Licorice, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, raspberry jelly, fragrant wild herbs, whiffs of polished oak, and a hint of bubble gum on the nose. The palate offers strawberry shortcake, allspice, ground chile pepper, and bitter espresso. Water brings out more peppery spice and dark chocolate. Excellent length on the finish, with semi-sweet chocolate cake, plum tart, cherry coulis, and savory spice at the back. Spicy, rich, lively, and flavorful. (18,000 bottles) Editor's Choice

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Spring 2022)

Richly layered aromas of honeycomb, varnish, cola, licorice, and earth pour forth, with nicely balanced cedary oak and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. On the velvety palate there is a bounty of delicious orchard fruits—Golden Delicious apple and ripe peach—underscored by beeswax candle and furniture polish that suggest some older whiskey in the mix. On the finish, licorice and earth rise above lip-smacking citrusy sweetness.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2021)

7 year old whiskey (an unspecified “corn, rye, and malted barley” mashbill “distilled in Indiana”) aged in used barrels. Maple syrup, well-browned popovers, and Canada mint lozenges in a boozy-hot nose. Richly sweet on the palate: pastry dough, hints of anise, buttery and slightly-burnt cornbread, syrupy dark fruits: complex, rich, delicious. Water brings out more of the dough and tames the heat. Delicious, unique, intriguing. Sourced whiskey.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2015)

A curious character of tart fruit pervades this whiskey with an unusual finishing cask, starting with underripe blackberries on the nose; there’s also citrus, vanilla, jasmine, orange blossom, almonds in the shell, and a scattering of dried herbs. Tart and citric on the palate—lemon juice, underripe berries, Granny Smith apples, red plums—yet a dark richness of coffee bean, bitter chocolate, and oak offer a pleasing juxtaposition. The lengthy finish retains the interplay of tart fruit and richness until the final exhale.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2020)

The reticent nose reveals little at first, but eventually a few aromas emerge: vanilla, licorice tea, furniture polish, and a slightly tart note, like gooseberry or kumquat. That’s borne out with the palate’s tart and citric character, showcasing plum, pear, lemon, gooseberry, and kumquat, with an herbal tinge, toasted oak, and a hint of almond. The finish is mouthwatering—almost mouth-puckering—and continues the tart fruit theme. This is an odd but intriguing whiskey, showing great consistency and novelty.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2020)

A complex nose that starts out herbaceous and then opens to notes of saddle leather, buttered popcorn, pecans, dark cherry, orange tea, and fragrant vanilla. A rich, chewy palate offers vanilla cream pie, lemon, blackberries, corn muffin, and chocolate-covered coconut, balanced against some drying oak, an herbal note, and dried leaves. The finish is a long, balanced ride of chocolate, cinnamon, and tobacco leaf. A rich, classic bourbon.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2019)

A blend of 9 to 14 year old bourbons from Tennessee and Kentucky. A generous and perfumy nose of dusty spice, peanut brittle, cherry candy, orange, cola, molasses, and roasted grain. Full and rich in the mouth, with fruit leather, blueberry-pomegranate juice, orange oil, ginger, pepper, dark chocolate, cola, molasses, and coconut. The finish is lengthy and superb: horehound candy, white pepper, dark chocolate-covered blueberries, and silky yet racy oak.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2019)

At 6 years old it’s hard to believe this could get any better with more time in the barrel. It begins with an explosion of honey, warm graham crackers, cinnamon, nutmeg, and marzipan. Then it’s saddle leather, pumice, caramel-covered popcorn, and jalapeño-and-peach jam spread over a flat tamale. More baking spices develop as the whiskey finishes long with a lovely salted-caramel note.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Summer 2017)

Fruity flavors unite! Zesty lemon meshes with bing cherries, mandarin orange, red berries, strawberry frosting, and watermelon juice, resulting in a playful and enticing nose. If you thought the nose was fruit-forward, just wait until you take a sip; raspberry coulis, strawberry syrup, and maraschino cherries burst through. The heat from this one may very well singe your eyebrows, so consider adding water or big ice to mellow the spiciness out.

Reviewed by: Julia Higgins (Fall 2022)

There’s personality galore in this blend of 10 year old Indiana whiskey finished in cabernet sauvignon casks and 11 year old Tennessee bourbon finished in rum casks and port pipes. Caramel, honeycomb candy, See’s molasses chips, peanuts, graham crackers, cola, mature oak, and a little dill on the nose. The palate is chewy, with dried cherries, grape soda, root beer candy, roasted walnuts, dark chocolate, black pepper, ginger, graham cracker, cinnamon cookie, and lush leathery oak. Good development, if you have the patience to linger.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Spring 2019)

From the minds at Barrell Craft Spirits. The nose is fruity, with notes of mixed-berry preserves, cherries, blackberries, and Smarties, with additional dessert-like aromas of tiramisu and milk chocolate-covered caramel. A velvety mouthfeel showcases more caramel, plus orange and berry flavors, while also providing a good deal of spice that carries over to a slightly underwhelming finish. Enough complexity and proof to handle water well.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Fall 2021)

A blend of straight bourbons at least 15 years old. A fragrant, complex nose of oak, baking spice, cherry pie, cooked pears, and bitter lemon, with underlying notes of cigar box and dunnage house floor. The palate is creamy and sweet, offering caramel, chocolate frosting, coconut shavings, a fruity note of sweet raspberry, and chili pepper. A finish of tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, and more spiciness as a final note.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Spring 2019)

A selection of bourbons distilled and aged in Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky. Drying autumn leaves on the nose, along with leather, tobacco leaf, ginger snaps, cherries, nutmeg, black tea, vanilla, toasted coconut, and light orange. The mouthfeel is rich, and leads with coconut and unsalted butter, then cinnamon, cloves, red apple, oak, and more orange. Minerality, peppery heat, and tobacco on the finish, as well as dark chocolate and cherry.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Spring 2019)

With smoke and oak, this starts off so intense with pepper spices, peat, dried apricot, hard candies, caramel-covered apples, salted butter, pecan shell, and strawberry jam. Leather, tobacco, and baking spices begin the descent toward a medium, slightly bitter finish. If you like trying new things, this is an American cadre of flavors unlike anything out there. (Bottled on February 12, 2018)

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Summer 2018)

It opens with a crust of salt and Flintstones vitamins in honey, almond paste, and caramel. Then pumice, pear, canned peaches, and baked apples jump into the mix, followed by Nutella, Cheerios, candied pecans, and chocolate. As the medium to long finish sets in, slight hints of smoke appear and suggest it would pair great with a bold cigar. A drop of water only makes it better.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Summer 2018)

Think of an Almond Joy candy bar: coconut, almond, and milk chocolate, followed by the candy bar’s rival flavors: caramel, vanilla, and butterscotch. Then oak, leather, cigar box, marmalade, grape jelly, a plethora of baking spices, and toffee. This beautiful study of barrel strength bourbon needs no water. Caramel in all forms, from candied to syrup, follows this home for a long and delightful finish.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Winter 2016)

A blend of whiskeys finished in rum and rye barrels, it’s molasses-forward with quick introductions of clove, vanilla, flowers, and strawberry. Green apple and ginger cookies appear before a burst of caramel chew, herbs, and chewing tobacco. At times fascinating for its rye, bourbon, and rum qualities, albeit a little hot, it’s a must-pour for a spirits lover.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Summer 2017)

A composite of Tennessee and Kentucky whiskeys, finished in sherry butts and port pipes. It’s sherry-forward, but rich and layered in roasted nuts, caramel, dried caramel, vanilla cake batter, chocolate, chamomile, and roasted apple. Marzipan and honey flash with hints of hazelnut, pear, and molasses cookie over a slightly chewy mouthfeel. The medium to long finish gives a slight hint of citrus.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Spring 2017)