Review: Blue Lacy Peanut Butter Whiskey
Blue Lacy Peanut Butter Whiskey is described as a flavored Texas whiskey. While I have seen bottle images of a number of Blue Lacy flavored whiskeys, until now I have never seen an actual Blue Lacy whiskey for sale. The Blue Lacy is the state dog of Texas and was the inspiration for JEM Beverage Co’s line of flavored whiskeys. JEM Beverage is the parent company of Western Son Distillery in Pilot Point Texas. Very little information is printed on the bottles label except to say it is bottled at the Western Son Distillery in Pilot Point Texas. Western Son is best known for their line of nine vodka’s including eight flavored varieties. This distillery also makes a gin, four canned cocktails, and a Texas Bourbon Whiskey. The whiskey is made from a mash of 68% Texas corn, 22% Canadian Rye, and 10% two row barley. It is distilled in a 600 gallon copper pot still and aged in new American White Oak barrels that have been charred to a level 3. It is unclear if this is the whiskey base for Blue Lacy Peanut Butter Whiskey. Read more 
Review: Ugly Dog Peanut Butter Bourbon Whiskey
Ugly Dog Peanut Butter Bourbon Whiskey was released February 2020. It joins a bourbon lineup that includes Ugly Dog Bourbon Whiskey, Ugly Dog Salted Caramel Bourbon Whiskey, and Ugly Dog Michigan Cherry Bourbon Whiskey. Ugly Dog Distillery is located in Chelsea Michigan and was founded by John Dyer and Dewey Winkle and named after John’s German wire haired pointer. Ugly Dog Distillery also produces a rum, gin, vodka, bacon vodka, and raspberry vodka. The vodka is small batch distilled in a copper still they hand hammered and welded themselves. Ugly Dog Peanut Butter Bourbon Whiskey is made from a Kentucky Bourbon base. It is not made with any real peanuts. Because this is described as Kentucky bourbon, I believe the whiskey is sourced, and not distilled in Chelsea Michigan but rather Kentucky. Natural flavors are added before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: SQRLL Peanut Butter Whiskey
SQRLL Peanut Butter Whiskey was just released by Beam Suntory. While Beam Suntory is quite proud of Jim Beam Peach, Jim Beam Vanilla, Jim Beam Honey, Jim Beam Apple, Jim Beam Maple, Jim Beam Kentucky Fire Cinnamon, and Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry Whiskey, figuring out Beam was responsible for SQRLL took a little detective work. The Pinnacle Vodka shaped bottle SQRLL comes packaged in was the first clue. The bottles label reading produced and bottled by Fielding and Jones, a named tied to Beams Pucker Brand was another. SQRRL weighs in at 70 proof and is made from whiskey, with natural flavors, and caramel color. Read more
Review: Porters Small Batch Rye
Porters Small Batch Rye was launched May 2019 with the release of 1000 cases. Rye whiskey was the most popular form of whiskey in America until Prohibition in 1919. Today Rye Whiskey is one of the fastest growing spirits in the US. Porters is made from a 95/5 mash bill of rye and barley. It is distilled and aged for one year in Indiana at the MGP distillery. The 111 proof whiskey is transported to Ogden’s Own Distillery in Ogden Utah where it is further aged in heavy charred new oak barrels for over 3 years. The whiskey is blended down to 90 proof with water sourced from a hidden spring only accessible by foot. This pure spring water is brought down 5 gallons at a time. Read more
Review: The Whistler Double Oaked Irish Whiskey
The Whistler Double Oaked Irish Whiskey is one of three new whiskeys in the February 2020 released Whistler Trilogy series. The other two are The Whistler Irish Honey, and The Whistler Irish Cream. Each is blended at Boann Distillery while their own distilled whiskey is barrel aged. Michael Walsh the Master Distiller at Boann Distillery selects the finest blend of malt and grain whiskies that are small batch triple distilled and matured in ex-bourbon barrels. The whiskey is finished at the Boann Distillery in their signature Oloroso Sherry Casks for six months before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Mr. Whiskey Irish Whiskey IPA Cask Finish
Mr. Whiskey Irish Whiskey IPA Cask Finish was just released. It is produced by Terra Spirits & Liqueurs in Bailieboro County Cavan Ireland. Mr. Whiskey pays homage to the son of one of Ireland’s renowned distillers who learned the craft of distilling from his father. He became an expert advisor to many of the craft distilleries throughout Ireland starting in the mid 18th century. He helped create some of the finest craft Irish whiskey on the island, earning the name Mr. Whiskey. This Special Edition Irish whiskey has been made from carefully selected Irish malted barley and grain which is triple distilled and blended in equal portions. The spirit is double cask matured in first-fill bourbon casks and finally rested in Irish IPA beer casks. Read more
Review: Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition
Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition is one of four beer barrel finished Irish Whiskies produced at the Midleton Distillery. IPA was their second release. It was launched in the US January 2018. Each starts with Original Jameson Irish Whiskey made from a blend of pot still and grain whiskey. It is triple distilled and aged for a minimum four years in previously used bourbon barrels and Spanish sherry casks. Like the previously reviewed Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition Jameson shared their whiskey barrels with Franciscan Well Brewery. They age their Chieftain IPA in these barrels and then return the IPA seasoned barrels. The Midleton Distillery then refills these barrels with their Original Jameson for a final finishing. Read more
Review: Roe & Co Irish Whiskey
Roe & Co Irish Whiskey has an amazing story that starting in 1757 when Peter Roe built a small distillery on Thomas Street in Dublin, Two years later Arthur Guinness set up his brewery across the street. By 1887 the Roe family had expanded the Thomas Street Distillery to 17 acres. They were producing 2 million barrels of whiskey each year. At the time they were the largest distillery in Europe and one in four Dublin residents worked in a brewery or distillery. In the late 19th century and early 20th century things changed. Competition from Scottish blended whiskey, Prohibition in the US, the Irish War of Independence, and a trade war with Britain caused most Irish whiskey distilleries to close. In 1926 the Thomas Street Distillery itself closed. In 2014 Diageo sold the Bushmills Irish Whiskey brand. By 2017 they got back in the Irish Whiskey game with the release of a new Roe & Co Irish Whiskey, and the construction of a new distillery at the old Guinness power house on Thomas Street. That distillery opened in 2019. While their own distilled whiskey is barrel aging Master Blender Caroline Martin and five elite Dublin bartenders tasted 120 different prototypes before selecting Number 106. Prototype 106 is a blend of over 100 blended malt and grain whiskeys aged in bourbon barrels and non chill filtered before bottling at 90 proof. Read more
Review: Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition
Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition is one of four beer barrel finished Irish whiskies produced at their Midleton Distillery. Stout was the first. It was released in 2015. The other varieties include Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition, Jameson Caskmates Topcutter IPA Edition, and Jameson Caskmates Revolution Brewing Edition. Each starts with the Original Jameson Irish Whiskey made from a blend of pot still and grain whiskey that is triple distilled and aged for a minimum four years in previously used bourbon barrels and Spanish sherry casks. The original story stated Caskmates was conceptualized in 2013 when two friends Dave Quinn, Master of Whiskey Science at Jameson Distillery and Shane Long, Head Brewer at Franciscan Well Brewery were having drinks together at a local pub. Soon after Jameson shared their whiskey barrels with Shane Long and he aged his Franciscan Wells Irish Stout Beer in these once used barrels. The results were amazing. Once returned Jameson refilled these stout seasoned barrels with Original Jameson Irish Whiskey. Pernod Richard recently acquired Eight Degrees Brewing and now the story on the redesigned bottles label reads Eight Degrees Brewing is the source of the stout seasoned barrels. Read more
Review: The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey
The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey was launched February 2018 in New York and New Jersey. Irish Whiskey Master Distiller Darryl McNally of the Dublin Liberties Distillery teamed up with Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry Co-Founders of the award winning bar, The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog, to create the spirit. This New York bar holds the largest collection of Irish Whiskey in North America, and was twice named the number one bar in the world. The Dublin Liberties Distillery is located in a building which was once a tannery where rabbit fur was processed. They also produce The Dubliner line of Irish whiskey. Dead Rabbit takes its name from the notorious Irish immigrant street gang in New York City of the same name. Its leader John Morrissey would later become a Democratic Congressman and Senator. The Dead Rabbit is made from a blend of Irish single malt and grain whiskeys. It is aged for five years in bourbon casks and then finishes in small half size 24 gallon virgin oak casks made by Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville Kentucky especially for this spirit. The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog and The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey has generated a lot of hype, so I am excited to finally get my hands on a bottle of their Irish Whiskey. Read more