We opened Conviction Double Oak 1929 during our Uncut Unfiltered livestream, and it turned out to be one of the night's more surprising pours.

Scattered Castles founder Chris Walz sent us Scattered Castles Batch 1 with a pretty simple request: try it and tell him what we actually think. No expectation of a good score. No soft landing because this was the first release.

Something is changing with Buffalo Trace. Slowly. Very slowly. Depending on where you live, you might completely disagree, but some bottles that used to feel impossible to find are starting to show up a little more often.

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse has always been a series we pay attention to. We tend to like the Russell’s side of Wild Turkey, but the whole idea also appeals to the whiskey nerd in us: one rickhouse, specific floors, one very small part of the aging inventory.

Old Grand-Dad has never really been about chasing hype. It has built its reputation on being affordable, flavorful, and a little rough around the edges in a way that bourbon drinkers tend to appreciate.

Ten chapters is a long time to experiment. Since Little Book launched, Freddie Noe has blended bourbon, rye, malt whiskey, Canadian whisky, young whiskey, old whiskey, and just about everything in between.

Double oak bourbon has become one of those categories where it feels like everyone has one. And honestly, we get it.

Penelope Architects of Golf Hole 1 is a six-year bourbon finished in American oak staves. Read our tasting notes, 7/10 rating, and buy or skip verdict.

Booker’s has never been a subtle bourbon. It’s big, high-proof, unapologetically Beam, and usually carries enough peanut and oak to make its family tree pretty obvious.

Bardstown Bourbon Company has spent years teaching us to recognize its Discovery releases by number. For 2026, the numbers are gone.

Limited, distillery-only whiskey creates a problem for a review: we can tell you how good it is, but most people will never get the chance to buy it.

Stagg Batch 26B has an unusual problem for a 125.2-proof bourbon. It feels a little too easy. That might sound like a compliment, and for some drinkers it probably is.

Texas bourbon rarely enters a room quietly. The heat, accelerated aging, and aggressive oak influence tend to produce whiskey with a personality you either embrace or immediately push away.

Some bottles ask you to pay attention to the label before you ever pour a glass. Peg Leg Porker Spirit of America Bottled in Bond certainly does.

Some bourbon distilleries spend years perfecting a single recipe. Barrell takes a different approach. Rather than making whiskey, Barrell Craft Spirits builds it.

Some bottles arrive with a lot more baggage than others. Duck Club High Brass Bourbon comes with outdoor lifestyle branding, a celebrity connection, hunting imagery, and enough online debate to make you wonder whether people are talking about the whiskey or the marketing.

When Heaven Hill announced Elijah Craig 15 Year Single Barrel, expectations were understandably high. After all, 15 years is enough time to create something truly special.

There was a time when every new Blood Oath release felt like an automatic buy. The annual series built a reputation around mystery, limited availability, unique finishes, and the promise that master distiller John Rempe had discovered something special.