Jefferson’s Reserve Cask Strength

I’d like to thank Jefferson’s Bourbon and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Jefferson’s Reserve Limited Edition Cask Strength bourbon, labeled 130 proof, sitting on a wooden deck with trees and greenery in the background.

It’s been a minute since we last looked at anything from Jefferson’s Bourbon. Not for any real reason—I usually like it. But many of their releases have been more of a “change of pace” bourbon for me, as they haven’t always lined up perfectly with my palate. Well, just having bourbon outside of a tasting has become a change of pace for me these days, so I don’t buy or consume nearly enough to warrant a "change of pace" product on the shelf. Because of that, I don’t buy their stuff as often as I probably used to, and as such, I don’t cover it as much either.

That said, they were nice enough to send me a sample to check out, so let’s dig in.

Jefferson’s Reserve Cask Strength is an 8-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon bottled unfiltered at 130° proof (65% ABV). This limited-edition release will be available starting April 2025 at select retailers, restaurants, and bars across the U.S., with a suggested retail price of $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle. Here is what the brand has to say about this release:

“For years, Jefferson’s Reserve has been our flagship bourbon, celebrated for its balance and sophistication. With this cask strength release, we’re peeling back the layers to reveal the whiskey in its most authentic form—untamed, uncut, and packed with intense flavor,” said Trey Zoeller, Founder and Master Blender of Jefferson’s Bourbon. “This is for those  who crave the full experience of a high-proof  bourbon that’s as big as it is drinkable.”

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Jefferson's Cask Strength.

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me for review purposes at no charge. The Suggested Retail Price is $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 8 years old, 65% ABV

Nose: Strong floral vanilla notes initially, followed by cinnamon, cherry, and oak.

Mouth: As hot as you would expect 130 proof to be. Follows the nose with vanilla, cinnamon, oak, and cherry notes.

Finish: Long and warm, with lingering notes of vanilla, cinnamon candies, and a bit of oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face. It denotes that I like the bourbon.

Thoughts: Holy shit! This may be my favorite Jefferson’s bourbon yet. It has all the heat you’d expect at 130° proof. Neat, it is thick, rich, spicy, and sweet. A touch of water tames some of the heat and brings out more oak, a little almond, and even more vanilla. Folks, I really like this one. And not just in a “change of pace” manner. If you see this one out in the wild, do yourself a favor and treat yourself — it’s worth the splurge.

BourbonGuy.com will be off next week due to a short vacation. Regular posts will return on May 21, 2025.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Woodinville Whiskey: Tequila Barrel Finished Bourbon

This sample was provided by the producer with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Woodinville Special Limited Release bourbon finished in tequila barrels, labeled 100 proof, sitting on a wooden deck with a green backyard in the background.

I am an outlier in my family. I do not like tequila. At all. Not in a margarita, not in a cocktail, not in a glass on its own. I’ve tried expensive tequilas and inexpensive ones. It just doesn’t mesh with my palate. So when a bottle of Woodinville Bourbon that had been finished in tequila barrels landed on my doorstep, I was a little concerned about how this review would go. But I persevered and did the tasting anyway. I mean, there’s no way it would be as bad as some of the TerrePure bourbons I used to occasionally review. And I went into this review with an open mind, even though I’ve been known to describe a margarita as “lovely sweetened lime juice ruined by tequila.”

So, what is this bourbon? And where can a person get their hands on a bottle if they adore both tequila and bourbon? Well, I’m going to let the producer tell you a little story about that. They went through all the trouble to write a wonderfully transparent story. It would be a shame to let it go to waste.

“Tequila and Bourbon, together— a pairing Woodinville co-founder and head distiller Brett Carlile could not wrap his mind around. “It’s something I always wanted to try but was afraid to take a stab at. Eventually, curiosity got the best of me. So, I went for it and was blown away by how well Tequila and Bourbon play together,” says Carlile.

 Brett’s experimentation landed on what he and Orlin see as a real winner: Tequila Finish Woodinville Flagship Bourbon. It’s a Bourbon that’s made quite the trek. It started with grains grown in Quincy, WA where the Omlin family has farmed for four generations. Then those grains headed across the Cascade mountains to our distillery in Woodinville, WA, to be distilled in this Western Washington town where nearby wineries and breweries send their wild yeasts into the air— lending a distinct terroir to the whiskey.  That new-make whiskey heads back across the mountain pass, again, where it’s placed in new American Oak barrels built from wood that seasoned in the elements for 18-24 months. 

 Brett tasted that Bourbon, and once it reached nearly 6 years, he deemed it ready for a fun project in the top-secret Warehouse 1. (It’s an original barrelhouse on the farm that’s home to numerous experiments.) Brett sourced some Extra Anejo Tequila barrels, and the team filled those emptied barrels with Woodinville Bourbon. And there it sat. Orlin and Brett revisited it, during the sweltering summers and frigid winters of Central Washington. And, a few months back, they tasted it and knew it was ready to release.”

According to the press release, 2,000 bottles were produced. 500 of them will be available at the distillery on May 3rd starting at 10 a.m. On May 5th, the rest will become available on their website, woodinvillewhiskeyco.com. The price will be $69.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Woodinville Whiskey: Tequila Barrel Finished Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 50% ABV. Aged for over 5 years.

Nose: Green apple, brown sugar, and woodsy notes.

Mouth: Dry and oaky—trending toward, but not reaching, astringency. Notes of agave syrup, baking spice, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium length. This is where the tequila influence appears strongest to me—notes of agave and cinnamon.

Thoughts: As mentioned above, I've been known to describe a margarita as “lovely sweetened lime juice ruined by tequila.” I do not care for tequila. So I am turning this over to my usually silent, tequila-loving tasting partner and wife so this one gets a fair shake.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denotes a “like” rating. In this case it is because of how much my wife liked it.

"I like this. What stands out to me is how well the flavors produced by the yeast that Woodinville uses play with the tequila. I like the woodsy notes on the nose—kind of a cedar, oak, underbrush sort of smell. On the mouth, I like how the bourbon adds richness and baking spice to the product, flavors that tequila typically lacks. If I'm nitpicking, I could wish it was sweeter—not a huge fan of the dryness—but I can get past that. I like it, but am not sure I'd reach for it if I was looking for bourbon. But when I can't decide if I want bourbon or tequila, this will work well."

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

High West Bourye 2025

I’d like to thank High West Distillery and their partners at Lippe Taylor for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of High West Bourye whiskey on a wooden deck, featuring a jackalope on the label, with a backyard scene and bare trees in the background.

Hello friends! I hope everyone is having an amazing day today. I’ve been hobbling around on an injured foot after my deck bit me last night. I ended up with a five-inch-long sliver of wood stabbed about an inch into the ball of my foot. I was able to get it out just fine—just a little self-surgery with a sterilized X-Acto blade. It ended up looking like a cut. Not too bad... if it were anywhere but exactly where all my weight lands with every step. But hey! That just means I’m done with yard work for a little while. Not going to complain about that.

Especially when there’s whiskey in my glass.

Tonight’s whiskey is one from High West Distillery out of Park City, Utah. I’ve met some of the folks there a few times and always walk away impressed with their operation. In fact, what I love most about them is their willingness to let the consumer know exactly where the whiskey comes from—even if it wasn’t originally distilled by them.

For example, if you take a look at the press release for this particular bottle of Bourye (a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey), you’ll see the following:

Mashbill:
• Straight Rye Whiskey: 95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP; 80% rye, 20% malted rye from HWD
• Straight Bourbon Whiskey: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt from MGP; 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley from MGP; 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley from KY

That’s pretty cool for a whiskey nerd like me. Plus, this particular release is over 10 years old. So, double-digit age and transparency? Yes, please.

The only thing I don’t love is the price. Trying to sell a $125 bottle of whiskey when folks are trying to figure out how to buy their groceries is... certainly a choice. But I wouldn’t doubt that their suppliers charged them an arm and a leg as well. And as a guy who sells things I make to people (see below), I get needing to make money on the things you’ve made.

One thing I did find odd: they specifically called out that this doesn’t do well with ice. And as someone who usually likes his whiskey with a small piece of ice, I can confirm—it doesn’t really take water well. Of course, at only 92 proof, it doesn’t really need it either.

So let’s dig in before I give everything away.

High West Bourye 2025

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $124.99 per bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.33

Details: 10 years old. 46% ABV. Mashbill: A blend of whiskeys that include: Straight Rye Whiskey from MGP (95% rye, 5% barley malt), Straight Rye Whiskey from High West (80% rye, 20% malted rye), Straight Bourbon Whiskey from MGP (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt and 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley), and Straight Bourbon Whiskey from and unnamed Kentucky Distillery (78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley).

Nose: Ripe banana and red fruits, sweet vanilla-caramel, and dusty oak.

Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, red fruit, black tea, ginger, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of floral vanilla, black tea, barrel char, and ginger.

IMAGE: This is a hand-drawn smiley face. It denotes that I like the whiskey.

Thoughts: This is a good whiskey. I’m really enjoying it. There’s very little chance I’ll be purchasing it—not at that price, and not in this economy. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a good product. I dig the spicy and oak notes. I just wish it had a bit more proof. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I’d like for something that runs over $8 a pour. Overall, I like the whiskey—it’s just that I’d like it a lot more at about half to two-thirds of the price.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series No. 1

I’d like to thank Ross & Squibb and the Brand Guild for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series No. 1 bourbon on a wooden deck, labeled 9 years old, 107 proof, 53.5% ABV, with a backyard scene in the background.

And here we are—back to talking about new bourbon releases! I received this particular sample just before we went on break for the bracket series. And here’s a little secret: I wrote all of those posts ahead of time, so I’ve actually had a nice three-week break from writing. Of course, I was sick for the first chunk of that, so it was more like a week and a half off... but whatever. I’m just happy to be back and talking about bourbon again.

There’s been a bit of turmoil since I was last here. Buffalo Trace—and a large portion of Kentucky—has flooded. The economy is unsettled and doing weird things. There’s a lot of anger and finger-pointing going around. But at the end of the day, no matter our views on the state of the world, we can all bond over bourbon. So let’s get to it, shall we?

Tonight’s bourbon is a limited release. So limited, in fact, that it will only be available in a handful of states: AZ, CA, CT, KS, MA, MD, MO, NY, OH, TX, UT, WA, and WI. It was aged for nine years in lightly charred but heavily toasted Seguin Moreau barrels. According to the press release, the staves of those barrels were aged for 24 months. The bourbon was bottled at 107 proof, and the suggested retail price is $79.99.

Let’s dig in.

Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series No. 1

Purchase Info: This 200 mL sample was provided by the producer for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $5.33

Details: Nine years old. 53.5% ABV.

Nose: Smokey toffee, strong floral vanilla, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy and sweet with notes of tobacco, caramel, vanilla, almond, and oak.

Finish: Medium length and sweet with notes of toffee, almond, and vanilla.

IMAGE: A hand drawn smile. This signifies that I like tonight’s bourbon.

Thoughts: This is delicious. Super sweet caramel and toffee notes run throughout, with a solid hit of oak to balance the sweetness. I’m finding that it drinks a bit hotter than the 107 proof suggests—though it’s more “spicy” than “hot.” It’s not like you need to water it down to enjoy it; there’s just some nice heat in the experience. I’m a big fan of this one: rich, thick, spicy, and sweet.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.