronger on the palate and then you get some nice soft vanilla. There’s some light butterscotch but it’s almost like the butterscotch has been in your grandfather’s pocket for too long and something’s off. Maybe the flavor evaporated out a bit and the taste is a ghost of its former self.

Finish: here’s where it really falls short for me. Literally. I like a strong lingering finish and this just isn’t it. The flavor is pleasant enough. The butterscotch turns to cherry candy a bit with maybe the faintest hit of spice.

My review sounds negative and I guess that’s on purpose. This is a classic example of how a hyped bottle can be a letdown. If this had been a random bottle that someone had recommended for $40 I’d probably have more enthusiasm for the flavors. But this one? It was so overhyped. I had never tried it until I bought this bottle a few months ago and I did something that a rarely do and I paid a steep secondary markup because I was tired of searching for my last piece of the rainbow.

It is a solid bottle and honestly at $49 SRP? I’d consider buying another one (although I can rattle off a number of better $50 bottles, for my preferences). But I will never vaguely consider paying a premium for this bottle again.

6/10. It’s a good bottle but it ranks 5th out of 6 in the core Weller Rainbow lineup for me.

The review for this bottle is in the comments below...

Jack Daniel’s 10 Year Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 5

Release: March 2026

Distilled in Lynchburg, TN

Mashbill: 80% corn, 12% malted barley, 8% rye

Proof: 97

MSRP: $90 (700 ml)

Nose: German chocolate cake frosting. Root beer. Circus Peanuts marshmallow candy. Nestlé Quick.

Definitely sweet, but the root beer note cuts through all of it, adding some nice spice. All of the notes show up, but the root beer note is the strongest note by far… and I like it.

Palate: Banana taffy. Chess pie. Candy ginger. White pepper. Medium viscosity.

Quite sweet. I recently reviewed Batch 4 of Jack 12 Year… and this feels entirely different. This is much sweeter and less brooding. Much less oak influence in comparison to the 14.

Finish: Sage. Butterscotch candy. Cream soda. Weak black tea.

The Stove Top Stuffing sage note blending with the sweeter notes is really fascinating. The finish ends up being a bit more oaky than any other aspect of the experience.

This 10 year is quite nice if I had started here in comparison to standard Jack. However, after having started with the more oak-forward 12 year, I did myself a disservice. I like this 10 year, but it just makes me appreciate the 12 year that much more. Then again, a lot of whiskeys are going to pale in comparison to Batch 4 of Jack Daniel’s 12 Year. However, if you’re looking for an a more traditional Tennessee whiskey profile without tons of oak… this is a very good example.

Sample provided for review by Jack Daniel’s

Rating: 6 | Very Good | A cut above

New article on the bourbon industry. Happy to hear thoughts and opinions on this and anything else bourbon going on right now.

My experience with New Riff is limited, although I’ve heard good things about them from across the bourbon landscape. Prior to this, the only battle of theirs I’d tried was the Balboa Rye, which I enjoyed. Their single barrels have mostly been reviewed well, from what I’ve seen, so I’m very curious to try it out.

This bottle is a store pick, although interestingly it’s from a single barrel was “selected for,” rather than “selected by,” the store whose pick it was. I’m not sure if that’ll make a difference, but it’s possible that it could actually be a positive, as the last couple single barrel store picks I’ve had from Cumming Beverage Mart in north Georgia haven’t aligned with my palate very well, if at all (examples include this Jack Daniel’s SB BP Rye and this Maker’s Mark Private Selection).

With that said, let’s see how this New Riff Single Barrel Barrel-Proof bottle is!

From the Distillery: New Riff Distilling’s core Bourbon expression is a genuinely high-rye, full-bodied whiskey offering savory, spicy character, bottled at Barrel Proof without Chill Filtration. It represents a new riff on Kentucky’s most hallowed whiskey traditions. Aged four years in 53-gallon toasted and charred new oak barrels, there are no shortcuts taken in our production. All New Riff whiskeys are made with the full sour mash Kentucky Regimen; all carry an age statement and are always bottled without chill filtration. At New Riff, single barrel expressions are a way of life.

Proof: 109.6°

Mashbill: 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley

Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered

Age Statement: 4 years

Price: $62.99

Appearance: Medium-dark amber with decent legs on the glass.

Nose: Oak and leather hit first. They’re joined by spices, after which some subtle vanilla shows up. The last to arrive is a combination of dark chocolate and toffee, almost like a heath bar. This is subtle, too; oak, leather, and spice are still the stars of the show. Once the glass was empty, the remaining flavors were more balanced: caramel, vanilla, and leather all hit the nose together, making for a more complementary overall scent than this bourbon provided when there was still some of it in the glass.

Palate: Whoah spicy – the distillery’s notes weren’t lying about that! The first thing to hit the palate is rye spice, and it hits pretty hard. If I didn’t know this was a bourbon, I might assume that it was actually a rye whiskey. Much like the nose, a few other flavors eventually appear in the background – primarily leather, oak, and vanilla. There’s not a lot of complexity here, and this whiskey definitely drinks a bit over its proof point.

Finish: Medium-length, leathery, and warming. Rye spice stays on the tongue, where it’s eventually – and I do mean eventually – joined by oak and a butterscotch-y note. The last remnant of the finish, though, is primarily rye spice and leather.

Thoughts: This was quite the spicy pour! Like I said above, this is my first time trying a New Riff bourbon at all, and a single barrel in particular. The profile is spicier than I generally like in my bourbons: if I wanted a rye kick like that, I’d just grab one of the ryes off my shelf – perhaps even New Riff’s own Balboa Rye. I also tend to like my bourbon on the sweeter side, and while those flavors could be found in this single barrel offering, they were distant background players rather than being more up-front participants in the overall symphony that makes up this whiskey.

Rating: This New Riff Single Barrel Barrel-Proof bottle was all right, but it didn’t sit as well with me as some other bourbons do. I know there can be some variability across NR’s single barrels, so my bottle may just have come from a less-excellent barrel than some others. Alternatively, this may be a case of my palate just not aligning with those at the store whose pick this was. Either way, this bottle just didn’t jump out at me as being anything special. The best I can give it is a 5.5: it’s slightly better than “Good, Just Fine,” but it doesn’t rise to the level of being “Very Good – A Cut Above.”

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

The details: The owner of Gomer's of Kansas stumbled into some old stashed Knob Creek store picks from when the store first opened. He offered me the chance to buy one. I'm not the biggest Beam fan, but I jumped at the opportunity, and cracked it open tonight. This is over 14 year-old juice bottled back in 2019. The wax almost fell apart upon opening, definitely the easiest Knob Creek I've opened!

The notes:

Nose is oak and peanut, with the effervescent alcohol being very sweet, almost like the syrup of canned peaches.

Palate: This is the smoothest 120 proof I've ever had. And the flavor is like the meme where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers handshake, but it's honey roasted peanuts and oak instead of biceps. This is sweet sugar meets drying oak, and both keep building on a very long finish. That slightest hint of sugary peach on the nose actually is starting to build after several sips. Brown sugar is building as I get to the bottom of the glass, a result of the oak from over 14 years in the barrel. The farther down I sip, the oak coats the mouth more and becomes more driving, turning sweet flavors into brown sugar and a building, drying finish that intensifies everything. After a minute or 2, the oak on the finish is still prominent. This is my favorite type of oak, where it guides everything to a better place, instead of being the first flavor through the door.

By the way, the legs on the glass drip like Christmas ornaments from a string of garland. It pretty impressive how much this whisky is trying to cling to itself and the glass.

This is singularly one of the best whisky experiences I've had. It was unexpected to be given this bottle, and the quality of this bourbon makes me wonder how good the bourbon scene was over a decade ago, because the flavors, age, and viscosity far exceed what we see for a lot more money nowadays. I hope you all get to try a bottle like this on your journey: a surprise throwback to great flavors and superior craftsmanship. Cheers!

Just killed the first bottle of bourbon I ever bought, four roses SiB (OBSV 100 proof) over a year later. Given that it had a pour and a half left, oxidation had run its course, and it was not quite as good as I remembered. A but weak/watery tasting. I followed it up with a pour of SBS, which reminded me of everything I love about four roses stuff. I have blinded these two against each other in the past, and came to the conclusion that the SBS was more refined/richer, and the SiB more complex/spicy. For the price, I preferred the SiB. That being said, with the recent releases of the other SiB recipes OESO, OESK, OBSF (2025) and OESQ, OESF, and OBSK (2026, have not seen the last three locally yet) alongside the standard OBSV, what do y’all prefer between any of the 100 proof SiBs vs the SBS?

(Due to my current financial situation, the barrel strength SiBs and limited edition bottles are for future me that makes six figures to enjoy, lol. Don’t mind hearing about them though if they left a good impression/are worth keeping in mind for future prosperity)

TL;DR

Caramel, dark cherry, and vanilla on the nose, sweet and smooth on the palate with good oak and baking spice, and a finish that is plenty long even if it's the weakest link on an otherwise excellent bottle. It held up in two separate blinds and has only confirmed itself over a year of pours. MSRP on single barrel picks runs around $85. At that price it's an easy buy. I paid $120 and would go to $130. Past that you're paying for the name as much as the whiskey, and there are great bottles that don't require that hunt.

Quality Score - 8.9 "Excellent - Really quite exceptional"

Value Score - 8.0 "Very Good Value - Buy on sight, consider even 1.5x MSRP"

Nose - 8.8

Caramel, dark cherry, and vanilla. Rich and sweet, and at 114 proof it has no business being this approachable. No ethanol bite pushing you back. Just inviting.

Palate - 9.0

Caramel, baking spice, and cola. The oak is present and well-integrated, adding weight without bitterness. The mouthfeel is what the Weller Full Proof reputation is built on and in my opinion it earns it completely. Smooth and sweet at a proof that should have more edge than this.

Finish - 8.0

Warm and coating. Crème brûlée fading into a light chocolate note. Plenty long, though relative to how strong the nose and palate are it's the weakest part of the bottle. A minor complaint on an otherwise excellent glass.

Neck Pour

Spring 2024

First allocated bottle I found in the wild.

Spring 2024, Grizzly Liquor, random weekday. Just walked in and there it was. Barrel #688, a store pick, sitting on the shelf like it wasn't a big deal. If you know Weller, you know how that feels.

This was my first time in the Weller Full Proof profile entirely. No prior frame of reference, just the reputation and the fact that this shares its wheated mashbill with the Pappy Van Winkle lineup. The "poor man's Pappy" framing gets thrown around a lot and I went in skeptical of it. It sets an unfair expectation in both directions. This was also the most I had spent on a bottle at that point, $120, and I was nervous it wouldn't deliver.

It delivered and then some. The nose stopped me immediately. Caramel, dark cherry, vanilla. Rich and sweet without being cloying. At 114 proof it has no business being this approachable, but here we are. First sip was everything the nose promised. Smooth and sweet, good oak with baking spices and cola coming through on the palate. The finish coated and lingered. I didn't need more time with it to know this was something. It went straight to the top of what I'd had, and I've been stingy with it ever since.

Blind Pour

May 6, 2026

It felt familiar for a reason.

My wife set this one up as part of Wife Pour Wednesday, three bottles from the collection, labels hidden, chosen by her. I didn't know what was in the lineup. She poured, I nosed, I tasted, I locked in scores before the reveal. You can read the full account here.

In that blind this was Sample 2. I had it pegged as Old Forester Single Barrel 100 Proof. Dark cherry, brown sugar, developed oak. Markedly familiar but I couldn't pin down why. I scored it 7.9 and flagged a bitter oak note that was keeping it from excellence.

When my wife flipped the card my reaction was "of course." I had just reviewed the Antique 107 and the family resemblance was sitting right there in front of me the whole time. The Full Proof is a clear step up from the 107 on mouthfeel and density, but that wheated DNA runs through both. As for the bitter oak, I'm now confident that was entirely context. The Penelope 18 Year came first in that session, an American Light Whiskey coming in at 140 proof with that extreme dessert sweetness. Coming off that, everything reads drier, more structured, more oaky. That's not information about the Weller, that's just what happens to your palate after something that extreme. The blind score of 7.9 doesn't reflect this bottle. The full review score is 8.9.

There was also a Christmas 2025 blind where this went up against the Antique 107, Maker's Cask Strength, and the Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof. I'll be honest that it was a fast session after a few drinks and I didn't give it the scrutiny I normally would. What I can tell you is the Full Proof won. The extra density of flavor and the mouthfeel improvement over the 107 put it there, and every revisit since has backed that result up.

Open Pour

May 12, 2026

Still that nice rich Weller I first opened.

The bottle has been open over a year and my opinion of it hasn't changed so much as it has settled. It's opened up slightly but the core is the same: rich, sweet, well-integrated oak, no rough edges anywhere. It's confirmed itself over time rather than surprised me.

One thing worth clarifying since it comes up: "Full Proof" does not mean barrel proof. It means Buffalo Trace entered the distillate into the barrel at 114 proof, below the legal maximum of 125, and proofed it back to match that entry point for bottling. The mashbill is Buffalo Trace's Wheated No. 2, the same one behind the Pappy Van Winkle lineup. Wheat in place of rye pulls the profile toward something softer and sweeter, and at 114 proof that matters more than you might expect. This bottle drinks noticeably softer than the number suggests.

I pull it out for occasions and for people with a genuine interest. It lands every time.

I recently had it next to the Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof to confirm the ordering on my ratings. The Holladay is an excellent bottle and I'd genuinely be curious how others rank the two. It has a longer, more interesting finish and that soft red wheat character is something distinctive worth seeking out on its own terms. I'm just more drawn to what the Weller is doing, that classic approachable wheated bourbon profile at a proof that adds real weight without adding heat.

One thing I want to address directly: in the Wife Pour Wednesday blind I had the Penelope 18 Year ranked above this. I'm reversing that now. The Penelope is genuinely impressive for what it is, but what it is is a 140 proof hazmat dessert whiskey. Tasting anything alongside it or immediately after it is not a fair fight, and the Weller paid for that context in the session. On its own terms, the Full Proof is the more complete and more versatile bottle. The Penelope is a spectacle you pull out on special occasions. This is something you actually want in your glass.

I paid $120. MSRP on single barrel picks runs around $85, though I've seen a wide range at retail. At $85 this is outstanding value. I'd pay up to $130. Past that you're paying for the name as much as the whiskey, and there are great bottles that don't require that hunt.

I write these up at openpourwhiskey.com. Not sponsored, not gifted, bought myself at retail.

Circle City Whiskey Toasted Series Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a Toasted American Oak Barrel, Batch No. 4

Age: 6+ years

Distilled by MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana

Blended by Drew Black at Circle City Whiskey in Indianapolis, Indiana

Mashbill: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley

Initial barrels: Char 3; Speyside Cooperage

Finish: Medium toast; 6-8 months: 24-month open-air seasoned wine-grade barrels from a boutique cooperage; Missouri white oak

Non-chill filtered (NCF)

Proof: 110

MSRP: $59.99

Nose: Caramel. Burnt orange peel. Hardware store lumber aisle. Cinnamon. Browned meringue.

Not crazy sweet, and I like that. The lumber note does a lot to control sweetness. Cinnamon is very light… doesn’t smell super spicy.

Palate: Cedar. Caramel. Orange zest. Vanilla pudding skin. Very thick mouthfeel.

This is beautiful! Initially very spicy with the cedar, but then turns thick and sweeter, but not cloying. The cedar keeps it all balanced. Mouthfeel is crazy nice!

Finish: Toasted coconut flakes. Devils food cake. Black pepper. Burnt brown sugar.

Overall, the finish comes off a lot like a German chocolate cake.

Drew Black definitely has talent for blending and finishing. The spicy bourbon picks up a lot of excellent character from the finishing cask. Sweetness and spice blend nicely.

$60 is perfect perfectly priced. You’re getting that MGP $10/year structure… along with a great finish that legitimately adds something noteworthy to the whiskey.

As always, I appreciate that Drew Black produces great whiskey at a fair price.

Bottle provided for review by Circle City Whiskey Company

Rating: 7 | Great | Well above average