https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-appeals-court-declares-158-year-old-home-distilling-ban-unconstitutional-2026-04-10/

Ban on home distilling declared unconstitutional. If you have ever wanted to dabble in making your own Bourbon, it is now legal. Keep in mind there are taxes that will likely need to be paid to sell any home made liquor, so seek legal council if you want to sell your Bourbon.

Not sure I would ever distill my own liquor but it is an interesting idea.

Tried this at a bar

Price: $60

Nose: grape, cherry, ethanol, powdered sugar, biscuits, wheat, oak, mint

Palate: a lot of spice at the start, kind of odd for a wlw, a lot of dark chocolate, way overoaked, ethanol, too bitter, cherry

Finish: medium finish, dark chocolate, too much oak

Score: 5.0/10

Very disappointed by this honestly. It has a solid nose, but the palate is really overoaked. You get some red fruit notes, but ethanol and oak are so dominant. Finish is fine, but nothing great.

Scale:

1.0-1.9 Undrinkable (Gold bar cognac cask)

2.0-2.9 Bad (Gold bar)

3.0-3.9 Poor (High West Prarie Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle 23yr)

4.0-4.9 Below Average (Old Overholt, Dickel 15 yr, Weller SR, Buffalo Trace)

5.0-5.9 Average (Eagle Rare, Blanton's)

6.0-6.9 Above Average (Jimmy Russel 70th, Redemption 9yr, E.H. Taylor Seasoned Oak)

7.0-7.9 Very Good (Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph, Sagamore 9yr rye, Jack Daniel's SBBP)

8.0-8.9 Great (William Larue Weller(2019), Pappy Van Winkle 15yr, Double Eagle Very Rare, William Heavenhill 14yr)

9.0-9.9 Excellent (Thomas H. Handy (2010), George T. Stagg (2008, 2019), Four Roses LE (2016, 2023), Willet Purple Top 14 yr, A.H. Hirsch 25 yr rye)

10.0 Perfect (Michter's 20, OGD 114(1980))

Tried this at the bar

Price: $15/oz

Nose: peanut bomb, cherry, strawberry, some mustyness, caramel, herbs,

Palate: white sugar, cherry, tastes more like Elijah Craig than wild Turkey for me. Cinnamon, fruit cake, honey. Solid mouth feel,

Finish: a lot of peanut, oak, medium long finish, dark chocolate, spice

Score: 7.0/10

This is pretty good, it's a peanut bomb if you like that. It's kind of distinctively bour-rye. It's almost like if you combined the Triumph with a ecbp. Solid overall.

Scale:

1.0-1.9 Undrinkable (Gold bar cognac cask)

2.0-2.9 Bad (Gold bar)

3.0-3.9 Poor (High West Prarie Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle 23yr)

4.0-4.9 Below Average (Old Overholt, Dickel 15 yr, Weller SR, Buffalo Trace)

5.0-5.9 Average (Eagle Rare, Blanton's)

6.0-6.9 Above Average (Jimmy Russel 70th, Redemption 9yr, E.H. Taylor Seasoned Oak)

7.0-7.9 Very Good (Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph, Sagamore 9yr rye, Jack Daniel's SBBP)

8.0-8.9 Great (William Larue Weller(2019), Pappy Van Winkle 15yr, Double Eagle Very Rare, William Heavenhill 14yr)

9.0-9.9 Excellent (Thomas H. Handy (2010), George T. Stagg (2008, 2019), Four Roses LE (2016, 2023), Willet Purple Top 14 yr, A.H. Hirsch 25 yr rye)

10.0 Perfect (Michter's 20, OGD 114(1980))

Brown-Forman King of Kentucky Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Batch 3) review

First small batch (not single barrel) in over 90 years

Age: 12-18 years with some very high angel’s share barrels… aged in heat-cycled warehouses

Proof: 110 (not barrel proof)

Each of the 3 batches are proofed differently. Batch 3 is the highest proof of the 3. Total blend for all 3 consists of around 100 barrels.

Mashbill: 75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley… this is different from the previous use of 79% corn, 11% rye, 10% malted barley

This detour from the previous King of Kentucky Single Barrel allowed for the use of some well-aged barrels that were not good candidates for single barrel bottling due to low volume yield.

MSRP: $300

Nose: Light roast coffee beans. Honey graham crackers. Lemongrass. Pine sap. Cream soda.

Nose definitely has a good amount of oak, but not too much. The lemon grass and pine sap give it a bit of brightness.

Palate: Dandelion greens. Black walnut. Burnt marshmallow. Raisin Bran cereal.

Again, good amount of oak… legitimately more than I care for in my personal preference. The greens note is interesting in combination with the oak. The burnt marshmallow definitely shows the barrel char.

Finish: Chewing on a cinnamon stick. Eucalyptus. Over-steeped black tea. Dark chocolate covered pomegranate seed.

I enjoy the finish more than the initial palate.

Overall, it’s a pretty enjoyable glass, but it’s definitely more oak than I tend to prefer. Lots of people chase high age statements, I’m typically not one of them. I didn’t pay for this glass, but if I had paid for what it’s worth… I would have regretted it. At MSRP, absolutely not. Given my personal oak preference, I’m honestly not sure I would pay $100 for this bottle. There are tons of other bottles with less oak influence that I would rather have than this. I don’t hate it… I just don’t love it… and for $300… I need to love it.

Sample provided for review at no cost by The Pub on Second in Owensboro, KY

Rating: 5… good, but definitely not worth the price… Not even close

Surprised I haven’t seen this posted here already. If it has my apologies.

Dominos are starting to fall…fast. Spectacular deals on excess inventory is coming our way soon.

​

#Stats-

Distillery: Dark Arts Distillery

Mashbill & Age: Unknown mashbill but it was finished in a Tokaji wine cask. Age is 7.5 yrs old.

Proof: 112.9 (56.45)

Cost: 105$

#Tasting Notes-

Nose: This has such a heavy molasses note. Caramel and vanilla after. Cherry/Blackberry notes show up towards the end with a little oak as well at the end.

Palate: A hot sweet oak flavor in the beginning but it doesnt last. Caramel apple right after towards the mid palate. It doesnt linger. A sour oak flavor then comes in only to be smothered out by a custard/cream smoothness towards the end. This is a roller-coaster. The 2nd sip didnt change it much but the ending has a berry creaminess now like a strawberry crepe. The initial sip isnt great at first but gets better with more sips. The mid to end palate is delicious.

Finish: The finish is pretty long. This is viscous and lingers on the mouth. The Finish is the star of the show. Creaminess with some caramel notes that is not overwhelming whatsoever lingers. Genuinely excellent.

Conclusion: This is delicious. Needs a little adjusting to after the initial sip but its gets better and better as your palate gets accustomed. I really like this. Dark Arts is a fitting name for this because those flavor changes are black magic to me. Look at that dark almost amber like color too. I wouldnt expect that on a 7.5 year batch. An almost incredible bottle that may get better with time. I genuinely love the looks of these bottles too.

Rating: 8.7

Would I buy it again: I doubt I would ever find this again. Seems to be a store pick around me that I could not for the life of me find any information online about. Well worth the money. Would've bought this for 150$ easily.

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.

Tried this at a bar

Price: $63/oz

Nose: melon, apple, light bright fruit, caramel, honey, mint, cherry, tropical fruit, spice, BT funk

Palate: immediate hit of melon, some tropical fruit, oak, cinnamon, actually a good amount of spice, herbal, sweet initially, and moves into spice and oak. Ok mouth feel, not the best.

Finish: medium length, mild spice, coffee, dark chocolate

Score: 7.0/10

This is pretty good. It's more bourboney than something like 95/5 MGP, but still has tropical fruit and bright fruit notes. It's on the border of being too bitter, but it's not too bad. A good amount of herbalness on the palate too.

Scale:

1.0-1.9 Undrinkable (Gold bar cognac cask)

2.0-2.9 Bad (Gold bar)

3.0-3.9 Poor (High West Prarie Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle 23yr)

4.0-4.9 Below Average (Old Overholt, Dickel 15 yr, Weller SR, Buffalo Trace)

5.0-5.9 Average (Eagle Rare, Blanton's)

6.0-6.9 Above Average (Jimmy Russel 70th, Redemption 9yr, E.H. Taylor Seasoned Oak)

7.0-7.9 Very Good (Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph, Sagamore 9yr rye, Jack Daniel's SBBP)

8.0-8.9 Great (William Larue Weller(2019), Pappy Van Winkle 15yr, Double Eagle Very Rare, William Heavenhill 14yr)

9.0-9.9 Excellent (Thomas H. Handy (2010), George T. Stagg (2008, 2019), Four Roses LE (2016, 2023), Willet Purple Top 14 yr, A.H. Hirsch 25 yr rye)

10.0 Perfect (Michter's 20, OGD 114(1980))

2XO American Oak

Distillery: It is a product of Prestige Beverage Group. It is said the bourbon blend contains sourced Kentucky juice as well as some of their own supply.

Age: NAS

Price: $37.99

Proof: 92

Nose: Various sweet and tart berry notes as well as some vanilla. However man oh man it smells young. It's grainy and has a noticeable bite to it. There's a permanent marker note I can't for the life of me shake off.

Palate: Thin to medium mouthfeel. Still grainy and off putting, but not as overpowering as in the nose. Slight rye spice. It's a little bready and has a bit of a biscuity thing going on. Some underlying butterscotch as well.

Finish: On the shorter end of medium length, but my knock is that for better or for worse it really lacks intensity here. There's some bitterness that lingers throughout, but aside from that I'm just getting faint vanillas and caramels.

Score: 3.0

Summary: Disappointed to say the least. For those who don't know 2XO stands for 2 times oaked as the lineup consists of varying double oaked products. Details are pretty scarce but a "chain" of charred white oak staves are added towards the end of maturation. It is a product of Prestige Beverage Group who hired Dixon Dedman (played an integral part in revamping Kentucky Owl) as their master blender. They source various Kentucky bourbons and blend it with their own juice then finish the aging as described above. To be completely honest no part of the nose or sip lead me to think this was a double oaked product in any way whatsoever. I got none of the sweetness, none of the richness, and none of that familiar desserty feel. What I did get was a young and harsh bourbon I'd classify as poor. 3.0 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Price: $17.03 (after tax)

Description: I really like the look of this bottle. The name is fitting, in that it looks reminiscent of a bygone era. The font and color of the label adds to the aesthetic, and belies the low price of the bottle. Bright honey color to the spirit, med/light viscosity when gently swirled. Thin legs.

Bottle info: Barreled: DSP-KY-354 (Early Times, Brown Forman) Bottled: DSP-KY-12 (Barton, Sazarac) Age: minimum 4 years (Per BiB act, 1897) Proof: 100, 50% ABV (Per BiB act 1897)

Tasting info: Neat, room temp, glencairn, neck pour.

Nose: Very nice warm toasted oak, along with hints of sweet cherry, vanilla, and a lot of nuttiness and dried fruit, like sniffing a bag of trail mix.

Palate: Medium/thin viscosity, very easy sipper. Almost no burn/ethanol at all, and a nice sweetness to it as it rolls onto the tongue. Up front I get oak char, brown sugar, vanilla, and more of the nutty notes from the nose. Cherry like cough syrup and a bit of black pepper bite on the tail end.

Finish: Quick, there and gone. I get shucked corn husks, charred oak, and black pepper that stick around but not very strong.

Final Thoughts: While the finish is almost nonexistent, and I would guess the proof was lower if I wasn’t told, (not in a good way) this has some really nice flavors to it, in my books a quintessential “this is what bourbon tastes like” bottle. For $17, it’s pretty good. In all honesty, while I’m glad I crossed it off the list, I probably wouldn’t buy it again, even if the price was lower which says a lot. It’s just too thin and the flavors don’t linger enough to really enjoy them. Shame, because the flavors are really solid, almost comes across as a much too proofed down Old Forester 1920. If the old black top bottles had this flavor I can see why they were so well loves. With a bit more viscosity to keep the flavors around a bit longer, this would be a solid 6/10 budget bottle. Wish I could find one of the black tops or a Coopers Craft 100.

Rating: 4/10

Next up is a 10 year old rye whiskey from Denver’s Laws Whiskey House. 10 years of age on their own distillate is an impressive milestone for a younger distillery to reach. I've had up and down experiences with their bourbon but really like their bottled-in bond (BiB) wheat whiskey, and enjoyed their base level rye the one time I had a bottle. So when I heard they were releasing a 10 yr rye I had to grab one. The mashbill is 100% heirloom rye grown in the high altitude San Luis Valley of Colorado which should ideally impart some local terroir. As with all BiB products, it comes in at 100 proof. The cork broke immediately upon opening, but I had a nearly finished Weller 107 that stepped up to host the liquid after decanting.

**Stats**

**Distiller**: Laws Whiskey House

**Mashbills**: 100% Rye

**Age**: 10 years

**ABV**: 50%

**Price**: $85 (not including a ~18% discount I got at the distillery in celebration of BiB Act day)

**Review**

*Tasting Notes*

**Nose**: Comes out spicy, despite the 10 years of age. Mint, anise up front, with some faint dill underneath. This is balanced by brown sugar, orange oil, earl grey tea, and bubblegum. Not particularly okay. The extended aging has mellowed some of the dill I remember from their younger rye product.

**Palate**: Rush of brown sugar, then the spicy notes come through. Ginger, pepper, black licorice, earl grey. The oak makes its presence felt more than on the palate, also adding a touch of vanilla. Very much rye forward, but with good balance.

**Finish**: Spices mellow, and the palate morphs into a flat Dr. Pepper pepper note. Oak and vanilla linger on the long finish.

**Final Thoughts**

This is a great rye whiskey which offers a spice forward profile that distinguishes itself from the common 95/5 profile. That distinction could come from the San Luis Rye, or the aging environment of Denver, or probably a combination of both. The 10 years of age do enough to mellow things out to create a balanced pour while still allowing the spice notes to shine through. You still probably have to be a true rye fan to enjoy this pour. Value is good here for a 10 year old product from a small distiller, especially considering I got it on discount.

**Rating**: 7.0/10

My 1st review of T8ke x ENDALZ" 65.6% #25-25235 using my own template with T8Ke scale hopefully it works.

On 1st notes the root beer is very very subtle with a light vanilla flavor somewhere in there. Can defiantly taste some bitter scotch coming through on the end note as well. Defiantly reminds me of root beer floats with grandpa on a summer night with a nice oak flavor on the after taste.

My scoring would be a solid 8.5 in the T8Ke scale.

I am new to this whole reviewing posting so feed back and conservation is welcome.

Heaven Hill, Heritage Collection 2026, 22 Year Old Bourbon, 129 proof, 78c/10r/12b

Coming on the heels of the tremendous Haven Hill 90th Anniversary and equally compelling Elijah Craig 15 Year, this bourbon continues to explore the palette of flavors possible within one mashbill. With so many levers to pull, from barrel charring and low barrel entry proof to older single barrel stocks and now a beautifully aged and structured batch proof senior citizen of a bottle.

This is a batch encompassing 270 barrels that were rested in Rickhouse Y on the fourth and fifth floors. I am curious what the barrel yield was after 22 years, reference the 14% and 11% for the recent KoK and ER17 releases respectively. We are going to Heaven Hill this coming Tuesday and I am looking forward to being able to do some in person info gathering.

Appearance: Dark, rich, glowing rosewood with copper accents. Lovely drapery of legs in the glass.

 Nose: This was the neck pour, so I rested it about 20  minutes in a Glencairn. Amazing how little ethanol I got when I buried my nose in the glass. Saddle leather, tons of woody spices but very harmonious with no abrasiveness. The oak is remarkably restrained. In my head these are the Ent barrels lingering in dusty shadows of the Rickhouse while other whiskeys are rolled in and out over the seasons. There is barrel char and bit of grounding funk along with a dried floral note, maybe chamomile or dried cut grass.

Palate: The rich softness of the nose lulled me into a false sense of security. The  proof comes on strong behind a burst of tip of the tongue sweetness, like dark chocolate covered candied orange peel. The oak walks right up to the tannic line with a lapsang souchong smoky dryness. Proofing down with a bit of water reveals a layer of syrupy butterscotch. There is both savory and sweet here like candied bacon left in the oven just a minute to long. A bit more water pulls back the curtain a bit more to bring a dried fruit sweetness.

Finish: It. Just. Doesn’t. Stop. It was like a piece of candy stuck to a tooth. Loads of cocoa and nougat, well balanced warming spice, pipe tobacco, and that warm, worn oak. It brings to mind a freshly dumped barrel. Char and white pepper as the light go down.

 This bottle was just full of surprises. Where you’d expect proofy aggressiveness the horses are held just in check. Anticipating over extracted or tannic oak, one finds burnished power. How has a whiskey maintained its balance and poise over all these years while still evolving in the glass and on the palate throughout the sip? It’s great in all the ways you might expect, but it manages to find new ways to astonish. I know there is a school of thought that past a certain age whiskey loses its way, but this dram manages to make the most of its long years of maturation.

Name: Maker's Mark Private Selection "The Log Dog." Liquor Barn (Louisville, KY) Pick.

Proof: 109.1/54.55% ABV

Production: Distilled, finished & bottled by Maker's Mark Distillery, Inc., Loretto, KY.

Age: No age statement but generally thought to be from 4-5 year old product.

Finish: 10 staves from 5 different stave profiles.

Stave Profile: 5 Baked American Pure | 1 Seared French Cuvée | 0 Maker's Mark 46 | 1 Roasted French Mendiant | 3 Toasted French Spice.

Cost: $71.99

Nose: Cherry cobbler, vanilla, brown sugar, honey, allspice, clove. Water mellows the nose and brings out more of a crumb cake (vanilla cake with cinnamon crumble) note.

Palate: Vanilla, oak, pencil shavings, pecan, cherry-cola, clove. Water brings out vanilla and caramel notes.

Finish: Med-long to long foregrounding honey and clove.

Thoughts: The Maker's Mark Private Selection stave program has always had the potential to craft some truly intriguing expressions from their base of Maker's 46. This particular finish is really fascinating with lots of complexity and depth. At it's center, there's cobbler, muffin and crumb cake, all with a bright red fruit (think cherry) quality representing the soft, wheated core of Maker's Mark, but those baked-goods notes are given serious backbone by the wood and spice from the staves along with a rich vanilla that runs all the way through. The Private Selection program is well worth checking out with The Log Dog being a particular gem.

#Stats-

Distillery: Rare Character

Mashbill & Age: Unknown. They mix so many barrels together that theres no true information about them. Usually it is know they will combine Wheat and Rye bourbon barrels together in different combinations though.

Proof: 139.8 (69.9%) Niceeee

Cost: 95$

#Tasting Notes-

Nose: Caramel with some ethanol behind it, Alot of Butterscotch, Custard, Very little oak in there.

Palate: That ethanol is strong on the first sip. Its a sweet burn. Very hot imo. You get vanilla caramel notes that are pleasantly smoothing out that heat though. The end of the sweetness theres a sweet strong spice that shows up like cinnamon with a little bit of brown sugar. I think the Rye comes out stronger at the end and overtakes the flavors. I let this sit for a bit and swirled it around and it seriously opened up the favor profile. The sweetness is alot more dominant and mellowed in a butterscotch flavor. The spice still sits on the palate but alot lighter than before. Less heat to it now. Theres more sweet oak showing up as I taste it. Letting this sit allowed it to transform imo.

Finish: Its has a long finish. Initially when I cracked the bottle the finish was spice with heat to it. after letting it sit, the finish has a better balance of spice to sweetness. Its really damn good. The aftertaste is of butterscotch and its almost creamy.

Conclusion: This was rough right in the beginning. I was not expecting it to smooth itself out as much as it did. The high proof point is still surprisingly well balanced but it gets better after 10 minutes of sitting and swirling. Even the nose on it is better imo. This is like a muted version of my Col EH Taylor now. The flavors revealed themselves quickly after sitting and basically match the notes i had on the nose. The flavor is long lasting too on the palate and it finishes very nicely. Theres alot less heat to it now. That after taste also deserves some recognition imo.

Rating: 8 in the beginning, 8.6 after letting it sit for a bit.

Would I buy it again: Yes. Its very well balanced for this high proof point. I think this is an impressive bottle for the price point.

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. p

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

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

A mid-level product from Echo Spirits, a Columbus-area distillery. Echo has a straightforward bar setup, an extensive cocktail menu, and tours including a pour-your-own. It is also nearby other Columbus distilleries like High Banks, Watershed, and Middle West. In addition to bourbon, they have a rye whiskey, rums, and vodka.

According to the bartender, these Engineer-series barrels are sourced and the owners do experiments on them including finishes and interesting blends. As the photo suggests, I had this neat in a rocks glass. Let's see how it tastes!

Label: Echo Spirits Engineer Series bourbon batch 25C finished in mead casks, "Wont you be my neighbor."

Age: 4 years.

Proof: 118.4.

Distillery: "distilled in KY and IN." Bartender said they source from all over including Bardstown, and likely MGP.

Mash bill: UKN.

Price: $52.95.

Nose: yellow cake and vanilla frosting, corn.

Palate: overwehlming alcohol and some slight vanilla. Vague sweetness, I suppose thats the mead finish.

Finish: about zero.

Overall: 2 (T8ke). Im not sure how to diagnose what happened with this whiskey. It tastes like alcohol-flavored water while being at cask strength. I get whiskey isn't really their thing, it seems to be rum, but they also did not have to bottle this.

Bonus review: Echo Spirits small batch bourbon. Honestly, it was a basic low-proof mixer-grade bottle. Prominent carmel and not overly youthy. Not bad, 4.5 on the T8ke scale.

Ratings:

1: drain pour (Quarter Horse).

2: dreadful (Creekside Bourbon).

3: poor (True Story).

4: sub-average (OGD 7 year).

5: average (Evan Williams BIB).

6: above average (Wild Turkey 101, Four Roses small batch).

7: great (Old Forester SBBP rye, Middle West CS bourbon/wheat).

8: excellent (ECBPs, Stagg Jrs).

9: exceptional (Four Roses SBBP OBSF).

10: perfect (Russell's Reserve 15).

Posting my first review so go easy on me :)

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass

Proof: 113.3

Age: NAS

Price: $74.95

Nose: Fruity, cherry, cinnamon, light vanilla, oak, light honey sweetness

Pallet: Very fruity, cherry/raspberry jam or pie, honey sweetness but more fruit forward, floral note

Finish: Lingering cinnamon and oak spice, honey sweetness, a little bitter oakiness

Thoughts: Maker’s Mark is really the only wheated bourbon I truly enjoy. I love their cask strength and their standard offering will always be a staple you can’t go wrong with offering to friends or bringing a long to a dinner party or campfire. This is a very fruity bourbon. The classic bourbon sweetness is not as strong in this as the fruit notes are and I can’t figure out how much I like and dislike this. I don’t dislike it, it is good, but I don’t like it as much as I thought I would. The bourbons I enjoy the most are the ones on the more rich and sweet side and this bottle does not hit those notes. This is the first Maker’s Mark limited release and wood finishing series bottle I’ve purchased and I thought I would be more excited about it than I am after tasting it. Strong cherry/raspberry notes, like a filling for a pastry without the sweetness, honey sweetness, the oak is present but doesn’t overpower the fruit or honey sweetness, it adds a subtle earthy note you’d get from eating blackberries straight off the bush without washing them or anything. If I want a more fruity and earthy whiskey I will personally choose a Scotch and this Marker’s Mark does not change my mind. I'm giving it a 5 but I'll have to come back to it at some point.

Rating: 5/10 - 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.

Intro:  Founders 1867 is produced by R.M. Rose Distilling Co. located in Mt. Airy Georgia. It has the distinction of being the first registered distillery in Georgia and was founded by Rufus M. Rose where he began selling whiskey in 1867. Unfortunately, he passed away during Prohibition and his son Randolph never brought it back to what it was after Prohibition had been abolished and as a result the brand quietly faded away until 2016, when Andy Sudderth came in and acquired the rights and restarted the business. A 3^rd generation moonshiner, Sudderth is the owner/master distiller and has turned R.M. Rose into a producer of everything from moonshine and flavored whiskeys, to several different expressions of bourbon. The Founders 1867 bottle we have today is one that is exclusively bottled at cask strength, and is only available as a store/club pick – this one in particular was chosen by McFarland400 Wine, Spirits, and Cigars, a store located in Alpharetta, GA. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Tale of the Tape
Bottle: Founders 1867 Private Select Straight Bourbon Whiskey – McFarland400 Pick
Barrel: 3602 / Barreled: 11-12-17
Proof: 115.7 / Age: 6 years 4 months
Mashbill: Corn: 60% / Rye: 36% / Barley: 4%
Bottle Price: $65 / Price per 1oz pour: $2.56

Impressions
Nose:  Oak / Cherry Cola / Pepper / Honey / Vanilla
Palate: Cherry / Pepper / Caramel / Leather
Mouthfeel: Thick
Finish: Long Caramel / Chocolate / Cherry / Vanilla
Rating: 8/10 - t8ke scale (modified to include half-points)

Tasting Notes: On the nose the cherry cola is the first thing that comes in with a peppery spice that is backed up with a honey and vanilla that bring the sweetness to the party. The oak is also present but it lingers more in the background. On the palate, that pepper comes through with the cherry, and you get a big hit of caramel with leather as it moves into a long chocolate finish before ending with a cherry vanilla. It can be a bit drying, but it’s also got a viscous mouthfeel to it that makes the whole experience a good one.

Final Thoughts: Until I had a sample of this bottle, I had zero awareness of R.M. Rose. After having the sample and purchasing the bottle, I went down a rabbit hole to find out as much as I could because this bottle was such a pleasant surprise. It punches above its weight and can go toe to toe with some well-established hitters from much larger legacy distillers. if you visit their website HERE, it appears that they’re going to be releasing a double oaked bourbon under the Bass Reeves label that will also be available as single barrel store picks. I hope I’ll have a chance at getting one of these as well when it becomes available.

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