About Us

Castle & Cairn is a personal blog first and foremost.

It is a reflecting place and online journal. Who am I?

I'm Josh DeBiers, nom de plume, you can fine me on X/twitter as @Joshdebiers. I live in Georgia, am a CPA, and have worked for consulting houses Deloitte and PwC. During the day, I stay busy with projects ranging from management consulting to analytics development. Looking to get in touch? Send me a DM on X or submit the contact us form below! For group tastings, there will be a variety of visiting contributors.

Interests

Beverage: Anything in a cup. From Bourbon to coffee and tea, I'm a big fan of liquid luxury on a budget. I have tasted and ranked more than 600 distinct beers and was a community ambassador for some Budweiser family brands. In terms of whiskey business, I am a certified Bourbon Steward.
Gaming: What could be better than having your friends at your fingertips every day? Video games have long been an important part of my friend group. From Call of Duty to Deep Rock Galactic to Sea of Thieves and many more, I view gaming as a way to bring people together. In terms of entertainment per dollar, video and board games provide huge value. I stream very occasionally and you can find me as "MuggleJosh" on Twitch. My favorite types of games are FPS and Open World RPGs.
Lifestyle: Balance in all things. I was taught to cultivate a "Renaissance" mindset and I strongly believe that anything can be interesting provided you know enough about it. Lifestyle is my catch-all category for the things that make life most enjoyable.

Product Reviews - If I find something I really like or don't like, I'll let you know.
Recipes - I love cooking and grilling. Most nights you can find me by the grill or stove.
Reflections on News - I'm naturally interested in technology and current events, particularly the overlap of the two with business. Find some hot and cold takes here.

A glass of whiskey sits on a stone wall overlooking a green field in the old country

Approach to AI Generated Content

I believe that human generated content is critical to the future of the internet and continued functioning of society. At work, I utilize traditional machine learning models as well as generative AI to accomplish a variety of tasks. After more than three years of working with these tools, I can tell you that they are fantastic for many use cases, but still significantly prone to error. While AI tools may be used to create some of the images on this site and language models may be used as research aids, all text will be human generated. For review articles, look for a verifiably authentic header photo of questionable composition (likely my living room) as a stamp that the bottle or item in question has indeed been sampled.

Approach to Editorial Integrity

In the event a product is provided for free in exchange for a review, no preference will be given to the providing party or manufacturer. These circumstances will be disclosed in the relevant post. Opinions and analysis will be genuine and free from modification other than verifiable corrections of fact.

Behind the Name

Why Castle & Carin? Cairn is fairly straightforward as it is the back half of the now prolific Glencairn drinking glass popularized in the early 2000s for tasting and assessing whiskey. Castle comes from my natural disposition as a homebody. I do enjoy traveling but there's just something different about being at home. It's the environment most cultivated to your enjoyment. It's a place to host parties and be generous with friends. It's a hierarchy need and the single most worthwhile investment in yourself, a nice place to live. In 1644, English judge Sir Edward Coke was quoted as saying, "For a man's house is his castle". The overlap of the two concepts gives me a cozy overall vibe. I like to think of my ancestors in Ireland and England home amidst solid walls on a drizzly cold day.

Contact Us

🥃Review #30: Kirkland Bourbon Casked Rum XO

XO stands for "Extra Old" but how does this bottle of Bourbon Casked Rum from Costco's Kirkland Signature line measure up? 📚 Background: Finished in used Cognac backs, this bottle is a product of Guatemala, imported for Costco by MISA IMPORTS out of Dallas Texas. MISA, named after the founder's children Michael and Sarah, started primarily as a sourcing partner for fine wines, but has since expanded operations into sourcing spirits. MISA's rum brand partners include 1731 , Autentico Nativo , and Navy Island. We would have to guess the maker if not for the back label which clearly identifies one Olivier Dumont, Master Blender. Mr. Dumont works for Les Bienheureux , a French company growing at an alarming rate that has both a foothold in French Whisky and Costa Rican Rum. Les Bienheureux is the company behind "El Pasador De Oro " (roughly translated as "Gold Pin") which has two widely available iterations. The XO version retails for $46.99 and...

🥃Review #15 Kirkland Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon 2024

Costco's liquor store is a thing of beauty. While not every Kirkland edition is a hit, there are enough standouts on a fun per dollar ratio to always merit a look. Almost all of the house brands are less than $30, and I'm always excited to take a long shot when the new seasonal releases come around. 📚 Background: Distilled by Barton 1792 in Bardstown Kentucky, Kirkland Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey hits the shelves a few times a year. Mine was from batch 1124. The bottle presentation is supposed to evoke the same feel as other small batch whiskeys and there is a decorative purity seal that is reminiscent of the ever reliable bottled in bond green filigree, albeit in a meaningless red. Unlike its bonded brethren, this edition comes in under 100 proof and does not have any age statement. There's not a whole lot of additional information provided by Costco or the distiller, but we can reasonably assume that it shares a similar pedigree as the entry level 1792...

🥃Review #29: Kirkland Blended Canadian Whisky - Is it Crown Royal?

Awarded 91 points and a gold medal by the Beverage Tasting Institute, Kirkland Canadian Whisky is known a great value and many in the popular culture have alleged that it is repackaged Crown Royal due to its relative quality for the price. But is it? 📚 Background: Kirkland first introduced their line of spirits in the 1990s and has expanded their offerings over time. While I wasn't able to find a first release date for this product, the first TTB label in the COLA database is from 2016. The whisky is imported for Costco by Wide World Importers in Louisville Kentucky. Digging a bit further reveals that Wide World Importers is an alternative name for SAZERAC . For me, this conclusively busts the popular myth that Kirkland Canadian is made by Crown Royal (a Diageo property). Sazerac has a number of Canadian Whisky brands in-house, including: Rich & Rare Reserve ($19.99 for 1.75L - No Age Statement), Seagram's VO ($22.99 for 1.75L - Aged Six Years),...

🥃 Review #32: James E. Pepper Decanter Barrel Proof

Named after Colonel James E. Pepper (1850-1906), noted horseman and master distiller, this lovely decanter styled bottle hails from a whiskey pedigree older than the American Revolution. Col. Pepper, third in his line to use the family recipe, convinced the state of Kentucky to change its laws to permit distillers to bottle their own whiskey, a right previously allocated to rectifiers (third party blenders/flavor makers) who had a history of adding adulterants or cutting whiskey to make an extra buck. Colonel Pepper began the tradition of affixed a signed seal to the bottle to denote its quality, a provision that became a hallmark of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 for which he was a chief advocate. The Pepper family continued to operate the historic James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington as well as the Woodford Reserve Distillery until 1967 when a slow whiskey market forced them to shutter the historic Lexington location and the family brand. In 2008, Amir Peay revived the hi...

🎮Call of Duty Zombies: The Drinking Game - Rules

Since its introduction in Call of Duty: World at War , Call of Duty Zombies has been a PvE staple for gamers everywhere and has appeared in many subsequent titles. In this post, we'll explore rules for turning a game of round-based zombies into a lovely drinking session. As with all drinking games, set limits before you begin and be sure to conduct yourself both legally and responsibly. Preparation To play the game, you'll need the following in addition to an internet connection, gaming device, and Call of Duty: A Party Sipper of your Choice - I recommend something relatively low ABV. We balanced the rules for a player of moderate ability and a sipper of 4-8% alcohol. Light beer is my go-to here since it has enough lovely hydrating waters to help stave off some small sadness. A Couple of Shots - I would pre-pour a couple of shots to have on hand. Again, lower end of ABV which for shots likely means 80 proof. Kirkland Canadian Whiskey, Tito's Vodka, or Lunazul Tequila wo...

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