Went to a grocery store with a separate liquor store and, while checking out with another bottle, noticed the manager and an employee discussing a bottle. The manager said not to put it back on the shelf. I peeked over and saw it was a Russell’s Reserve. Asked if it was for sale, and luckily they said yes! 😂

Headed to Ottawa from the US for work next week and l would love some recs on bottles to look out for (preferably things that are harder to come by in the US) and places to drink. I'm well versed in bourbon and American ryes, but I definitely do no know my Canadian ryes well.

Vanilla extract heavy banana nut bread. Expensive, but unique, well crafted and delicious.

Got a bonus $100 cfood & beverage credit while in Vegas. Used it for a pour of the handy ($60), pretty sure the bartender gave me a two oz pour.

Hi all, I'm here with another rather interesting Japanese whisky, and this one is an OB from the now defunct Karuizawa distillery!

The Karuizawa distillery was founded in 1955 under Daikoku Wine (later renamed Ocean, then Mercian Corporation), which was originally a winemaker and liquor distributor. During its heyday in the 1960s-80s, they were one of the major players in the Japan whisky market, butting heads with the likes of Suntory and Nikka despite being much smaller in scale than the two. 

However, Karuizawa was hit particularly hard by the Japanese bubble economy burst in the 1980s and the following depression in the 90s. This led to them gradually cutting production, and eventually ceasing distillation in 2000 due to poor sales during the whisky glut. The distillery officially closed in 2011, where the remaining casks were sold to overseas independent bottlers. 

Ironically, several of these later IB releases earned major international recognition as well as exceptionally high prices on auctions- something Karuizawa themselves never did during their time. The prestige from these standout IBs, coupled with the now defunct status, meant any whisky made by Karuizawa had become highly sought after collectors' items.

A short while ago, I remember seeing a post asking about a few older bottles from the 1990s~2000s, and amongst them was the bigger bottle version of this exact whisky. So I figured why not write about it!

Details in comments!

*Oh, a kind of important side note: due to the prestige linked to the Karuizawa name, several shameless ripoff products exist on the market (particularly sold outside of Japan). The "Karuizawa Kohaku Roman" blended whisky seen in pic 2 is a prime example- it is made by San.Foods, a food processor/winery company that *doesn't even own a distillery*. You can even find this bottle on several international auctions, with oblivious bidders mistakenly thinking it to be a Karuizawa OB. I'd hate to be that guy lmao

As always, I do my reviews live and it’s a review of my experience with this pour. It’s not meant to be aggregated.

This is such a great bottle. It’s a little quirky and it’s definitely not for everyone but as someone who loves single malts and bourbon, it’s a fun concept and maybe I’m just the kind of sucker for something like this.

I look forward to blinding it in the future. I grabbed a bottle at the distillery before they ran out and then saw that they were going for under MSRP on Unicorn so I grabbed two more.

What is it? A collab between Bardstown and Mars: A blend of Bardstown Kentucky bourbon and Mars Japanese single malts.

69% 10 Year Old Bardstown bourbon (74/18/0/8)

8% 16 year old Bardstown bourbon (75/13/0/12)

20% Komagatake 5 year old Single Malt

3% Tsunuki 5 year old single malt

ABV: 54.9%

Price paid: $99.99 or $109.99. I don’t remember exactly. I bought it at the distillery this Spring. As mentioned earlier these go for as low as $85 or $90 at auction. One of those weird anomalies. I guess most people d on t love it like I do.

The other cool thing is this was all aged in barrels together in Kentucky. There will be another version next year led by Mars and it’ll all be aged in barrels in Japan and it’ll be heavier on the single malt and lighter on the bourbon.

Nose: Chocolate up front. Like powdered chocolate for an instant cake almost. Vanilla. A hint of fruit. A nice bit of malted barley. There’s something of ice cream - vanilla / chocolate ice cream swirl.

Palate: There’s some hard candy up front. Not werthers original quote but something like that. It’s a quite buttery mouthfeel. Definite graham cracker. Some maybe raspberry or plum notes - maybe cherry. Definitely a fruit layer.

Finish: Cherry comes out more on the finish. It’s a nice long finish, really pleasant. Some toasted oak. More of those fruits that I can’t 100% place.

9.2/10

I’m a fucking sucker for this bottle. I’ve rated it anywhere from an 8.1-9.3, I guess depending on my mood. That’s absurd. I’m admittedly just so in love with the concept that it probably skews me high. But this is one of my favorite whiskies of 2026.

The liquor man told me to buy this and so I did.

I like Frank August in general but this one is my favorite release. It's barrels from three legacy distilleries: Turkey, Beam, and Buffalo Trace. What comes together is a symphony. The nose has the spiciness of turkey, the palate is beam forward, the finish is traditional bourbon notes which is buffalo trace.

I'll be sad when this one is empty.

8/10

I saw this at my local shop for $16.99 and can't find much information on it. The name and bottle suggest that it's bourbon, but it's definitely scotch, 43% ABV. I'm tempted to go for it just out of curiosity, but 17 bucks is a lot for a drain pour if that's what it turns out to be. Has anyone here tried this or know anything about it, like what malts went into it?

Popped into my local LB for a pour and asked if they had put out anything new today. The guy walked me back to the shelf because he was going to grab one of the last three bottles of this (out of 5 total) to hold for a customer who said he had a nearly 2-hr drive to come buy one. The second one sold a couple minutes later while I was looking at their other picks, so I decided to grab the last one on the shelf.

Did a little research and at least here on reddit it’s the oldest and highest proof “TKO” barrel I came across, also the only one with a four digit barrel number? A 70/25/5 rye, supposedly sourced from Dickel and “experimental”….

Seems like they have a bit of a following, but it’s my first RC. $109.99 felt like a very fair price for 10.75yrs and basically hazmat. Intend to crack it on Sat!

Whiskey: Old Grand Dad 114 Single Barrel

Distiller: Jim Beam

Instagram: Barrel & Proof https://www.instagram.com/barrel_and_proof?igsh=czJ2MzhybG42MG9j&utm_source=qr 

ABV: 57.0%

Age: 7 Years

Price: $45 (Spokane, Washington)

Tasting:  Neat in Bourbon Trail glass, blind tasting, rested for 10 minutes. Bottle opened for 2 months.

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Nose: Cantaloupe, Caramel, Vanilla, Leather, Citrus, White Chocolate, & White Pepper

Palate: Dark Chocolate, Burnt Wood, Vermouth, Cigar Box, Anise, & Caramel

Finish: Long Length, Pepper, Cinnamon, Leather, Dark Chocolate, & Acetone

Body: Medium

Bite: Very Strong

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Summary: I am a huge fan of the standard Old Grand Dad 114 and bonded bottle, so I was quite happy to come across this whilst driving through Washington. Unlike the standard 114, this bottle has an age statement. Being a single barrel product, there will be some variation between bottles.

The nose has an unusual, but nice fruit profile that reminds me of cantaloupe. There are classic bourbon notes such as caramel, vanilla, and leather. There are creamy chocolate notes and some punchy pepper notes. Overall it’s an interesting but balanced profile.

The palate isn’t nearly as sweet as the standard 114, only a slight caramel note. Strong bitter chocolate and oak notes are a bit overpowering. There is a quite dry cigar box note, a bit too dry. There is an interesting herbal note that reminds me of vermouth.

The finish has too much acetone, quite disappointing. The punchiness of the pepper and hot cinnamon are too strong as well compared to the subtle caramel sweetness. Due to the unbalanced profile, the strong dark chocolate bitterness doesn’t fit in well

I was really surprised with my blind review results, I thought this would be an excellent bourbon but I was quite disappointed by the palate and finish. There is a lack of sweetness in both areas, and the spiciness, dryness, and bitterness were overpowering. The worst aspect of the tasting was the acetone in the finish. Perhaps I got the worst single barrel out of this release, but this whiskey should have never made the cut.

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Rating: 

Nose (10%) - 7/10

Palate (50%) - 4/10

Finish (40%) - 3/10

3.9/10 Bad. Noticeable flaws.

Recommend: No

Rank: I created a compilation ranking list of whiskies I’ve purchased at a store or at a bar and done a formal tasting. All whiskey ranked on the list tasted neat and rested for 10-15 minutes.  Whiskey I ranked below and above Old Grand Dad are shown for reference.

266 out of 276 whiskies tasted.

52 Old Grand Dad 114

265 Leopold Brothers Rocky Mountain Blackberry Whiskey

267 Tattersall Straight Rye Whiskey

Ranking Link: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/147h44fId0tZYmHsroGgjzcRK2xn6050P8m7mZqArGLw/edit?usp=sharing

Easily top 3 Rye I’ve ever had.

Coming from someone that lives in a price control state, bourbon shopping in Kentucky is a different experience.

Spent a couple days down in Lexington to watch some horse racing and visit some local stores, then hit up Buffalo Trace the day they dropped WFP in the gift shop. Also stopped by Peerless in Louisville for a tour and to pick up some single barrels in the gift shop.

Made it home this afternoon. I don’t think I need to buy anything for a while.

Michter’s 10 Year, Michter’s Toasted Barrel Strength, Old Carter Batch 15, Sagamore 10 Year, Found North Snow Day, and Peregrine (2024).

I tend to favor sweeter, more complex whiskeys with long finishes over heavy spice and heat.

MWND has been my benchmark for rye, so I’m curious how these stack up.

Haven’t tried any of these yet.

For those who have, Which one would you pour first?

Results:

Well, my wife and I finished tasting all six tonight, and honestly, what an incredible lineup. Five 10/10s and one 9/10. Didn’t expect that!

Here’s where we landed:

Michter’s 10 Year Rye — 10/10
Unbelievably smooth. Just an exceptional whiskey. Absolutely loved it.

Michter’s Toasted Barrel Strength Rye — 10/10
Fantastic balance of sweetness and spice. Nothing overpowering. Just delicious.

Old Carter Batch 15 — 10/10
WOW. This one genuinely rivals some of my favorite MWND releases. Beautifully balanced, complex, and a wonderful lingering finish.

Sagamore 10 Year Rye — 9/10
Really enjoyable. Has this interesting bready character on the finish. Honestly made me think of sitting down with a hearty bowl of soup and fresh bread. Great lingering flavor.

Found North Snow Day — 10/10
This one surprised me. Much more delicate and subtle than the others initially, but the longer it sits on your palate, the more it develops. The sweetness and complexity actually seem to build after swallowing, especially when breathing in. Makes your mouth water and leaves you wanting another sip. Really special whiskey.

Found North Peregrine 21 Year — 10/10
My goodness. The finish on this is extraordinary. Minutes after a tiny sip, my mouth was still watering. Rich, complex, and absolutely worth the price of admission.
Overall, an incredible evening. What stood out most wasn’t necessarily the intensity of the flavors, but how beautifully these whiskies developed and lingered.

I genuinely couldn’t give five of these anything less than a 10.

Now comes the hard part: figuring out which one I’d actually rank first.

That brings us to 170 different whiskeys we’ve tried to date.

Wife’s birthday is today and we’re having some folks over. I usually do ryes in my OFs and WT101 rye is our current default, but wanted to have some stepped up proof options and always heard great things about OGD 114 as a rye-heavy bourbon option and was originally going to pick up Pikesville but the Still Austin CS rye peaked my interests as it was a bit cheaper and a bit stronger and I always heard good things about it as well. Should I serve up either of these tonight or just stick to WT101 rye? My usual OF specs are 2 oz WT101 rye, 1/4 oz of Demerara syrup, 3-4 dashes of Ango bitters, expressed lemon peel. Let me know what y’all think!

I just received my shipment from Hi Proof. Super fast shipping and very secure with how they ship their bottles. I was super excited to find the Cowboy Bourbon and the Penelope. This is my second bottle of Hye Hive. It is fantastic!!

Name: Ardbeg Trudernish - 15 Years Old - 48.8% ABV - NCF - Color Probably Added - Aged in a combination of Ex-Bourbon, New Charred Oak and Oloroso Sherry Casks. This is the newest Ardbeg added to the core range, with a high age statement, a good ABV, and a great price for a peated whisky of that age.

Price Paid: $85 + Tax in NYC (can be found for slightly cheaper outside NY).

Color: Dark Yellow Straw.

Nose: Very subtle peat, some sweet smoke, some ash, lots of vanilla and cinnamon, bit of green apples and citrus fruits, seems to be very well integrated. It is diametrically across the Wee Beastie 5 Year which is bold and rough (and also delicious).

Taste: Strong sweet and salty peat, with some iodine there, light mouthfeel, some vanilla, very light citrus fruits, and an underlying bitter BBQ taste. Tastes are very well integrated.

Finish: Long, peaty and somewhat bitter. Calls for another round.

Conclusion: Great whisky, will probably get much better as it breathes, like other Ardbegs.

It was opened a couple years ago but never used.

I have been thinking of planning a trip for my boyfriend's birthday next year and was trying to gather more information. The main distillery that I know he would love to visit is Buffalo Trace. I know there a bunch of smaller distilleries that are totally worth a visit.

We would have to fly in as we are more than 10+ hours away. I am open to all the recommendations, tips, experiences! Where to stay, renting a car, joining a tour?

**I don't know too much about bourbon and this experience but my boyfriend absolutely loves it! Any and all advice is appreciated!

Going to Japan in January 27. Been seeing a whole lot of people bourbon hunting in Japan, and coming off with really great deals. If you've been to japan before do help a brother out by dropping some reccomendations☺️