A shameless plug for BourbonGuy.com merch

I spent the weekend hanging out with family and didn’t have time for a tasting, so I thought it might be time for a shameless plug for the BourbonGuy Merch Store. All items are designed in-house by my team of designers. That’s right, me and the dogs. There are a lot of new items just in time for your holiday shopping needs. I’ll go over a few of my favorites below.

Bourbon-Themed Christmas Ornaments

No holiday would be complete without Bourbon-themed Christmas ornaments. I’ve been playing with my new laser cutter and had the idea that holiday ornaments would be a fun idea to play with. They are just under three inches in size and are priced at $14.50 for a set of three, as shown above.

Kentucky Bourbon Minimalist Wall Hanging

For something a little less Christmas-specific, check out this minimalist Kentucky Bourbon wall hanging. It is made from wood and black acrylic. It measures just under twelve inches by six inches, and the front name plate is customizable with up to 30 characters. I have the exact one pictured above hanging in my living room as we speak. It sells for $59.

Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 Poster

This is an oldie, but I still love it. It is a poster containing the entire text of the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. It started life as a Patreon exclusive back when I used Patreon.com as a way to help support BourbonGuy.com. These days, it is available to the general public because I thought it was too cool to hide away when I stopped using Patreon. It is 24 by 36 inches and is printed on heavy paper. It sells for $29.

The Official BourbonGuy.com Tasting Journal

This is my wife’s favorite item in the merch store. She uses her Official BourbonGuy.com Tasting Journal for for every tasting we do for the site. Obviously she’s gone through quite a few of them over the years. This journal features a flexible wood cover and 38 pages for tasting notes. It measures 8.5 by 5.5 inches and is priced at $14.

Pins, Stickers, and More

Of course, there are a lot of other fun items I’ve created on the merch store as well. There are individual stickers for as low as $5 (including free shipping) or the entire collection for $10. Plus, there are lapel pins and even a keychain. All of which sell for $10.

If you enjoy the content on BourbonGuy.com, this is the primary way that the site stays in business. Of course, if you’d rather just leave a tip, you can do that at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy. I thank you for reading and for all your support.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.

Redemption Rye

This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes with no strings attached.

If you ever wonder whether or not you are good at your job, just think about the poor Minnesota Legislature and the fact that they accidentally legalized THC edibles this summer because one party forgot to actually read the bill that they were voting on. But since a majority of citizens in my adopted home state wish they had gone further and just legalized marijuana, they can’t even take credit for doing what they accidentally did. If you can say that you are better at your job than that, I say that you’ve got it made.

I was thinking about that tonight as I was playing a little Pink Floyd on my new turntable. For…no reason.

I kid, obviously. I was actually thinking about it because I was working on some banner ads. I hate making banner ads because I hate seeing them. (There is a reason I don’t put ads on this site.) Not only that, but I’m not terribly good at them. But people keep hiring me to do it, so…at least I’m better at the job than the Minnesota Legislature?

Oh, speaking of…vote for people next Tuesday that will actually do their job and read the damn bills that they are voting on, ok? I won’t tell you which party to vote for (you probably already know my leanings), but regardless, we should be hiring people who, at the bare minimum, can do the reading part of their job.

Anyway, now that I’m all worked up. Who wants a drink?

Tonight, I’m looking at a whiskey that I have walked past for years. Literally years. I saw that it was listed as two years old on the back and just didn’t feel like giving it a chance. Even if it does look to be sourced from MGP, my favorite distillery for rye. They sent it along with a more expensive new release so that I would have a baseline to compare with the new one. As I hadn’t had either before, I thought that was pretty smart. So let’s dig in.

Redemption Rye

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided for review purposes at no cost. It goes for $27.99 at my nearest Total Wine.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.87

Details: 2 years old. 46% ABV. Mash bill: 95% Rye and 5% Malted Barley.

Nose: Spearmint, herbal dill, and bubblegum.

Mouth: Gum from a pack of 1980's baseball cards (yes, I'm old. If you aren't, think bubblegum with hints of cardboard, but in a good way), spearmint, nutmeg, and almond.

Finish: On the shorter side of medium. Notes of mint, cinnamon, and caramel.

IMAGE: This isn't bad, but it's not really for me. So it gets a neutral face.

Thoughts: This is an ok Rye whiskey that I will happily finish but probably wouldn't buy again unless it is on sale. It's a pretty sweet and gentle rye. Which isn't typically what I look for in rye whiskey. However, it does work ok in rye cocktails. I tested it in a Sazerac and an Old Fashioned, and it worked fine in both as long as you adjusted the other ingredients to account for the fact that this is a little gentler than other ryes I’d usually use. Overall, not bad, just kinda meh. I’m excited to try the other bottle they sent now that I have this as a baseline. Check back next week to see how the more expensive version fairs. (How’s that for a tease?)

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.

Filmland Spirits presents Moonlight Mayhem Bourbon

I’d like to thank the producer for providing this sample for review purposes with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Moonlight Mayhem. The label is in the style of an old B-movie. For this release it a Werewolf movie.

As you might be aware, yesterday was Halloween. Possibly the best holiday of the year. I love Halloween. Before I moved to Minnesota, I lived in a neighborhood with a ton of kids. We had Trick-or-Treaters from 4 pm until almost 10 pm. Non-stop. And we went all out. My wife and I designed and built a graveyard in the front lawn, complete with spooky lights, fog, tombstones, and a mummy lying in state on an altar. We were all in costume all night long. At times I’d hide out in the graveyard, appearing from there to give the kids their candy. It was great.

But then I moved to a neighborhood of mostly retired folks. No kids. I’d get maybe a dozen Tick-or-Treaters total. Last night we had ten kids. So, since we don’t have to buy quantities of candy anymore, we buy quality. Yept, I’m one of the growing number of houses that give out full-sized candy bars. Costco had thirty bars for $18 yesterday. So I jumped on that.

Of course, the best part of Halloween is not the candy or the spooky decorations. It is seeing the kids in their costumes! It’s honestly my favorite part. They are all so adorable. My kid is grown, and I don’t have any grandkids yet, so I live vicariously through the few parents in my neighborhood. Of course, there is always one kid that sees a big, tall, bearded man and gets nervous. Which always makes me sad. I try to get down on their level and let them take the candy. It usually works.

Last night, however, it did not. He was a tiny little guy. Dressed as a dinosaur. I opened the door, and his eyes got as big as saucers. I guess I looked a little too much like the Big Bad Wolf to him. His sister took a candy bar, and I got down and offered him the bowl. He was too busy looking at me with his now giant eyes to notice. It was super cute. Eventually, his big sister took his for him and put it in his bucket. Even as they walked away, he was walking backward, staring. Once I closed the door, I noticed his parents taking a photo of him in our driveway with his candy. I guess I wasn’t too traumatizing.

But as it is the first post after Halloween, I thought that tonight’s bourbon was especially appropriate. It is Moonlight Mayhem by Filmland Sprits. The bourbon itself looks to be MGP’s 21% Rye Bourbon. Distilled in Indiana and bottled in Kentucky, this bourbon has a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like me some MGP bourbon, but I didn’t get this bottle for the juice inside. No, I’ve admitted to being a design snob, and sometimes, I just like to reward good artwork. That’s the case here.

Each label from Filmland Spirits is designed as a pulp B-movie poster. And I’m here for it. Here is what the producer has to say about it:

Unlike most whiskey bottles on your back bar, Filmland Spirits is truly unique down to the artwork on the label itself. The labels serve as original movie posters in pulp-style art that align with the expression’s story synopsis on the back of each bottle and carry the B-movie genre throughout the brand’s visual aesthetic. Consumers who yearn to learn more about each expression’s story can head to Filmland's website to read snippets of the script, view storyboards, and even watch an animated trailer!

These folks look like they had a lot of fun putting this out. But, it isn’t worth buying a pretty bottle if what’s inside doesn’t stack up. So let’s see what it tastes like, shall we?

Moonlight Mayhem Bourbon by Filmland Spirits

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $54.99. It is available for purchase in Kentucky, California, and online where allowed.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.67

Details: 47% ABV. 75% Corn, 21% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley. Distilled in Indiana. Bottled in Kentucky.

Nose: Caramel, mint, oak, and a touch of hops.

Mouth: Gentle. Notes of cinnamon, mint, almond, and red fruit.

Finish: Medium length and Warmth. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, almond, and much more oak than I'd have expected.

Thoughts: Not bad, not bad at all. If you want a fun bottle, this is one to look at. The bourbon inside is good, but not the star of this production. This is a bottle I will happily finish and then use as a fun decor for my home bar afterward. And if you want to watch the trailer, download the “movie poster,” or read a portion of the script check out their website at FilmlandSpirits.com.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

I’d like to thank the folks from Beam Suntory and their PR teams for sharing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish sitting in front of a tree with fall leaves.

A while back, my favorite artist came out with a new album. I stream everything on Spotify these days, but when I want to support an artist, I have no problem buying an album digitally as well. If I need to, I will buy the CD instead. But I realized as I was looking at the order page that I no longer have a device that will play CDs. Not even my vehicle has a CD player. And the last computer with an optical drive died last year. So I decided that I’d buy the album on vinyl. If I wasn’t going to be able to play it anyway, I might as well go with the big art. This way, I could use it as wall art, if nothing else.

But a funny thing happened after I bought that vinyl album. I got to thinking about the nature of the music I listened to as a kid. About albums that were meant to be listened to from start to finish instead of as individual tracks. And I came to the realization that even though I love streaming, there is something to be said about old formats too. Yes, I love just throwing on a playlist and letting it go all day. Basically as background music for my life. But when I was a kid, vinyl was king. Unless you were much more coordinated than I was, you couldn’t just choose the track you wanted to listen to (unless you had a single). And as is turns out, there are some ablums that were better listened to in order with one track flowing into another. Basically a larger work of art that is made up of smaller works of art.

So why didn’t I already have a ton of vinyl? Well, I was alive and aware as CDs hit the stage and became the dominant music format. I remember kids in school teasing me about still playing records when they all had CD players. Kids can be cruel and the those in the tiny town I grew up in were hyper-obsessed with how rich someone was. The more money you had the more popular you were. And I grew up in poverty so I didn’t have a lot of friends back then. The moment I could afford a CD player as a teenager, I got one. If only so that I could tamp down the emotional baggage of being teased as child. I don’t know that I listened to a record by choice after that until well into my second stint at college. By then I was collecting classic rock albums like crazy. But then digital music came around and, once again, I gave up vinyl as a waste of space and sold or gave them away.

Somehow I never seem to learn.

Anyway, long story short, I may have found a new obsession. Since I bought that “piece of art for the wall” I’ve bought five or six more albums, I researched and ordered a turntable. I’ve made a wishlist of other albums I want to buy in this crazy old format. And I plan to visit a few record stores in the area the next time I have a day free. I like the idea of intently listening to music again. Needing to pay attention to when a record ends and needing to get up to flip it over appeals to me right now.

Now, you may ask what any of that has to do with bourbon. And that’s a good question. But I have a good answer too. You can enjoy music a couple of different ways. You can have it on in the background and almost ignore it. It’s just something to keep it from being too quiet. Or you can sit there and intently listen to a piece of someone’s musical art. Follow how one song flows into another and makes a whole greater than its pieces. Same thing with bourbon. You could take a shot and just use it as a means to an end. Or you could do what we do here and intently taste the bourbon. Teasing out the nuances of someone’s liquid art.

Plus in both of them you can easily get obsessed and spend way more than you had intended to if you aren’t careful. Ask me how I know.

Luckily for me, tonight’s whiskey was a review sample that didn’t cost me anything. It is the latest offering from the Basil Hayden folks over at Jim Beam. This one was partially finished in red wine casks. And although I’ve sworn off Basil Hayden numerous times in the past as not being flavorful enough for me, I found the idea of this one intriguing. Here’s what the producer has to say about it:

A blend of the classic Basil Hayden high-rye mash bill and bourbon partially aged in Californian red wine casks, this special release is ripe with cherries & dried fruit, while also delivering characteristic bourbon flavors of vanilla and charred oak. Perfectly balanced, Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish is layered & complex, yet approachable & inviting.

But, how does it taste?

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

Purchase Info: The bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $4.00

Details: 40% ABV. Some of the bourbon used in the blend has been finished in California red wine casks.

Nose: Dried cherries, brown sugar, and oak.

Month: Cherry, vanilla, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cherry and cinnamon linger.

Thoughts: I've been hard on Basil Hayden products in the past, but I think they have a winner with this one. Lots of flavor in the mouth. The wine cask finish brings a lot of cherry to the party. I like this one. And that cherry note has me thinking that with such pronounced cherry, this might work well in a cocktail. And, of course, how could I pass up that opportunity? After giving it a thought, I landed on a sweet riff on a Manhattan. The result is below. I think it turned out pretty ok.

A Thursday Night Cocktail

  • 2oz Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

  • 1/2oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

  • 1/2 oz Luxardo Cherry liqueur

  • 2 dashes of Aromatic bitters (I use my own recipe, but Angostura would work too)

  • Orange Peel for Garnish

Directions: Combine all ingredients (except orange peel) into a mixing glass with ice. Stir. Strain into your favorite cocktail glass. Express the orange peel over the drink. Garnish with the orange peel and a couple of cherries.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.

Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey

This review sample was kindly provided by the PR team for Uncle Nearest Whiskey with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Uncle Nearest Rye sitting in the morning sunlight. Enjoying itself and waiting for the appropriate time to crack itself open and be shared.

Holy shit, y’all! I’m back! Did you miss me? I missed you. Not quite as much as I missed my taste buds and breathing normally, but you were at least top three…five. Top five, for sure.

You have no idea how happy I am right now. And not just because I can actually taste and smell the whiskey I’m writing about tonight. No, last night I had just about the best date night I can possibly imagine. My absolute favorite musical artist, Butch Walker, was kicking off his tour last night up in Dinkytown (the area around the northern edge of the University of Minnesota campus), and my wife got us tickets. I’ve been beaming since the show ended. I can’t hear anything because my old deaf ears take longer to recover from the noise of a loud and raucous rock show than they did when I was younger. But I don’t even care. It was worth it.

Add to that fact the opportunity to talk about whiskey, and I’m just in heaven right now. Though I’m going to warn you right now, the flow of this post may suffer tonight. I’m taking frequent breaks to sing along with the Spotify playlist I made that has the songs that were played at the concert. I’ve been doing it all day. Needless to say, it’s been quite the bouncy day for me.

Anyway, we are talking about whiskey, not music. Though if you give me even a sliver of opportunity, I’ll talk music all night. So I’m really trying hard to reign myself in tonight…

Right, yes. Back to whiskey. Tonight we are taking a look at the latest offering from Uncle Nearest. It is a distillery exclusive that holds promise for more widely available releases in the future. Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered is a rye whiskey sourced from Canada and then aged in New York and then Tennessee. It is bottled at whatever strength that the batch was when the barrels were all dumped. It says “Uncut” right in the name. This batch ended up at 119.7° proof, but I’m going to guess if they have future batches that, they will be at least a little different. If you are curious about what the PR Firm has to say about it, here is the summary I got from them:

To create its uncut/unfiltered rye whiskey, Uncle Nearest sourced its rye from Canada and raised it in New York for four years. Once it was ready, the Uncle Nearest team brought it back to Tennessee to rest and finish in its barrels before being bottled. The new expression reinforces Master Blender, Victoria Eady Butler’s ability to create the highest quality whiskeys possible even when moving away from the filtration process that was created by her great-great-grandfather. Uncle Nearest’s inaugural rye whiskey is available as a distillery exclusive offering available for purchase ($149) at the Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, TN.

As I mentioned, this seems to be just the beginning for Uncle Nearest and their experiments in the world of Rye whiskey. According to the details I got from the producer: “For those unable to make it to Shelbyville, there will be more Rye to come from Uncle Nearest in the coming months, including Straight Rye and Single Barrel Rye.” As a lover of both Rye and Canadian whiskey, this is good news for me.

But most importantly, how does it taste?

Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample bottle was kindly provided to me for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $149.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $10.00

Details: Distilled in Canada, Aged in Canada, New York, and Tennessee. 59.8% ABV. Batch 001.

Nose: Caramel, black tea, mint, chocolate, and a hint of bubble gum.

Mouth: Very hot. Caramel, chocolate, and black tea.

Finish: Long and very warm. Notes of toffee, chocolate, cinnamon, and mint.

Thoughts: This is a pretty good rye whiskey. You can taste the Canadian origin. Lots of caramel/toffee and black tea notes. It's very sweet but as hot as one would expect something that's almost 120° proof to be. Just a tiny splash of water does wonders to tame the heat and bring out even more sweetness. This is a "dessert rye" if I've ever tasted one. I think I like the standard Tennessee Whiskey Uncle Nearest releases better, but this is a very interesting change of pace when it comes to rye whiskey. If it were in a store, I doubt I’d want to pay $150 for a bottle. But if I was at the distillery and it was going to be a souvenir, well, then all bets are off. I’ve paid much more for worse whisky as a distillery exclusive in the past. It has made me decide to keep my eyes open for the other Ryes that will be coming along in the fairly near future, though.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.