Castle & Cairn

The 2025 release of Costco's Kirkland 15-year Highland Scotch hit shelves in late January and is a recurring installment on an annual cadence. The first pallet to hit my local store sold out almost immediately. Thankfully, we got two more shipments at one pallet each that hung around a bit longer and I was able to snag a bottle. Like in previous years, this Highland Scotch is finished in sherry casks. Alexander Murray & Co. is the bottler with MISA imports out of Texas bringing it to the States for consumption (Costco's standard sourcing pattern for Scotch). The bottle has a nice heft to it and there is an ensconced Alexander Murray Lion adding some nice texture to the front of the bottle. Steve Lipp, CEO of Alexander Murray, calls it "Perfect for after dinner drinking." All-in-all, this shows an attempt to elevate the product and presentation from the ubiquitous blends and non-age stated iterations you'll sometimes find under the Kirkland label.  Neither Alex...

The product of Boston Harbor Distillery  (DSP-MA-21015), Putnam New England Rye is an ultra high rye whiskey that joins a single Malt as being the distillery's main workhorses. Both base spirits are offered in a variety of finishes. They also make small batch gin, rum, liqueurs, and ready-to-drink cocktails. The namesake for this whiskey was Silas Putnam who built a factory, now the site of the distillery, that automated the manufacture of the hot-forged horseshoe nail. BHD was founded by Rhonda Kallman in 2012 with a focus on whole grain whiskey after more than two decades as a brewery founder and executive, first at the Boston Beer company of Sam Adams' fame and then again at new Century Brewing.   Front Label 🛒 Sourced:  $49.99 on their website - I got this tiny bottle in a Flaviar tasting set given to my by my dad.  🧪 Proof:  86 proof, 43% ABV - Always a bit interested in how they get these nonstandard numbers. 🎨 Color:  R3  - An orange yel...

Named after Abraham Overhold (1784 - 1870), this Suntory owned brand has its roots as a Pennsylvania rye though it is now made and aged in Kentucky by Jim Beam . Old Overholt is the oldest continuously released rye in production. It was one of the few makers to continue production during prohibition under a medicinal whiskey license, potentially benefiting from its partial ownership by Andrew Mellon, Warren G. Harding's Secretary of the Treasury. This bonded iteration was introduced in 2017 as bottled-in-bond whiskey experienced a resurgence during the corresponding whiskey boom. Together Old Overholt and Old Granddad are referred to and sometimes marketed as "The Olds". While other rye whiskies experienced more of a resurgence in the 90s cocktails renaissance, Old Overholt remained a sleeper pick though it still has as strong connection to Old West culture. JFK and Ulysses S. Grant both considered this standard version of this whiskey to be their go-to.  🛒 Sourced:  $25...

If you've peeped our traditional " Five Bottle Bar " guide, you're well aware of the concept. The premise is alluringly minimalist; create a fully appointed bar with just five bottles, one from each of the main cocktail spirits: Vodka, Gin, Whiskey, Rum, and Tequila. For unaged spirits, there are great deals to be had in quality products at a low price, but how will that change with age? In this post, we'll instead focus on the world of whiskey  which is rich and varied across (to name just a few categories): Bourbon - From the USA, 50+% corn mash though there are subcategories for Wheated, High-Rye, and Low-Rye Rye Whiskey - Also typically from the USA, 50+% percent rye mash Scotch - mainly single malts and blends from Scotland, varying significantly depending on region Other Nationals : Canadian, Indian, Irish, and Japanese Whiskies Rules: Prices will be those available on Total Wine set to Georgia, USA and bottles will are priced at the standard 750ml volume...

Known formerly by the name "1792 Ridgemont Reserve", 1792 Small Batch Bourbon is produced by Barton 1792 and is the entry point to the 1792 brand, being a slight step up from their Very Old Barton (VOB) product line.  The namesake is the year that Kentucky became a state. The 1792 lineup is filled out by Full proof, Bottled-in-Bond, Sweet wheat, High Rye, Port Finish and "Aged 12 Years". Most of the higher proof 1792 offerings were hunted to extinction during the and after COVID, but I am seeing them with some regularity now. Barton, owned by Sazerac, is known to make the Kirkland and Wolcott series of store label whiskies which taste and feel very much like 1792. While big Sazerac has been fixated on Buffalo Trace expansion, Barton feels relatively neglected though supposedly they are aligning some of their production processes with their much awarded sister brand.  🛒 Sourced: Commonly $29.99 for 750ml A gift from my brother's Girlfriend, thanks for contribut...

Distilled by Barton 1792 on behalf of Total Wine, Wolcott Bottled-in-Bond is a cousin of Costco's Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond and the bonded version of 1792. Barton does a huge number of other private bottlings while at the same time many of the 1792 branded iterations have become difficult to find. It is worth noting that the Wolcott brand has changed producers over the years. The version that won double gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2022 was produced by Buffalo Trace. There are still a few of those floating around, so it's definitely worth checking the label for collectability (thankfully these Barton bottles have it emblazoned in big letters on the front). Both distilleries are owned by Sazerac, so it is unlikely that the mash bill has changed though the equipment itself can impact the flavor. 🛒 Sourced:  $36.99 on sale, normally $39.99 - Total Wine, GA 750ml - Note that this is roughly 2x the price of Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond (1L bottle) and about $1...

Both produced by Sazerac's Barton 1792 distillery, Costco's Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond is a value darling of the wider internet and Total Wine's Wolcott Bottled-in-Bond has placed well at international spirits competitions, though most of its metal finishes were while it was still made at Sazerac's Buffalo Trace distillery. As both are private label bottles contracted distilled by Barton, we are left to ask the question: which one is better? The Contestants - Kirkland and Wolcott You can find our full bottle write-ups on both whiskies here: Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond Review Wolcott Bottled-in-Bond Review The broad summary is that the Kirkland bottle is significantly cheaper though both the Costco and Total Wine brands here cost less than the equivalent 1792 Bottled-in-Bond, a hard to find iteration that is only now starting to show up reliably on shelves again. Per the Bottled-in-Bond act , both drams will be 100 proof, aged a minimum of four years, and made in batches of b...

If you've been poking around on social media or whiskey forums, you may have noticed enthusiasts throwing around the term "tater", often with some negative connotation. Meaning of "Tater" The use of Tater as slang in the whiskey community seems to have taken off during the bourbon boom of the 2010s. It's meaning varies slightly from person to person, but can be summarized as follows: Tater - noun. A person who chases hyped or rare bottles for social status rather than an appreciation of the spirit. Often a tater will have more money than expertise and may be motivated by a fear of missing out rather than their own tastes. No one is sure what the actual origin of the term is, but the juicy rumor is that it came from a Facebook group for bourbon hunters at the beginning of the last boom. The story goes that some off the more experienced group members, the ones the rest of the group turned to for tips on the next drop, decided to play a prank on the legions of ...

The first bourbon distilled and bottled in Birmingham, AL in more than 100 years, this bottle comes from Dread River Distilling Company , founded in 2016 with distilling operations beginning in 2019. This is not sourced whiskey! The two founders met when Jeff Dugas, a practicing orthopedic surgeon, was performing surgery on then Auburn linebacker John Cubelic. At the height of the craft spirits movement, the two saw the opportunity to be the first local producer for the Birmingham market.  Dread River delivers a wide range of spirits including rum, gin, agave, and whiskey, all manufactured on their own equipment. Their impressive 24,000 square foot facility is also home to a well appointed bar, restaurant tasting room, and event space.  Dread River bourbon was able to score a Silver Metal in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition while their Rye was awarded a gold. 🛒 Sourced: A gift from my Sister and Brother-in-Law - Dread River's shop has it for $52.99 - 750ml...

Prior to the opening of Lux Row 's Kentucky distillery in 2018, Rebel was produced under contract by Heaven Hill. Lux Row is now owned by Midwest Grain Products as of 2021, but this barrel was filled on 3/23/2017, before they began production operations of their own in Bardstown. Rebel Yell (now shortened to "Rebel" after political pressures in 2020) was historically produced by Stitzel-Weller for distribution in the Southern United States and bears a signature wheat mash bill like many of the now scarce Weller products. Like Lux Row's Ezra Brooks brand, Rebel has a burgeoning barrel prick program  which got a lot of attention from stores looking to up their store portfolios during the bourbon boom, and they have also started to put out distiller selections at cask strength as well.  🛒 Sourced:  $41.99 - 750ml - World of Beverage Smyrna, GA - Discounted as the last few bottles of a store pick, normally $55. I see distiller's selects of this around $55. 🧪 Proof: ...

Though Bardstown is known for contract distilling , their Origin and Discovery series have both collected quite the metal count at spirits awards shows. Bardstown Origin  Wheated Bottled-in-Bond  formed part of the Origin lineup with high-rye, double barreled-rye, and a 39% high wheated bourbon iterations. The high wheat is the only one of the four not to win gold or double-gold though it very likely will next season, it was just released  for the Holidays in 2024. I'm very fond of the sweetness that comes with wheated bourbons and enjoy the character building that comes with the bonded standard. Seasonal batches for bonded whiskies mean that they can differ somewhat year-to-year without being as variable as single barrels. Speaking of single barrels, at the same time as the Origin series launch in 2023, Bardstown Bourbon Co. also announced a barrel pick program or select on and off-premise retailers. 🛒 Sourced:  $44.99 - 750ml - Tower Package, GA. Typically around ...