MurLarkey is a craft distillery in Manassas, Virginia. They are holding a tasting event on Thursday, August 13 at 6:00 PM. The cost $100/ person. Here are the details from MurLarkey:

On Thursday, August 13 at 6:00 PM, Head Distiller Kevin Szady will host the MurLarkey Whiskey Round Table, an intimate guided tasting featuring five exceptional whiskies and bourbons, including select aged expressions and limited releases.

For this evening, Kevin will also be pulling from a private collection of bottles and barrel selections that are not generally available to the public. In other words, this is not the standard tasting lineup.

Kevin will walk guests through each pour, sharing the craftsmanship, techniques, decisions, and occasional bit of distiller stubbornness that shaped it.

This is not a lecture, and there will not be a quiz.

It is an evening for great whiskey, thoughtful conversation, and the chance to learn what makes each expression distinct from someone who has spent years waiting patiently for wood and whiskey to become something better together.

Complimentary small bites and light snacks will be served alongside the tasting.

Space is limited.

Thursday, August 13

6:00 PM

MurLarkey Distilled Spirits

9861 Discovery Boulevard, Manassas, Virginia

Reserve your seat here: https://murlarkey.com/products/whiskey-roundtable

Old Forester is dropping their newest expression of the 117 series Triple Char tomorrow, Friday, July 24th at 10 AM EST. Shipping is only legally available in KY, ND, NE, NH and D.C.

OLD FORESTER WEBSITE

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This whiskey is the first expression made entirely from whiskey distilled at the Main Street Distillery. Charring barrels allows for complex flavor development, and the barrels used to craft this small batch were charred three times as long as the standard Old Forester Distillery cooperage barrel profile. This exceptional depth of char delivers a rich and robust flavor profile that was made for savoring.

BRBNFNDR just found Black Maple Hill Small Batch at Shared Pour for 79.99 (retail). This a great bottle and price. Recently had this at their launch event at Jack Rose.

This bottle has been selling out pretty fast each time I have seen it.

Worth noting for those who may not know, SharedPour is the online site for BourbonConcierge in Georgetown. In the past I have been able to pick up the order at their store and save on shipping.

July 16, 2013 - Thirteen years ago today, the bourbon world lost a true legend. Elmer T. Lee, master distiller emeritus at Buffalo Trace, passed away at age 93, leaving behind an incredible legacy that still shapes whiskey today.

Lee revolutionized bourbon in 1984 when he created Blanton's Single Barrel - the first modern single barrel bourbon. The inspiration came from his work with Colonel Albert Blanton, the legendary distillery president who would hand-select special barrels from Warehouse H for VIP guests. When the bourbon market was tanking in the early 1980s, Lee saw an opportunity to create something premium and different.

Working from Colonel Blanton's legacy of barrel selection, Lee developed a new product that celebrated individual barrel character rather than blended consistency. This wasn't just innovation - it was survival in a declining market.

Originally selling for $25 a bottle, Blanton's challenged Maker's Mark's dominance in the premium bourbon space, consistently outperforming it in blind tastings across Kentucky. This was a game-changer for the industry.

During his 38-year career at what's now Buffalo Trace, Lee helped develop Ancient Age, Rock Hill Farms, and of course, the bourbon that bears his name - Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel. Lee personally selected every barrel that went into the Elmer T. Lee bottles, ensuring each met his exacting standards. His philosophy was simple: taste everything, trust your palate, and never compromise on quality.

Lee was known for his meticulous barrel selection process, often spending hours in rickhouses searching for that perfect honey barrel. He believed each barrel had its own personality, and his job was to find the ones with the best stories to tell.

Beyond his technical contributions, Lee was a mentor to countless distillers and a passionate advocate for bourbon education. He was inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2001, recognizing his immense contributions to the industry. He understood that great whiskey wasn't just about the liquid - it was about preserving tradition while pushing boundaries.

His impact on single barrel bourbons cannot be overstated. What started with Blanton's became an entire category that defines premium bourbon today.

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B K Miller Meats & Liquor

Taste of DC Academy: BBQ & Bourbon!:

💰 General Admission: $92.38 per person (including fees)
🗓️ Thursdays from August 6th to August 27th
⏰ 7:00 PM–8:30 PM
📍National Union Building, F Street Northwest, Washington, DC, USA
👤 This is a 21+ only

About the event:

Celebrate one of America’s most beloved culinary traditions at the Taste of DC Academy with a hands-on class dedicated to classic BBQ flavors and bourbon cocktails. In this interactive 90-minute experience, guests will explore the fundamentals of great barbecue while learning how to craft bourbon-based cocktails that perfectly complement smoky, savory dishes.

Guided by an instructor, you'll dive into the building blocks of great BBQ—learning about seasoning rubs, sauces, and cooking techniques that create bold flavor and mouthwatering texture. Along the way, you’ll explore the regional inspirations behind American barbecue and how different flavor profiles—from sweet and tangy to smoky and spicy—come together to define this iconic cuisine.

As the BBQ flavors come together, you'll also step into the world of bourbon cocktails, learning how this distinctly American spirit shines in classic mixed drinks. Guests will sample and explore several bourbon styles while discovering how ingredients like citrus, bitters, herbs, and syrups create cocktails that balance beautifully with rich BBQ flavors.

At the end of the class, you'll sit down to enjoy a meal featuring the BBQ dishes you've learned about, paired with bourbon cocktails designed to highlight the flavors of the food.

Whether you're a backyard grill enthusiast, a bourbon lover, or simply looking for a lively night out with friends, this class blends culinary technique, cocktail craft, and a relaxed social atmosphere.

Highlights:

🔥 Explore the fundamentals of American BBQ, including classic seasoning rubs, sauces, and flavor-building techniques
🥩 Learn about regional BBQ traditions and the flavor profiles that define this iconic American cuisine
🥃 Discover how to craft bourbon cocktails, learning techniques for balancing citrus, bitters, sweetness, and spirit
🍹 Guided tasting of bourbon cocktails and how they pair with smoky, savory barbecue dishes
🧑‍🍳 Interactive culinary experience blending food education with cocktail craft in a fun and social environment
🍽 Enjoy a meal featuring BBQ dishes inspired by the class, paired with bourbon cocktails
🎉 Perfect for date nights, friend groups, and food lovers looking for a bold and flavorful culinary experience in DC

DETAILS & TICKETS

Blade & Bow 22y.

🎉 Congratulations to the winners of our DMVWhisky 1K IG Follower Kenzie Giveaway!!!

🥃 Thank you all for supporting DMVWhisky and ThisDayInBourbonHistory!

Weller Full Proof for 99.99. Shipping is around 15. Not a bad price if you're looking. The have Weller 12 for 99.99 and some other decent deals too.

DETAIL HERE

This explains why Muddy Branch is getting all of the 108 bottles of Rock Hill Farms this Saturday.

On Saturday from 12-3p they are also doing a Maker's wax-dipping station. If you haven't done this it is pretty cool... especially if you go for the slam dunk.

866 Muddy Branch Rd, Gaithersburg

This weekend's MoCo drop has a lot (108 bottles) of Rock Hill Farms dropping. I have never seen this many bottles drop at once. This is probably the most sought-after of the mash bill #2 bourbons from Buffalo Trace that is regularly produced. This got me thinking about the difference between all of the line of Buffalo Trace bourbons using mash bill #2.

Buffalo Trace does an incredible job of creating so many different whiskies from just a few different mash bills, and most consumers don't even realize it. Mash bill #1 is their "low rye" mash bill and is used for Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, EH Taylor, Stagg, and many others. Their wheated mash bill is used for all of the Weller and Pappy Van Winkle brands. Their rye mash bill is used for Sazerac and Van Winkle Family Rye (they also have another rye mash bill used for the EH Taylor rye).

Mash bill #2 is their "high rye" mash bill, thought to contain 12-15% rye. This is the mash bill used for Blanton's and several other brands. The differences come down to age, proof, and sometimes which rickhouses are used for aging. This last aspect comes into play with Blanton's when compared to the other mash bill #2 bourbons. Here is the story:

The brief history of Blanton's starts in 1984, when bourbon was at an all-time low. Few distilleries were making bourbon, and the ones that were doing so were only running limited shifts. This was at the peak of bourbon's decline. Ancient Age (which would later become Sazerac/Buffalo Trace) decided to do something different and wanted to release a premium bourbon, similar to what Scotch was having success with at the time, so they turned to their master distiller, Elmer T. Lee. Elmer told them the story of how, when he worked under Col. Blanton, who ran the distillery in years past, he would often have Elmer take the best bourbon straight from barrels in Warehouse H and bottle it to share with special visitors and friends. The owners of Ancient Age loved the story and created Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon as the very first single barrel bourbon to be marketed. They created a custom-style bottle with a unique horse-and-jockey stopper and hand label showing the barrel number, dump date, and Warehouse H. It sold at a premium of $24, whereas most bottles sold for about half that. This strategy had limited success in the US, but found huge success in Japan, where they couldn't get enough of American bourbon, thus establishing Blanton's as a truly unique and premium bourbon.

Blanton's still holds a special place for bourbon collectors. But today Buffalo Trace has taken it and expanded it into several different brands. Here is a list of all the different versions of Blanton's and their offshoots, and what makes each different:

Blanton's Original Single Barrel: This is the original brand from 1984 that is bottled at 93 proof. It always comes from Warehouse H. Warehouse H is a unique warehouse at Buffalo Trace in that it is the only metal-clad, smaller rickhouse, which has greater temperature fluctuations than the rest. While originally all Blanton's was only aged here, today barrels used for Blanton's only spend part of their time aging in Warehouse H. The sheer number of bottles being produced each year now could not be fully aged here, so they all likely start aging in other warehouses and then spend the last part of their aging in H. If you ever have a chance to taste a bottle of Blanton's from the '80s and '90s, you will notice it is considerably different (better!) than today. They are much more flavorful, having been aged only in H and taken from the very best barrels. Most barrels today are thought to be aged between 6-8 years. There are many export-only variations, like Takara Red for Japan and others for France.

Blanton's Special Reserve Green Label: This is lower proof at 80 proof for international markets in Europe. The lower proof is to compete with many other European whiskies that are often lower in proof.

Blanton's Black: This is the lower 80 proof for Japan. This too is marketed to compete with other whiskies in Japan that are often lower proof.

Blanton's Gold: This is a higher 103 proof that provides bolder flavor. Marketed to compete with 100+ proof bourbons like Wild Turkey 101.

Blanton's Straight From the Barrel: As the name implies, these are cask-strength single barrel bottlings that offer the very best of what Blanton's offers today.

Ancient Age Bourbon: All Blanton's bourbon starts out as simply mash bill #2 barrels. Ancient Age is a 3-year bottling at either 80 or 90 proof, marketed as a cheaper, lower-end bourbon.

Hancock's President's Reserve: This is an 88.9 proof "redheaded stepchild" version of Blanton's. It is often sold through large retailers like Total Wine, but oddly is rarely cheaper.

Elmer T. Lee Bourbon: In honor of the man who came up with Blanton's, Buffalo Trace released a 90 proof version named after him. These are produced in limited runs each year and are sought after by collectors, but in reality it's just a slightly lower-proof version of Blanton's.

Rock Hill Farms Bourbon: 100 proof version of Blanton's, released in 1990. This was the highest proof version until Blanton's Gold was released. Its beautiful bottle and limited runs make this sought after by collectors.

So, in the end, all of the above are just different variations of the same bourbon. A fun blind tasting to do is one with all of the above. Doing so quickly reveals their similarities, and also which is the "best" proof point for your palate. They are all very good, IMO, but none truly compare to what was initially being produced by Elmer in the '80s and '90s.

My friend Marc graciously provided me a sample. While retail for this rare bottle is $1100, secondary is well over $3000.

Released in November 2025 at Stitzel-Weller Distillery, this is the oldest bourbon Blade and Bow has ever put out. All barrels come from Lot 93C04, a blend of 42 barrels drawn from a lot of more than 90. Fill date was March 4, 1993, dump date August 23, 2023, for a total age of 30 years, 5 months, 19 days.

The bourbon was aged on the top floor of the legendary patented rickhouse at Stitzel-Weller in Louisville, KY, for at least the last 10-15 years. That rickhouse features a concrete floor, spaced wooden ricks, sheet-metal exterior walls, and lots of windows that history says were opened and shut on a daily basis. Due to the specific construction of the ricks, barrels are spread out with more space than most rickhouses, allowing for greater airflow and circulation, and the floors are only 3-barrels high in the ricks rather than the more common 5-barrels high. Much of the magic of Stitzel-Weller was due to these aging conditions.

Mashbill is corn, rye, and malted barley by an undisclosed Kentucky distillery. It's not distilled by Stitzel-Weller; these barrels were most likely distilled at the Old Bernheim distillery.

When the barrels were around 10-13 years old, semi-empty barrels (angel's share evaporation) were consolidated by United Distillers to maintain full contact with the wood, then aged on the top floors. Most were over 1/3 full when dumped. This consolidation is likely why these barrels aged well at 30 years, whereas a single barrel aging 30 years alone often evaporates so much that what, if anything, is left is over-oaked and often undrinkable. The barrels exceeded 160 proof but were blended and proofed down to 109 proof.

REVIEW:

🎨 Color: Mahogany

👃 Nose: Dusty earthy notes. Tobacco, leather, old oak. Like walking through a rickhouse. Best nose on any bourbon I have tried. I wish this was a candle and could smell it for hours in my home.

👅 Palate: Tart cherry, lemon peel, strawberry, hint of ginger and vanilla, chocolate. Old oak notes carry throughout.

🏁 Finish: Long and warming. Tannic and drying but not overoaked as would be expected for a bourbon this old. The 109 proof hits nicely. Cherry, tobacco and dusty old oak linger for a long time.

🥃 Score: 9.5 — the only thing holding it from a 10 is the little too tannic and drying finish.

Overall: A 1 ounce sample is just not enough. I longed to spend time with this bourbon all evening. The nose, palate and finish are close to perfection in what bourbon can be.

*background info credit goes to Jacob Kiper

Jack Rose is hosting an "In Case You Missed It" tasting, featuring some of the most talked-about bourbon releases of 2026. 

From recently released single barrels like Willett "Winter Break", to exciting expansions of household names such as Eagle Rare 12yr and King of Kentucky Small Batch, to the first release a brand new annual limited release series, Austin Nichols Archives Collection "Gold Foil," this tasting is an exciting opportunity to taste the most buzzworthy bourbon releases of the year side-by-side. 

The tasting will be led by Jack Rose owner Bill Thomas. With his wealth of knowledge, Bill will guide guests through each release, exploring what makes these bottles special and how they compare to the legendary whiskies that came before them.

• Sunday, Jul 12, 2026
• 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Starting at $105 per ticket

DETAILS & TICKETS

Lost Lantern is a really interesting NDP out of Vermont. They create all kinds of unique releases by blending whiskey from lots of different and interesting distilleries. They are also super transparent (which is rare among most NDPs) and tell you everything about a bottle.

This release is their Lost Lantern United States of Bourbon Cask Strength, the first-ever blend of straight bourbon whiskies from all 50 states (see list below). The ages ranged from 2 to 10 years old with a total of 3,300 bottles produced. On their website they tell you the details of every barrel they blended, including mashbill, barrel type and char, and age.

• Mashbill: A Blend of Straight Bourbons
• Age: 2 to 10 years
• Proof: 122.9 Proof
• Distilled: Bourbons from all Fifty States
• Details: Non-chill filtered; no color added
• Retail: $99.99

🎨 Color: Medium Amber

👃 Nose: The nose is light, highlighting notes of cedar and vanilla.

👅 Palate: Youthful notes of cedar and wood shavings are prominent alongside honey, pepper, and vanilla. A gingerbread-like ethanol bite is present, though there is very little fruit.

🏁 Finish: The finish is short, characterized by continued notes of cedar and wood shavings.

🥃 Score: 4.5

👉 Overall: As a kid, we used to play with Play-Doh, and we thought it would be cool to take all of the colored clays and blend them, but then we discovered it just created this boring grey/brown blob. The lesson being: too much of something isn't always good. In this case, blending 50 different bourbons ranging from 2–10 years results in a very one-dimensional, youthful-tasting bourbon. It is drinkable and isn't bad, but this is purely a novelty showing a "what if" and not much else.

1. Dread River Distilling Co. – Alabama
2. Denali Spirits – Alaska
3. SanTan Distilling – Arizona
4. Rock Town Distillery – Arkansas
5. Corbin Cash Distillery – California
6. Boulder Spirits – Colorado
7. Litchfield Distillery – Connecticut
8. Painted Stave Distilling – Delaware
9. St. Augustine Distillery. – Florida
10. ASW Fiddler Distillery – Georgia
11. Ko'olau Distillery – Hawai'i
12. Day's Defile – Idaho
13. Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. – Illinois
14. Starlight Distillery – Indiana
15. Cedar Ridge Distillery – Iowa
16. Union Horse Distilling Co. – Kansas
17. New Riff Distilling – Kentucky
18. Distillerie Acadian – Louisiana
19. Hardshore Distilling Co. – Maine
20. Baltimore Spirits Co. – Maryland
21. Triple Eight Distillery – Massachusetts
22. New Holland Distilling Co. – Michigan
23. Far North Spirits – Minnesota
24. Rich Grain Distilling – Mississippi
25. J. Rieger & Co. – Missouri
26. Montgomery Distillery – Montana
27. Brickway Distillery – Nebraska
28. Frey Ranch Distillery – Nevada
29. Cathedral Ledge Distillery – New Hampshire
30. Sourland Mountain Spirits – New Jersey
31. Safe House Distilling – New Mexico
32. Kings County Distillery – New York
33. Broad Branch Distillery – North Carolina
34. Proof Artisan Distillers – North Dakota
35. Tom's Foolery Distillery – Ohio
36. Hochatown Distilling – Oklahoma
37. Oregon Spirit Distillers – Oregon
38. Liberty Pole Spirits – Pennsylvania
39. South County Distillery – Rhode Island
40. High Wire Distilling Co. – South Carolina
41. Blackfork Farms – South Dakota
42. Leiper's Fork Distillery – Tennessee
43. Balcones Distilling – Texas
44. High West Distillery – Utah
45. Stonecutter Spirits – Vermont
46. Reservoir Distillery – Virginia
47. Woodinville Whiskey Co. – Washington
48. Smooth Ambler Spirits – West Virginia
49. Wollersheim Distillery – Wisconsin
50. Backwards Distilling Co. – Wyoming

Master of Malt, an online store in the UK, has the following as of Monday Jul 6th. Note these are in US dollars, you can change the currency on the top right of the webpage.

Jack Daniel's 10 Year Old Batch #5 = $90

Blanton's Gold = $116

Jeffersons just dropped one of the rarest expressions in the brand’s history: a 20-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished in a French Bordeaux wine casks. This ultra-limited release is timed to honor America’s 250th anniversary.

Two decades of aging in Kentucky yields depth and complexity to the bourbon. The Bordeaux finish adds a final layer of influence to the palate, softening the long finish. The bourbon is then bottled at cask strength, 94 proof (47% ABV). With only 250 bottles being produced and each individually numbered and signed.

Available online now and ships free to DMV. Cost is 499.

Jefferson’s Founder’s Reserve