u/DadDoesBourbon

Here’s a science experiment for ya’- “Three 11 Year Kentucky Bourbon barrels were first aged in 20 Year Light Whiskey and 13 Year Kentucky barrels. Then unified and finished in 8 Year Wheated Barrels”. This Frankenstein bottling comes to a final proof point of 132.50.

That’s a lot to digest, and honestly- it may be a lot to ingest. I won’t know until I try it, so without further ado, my thoughts on this monstrosity⬇️

Nose : The vanilla forward ethanol is the first thing I notice- very similar to their other 20yr+ american light whiskeys. The ethanol doesnt stick around as long on this one, at least compared to the ALW single barrels. It takes a minute to acclimate, but once you do- notes of red fruit, peanut, vanilla icing, oak, and sweet corn can all be pulled. The nose is complex as hell and you really could spend hours picking this apart.

Palate : The palate is also complex, but proof is front and center. This drinks most similarly to the American Light Whiskey offerings from River Roots (it’s wild to see how much influence those barrels had). A warm vanilla and proofy bite is at the front of the palate, followed by notes of peanut, oak, and caramel. The finish highlights a bit of a hidden red fruit and oak forward spice. Finish is rather long on this pour.

MSRP : ~$115 before taxes and shipping, or about $145 to your door.

Score : 7.9. This was very close to being excellent, but every bit of GREAT. There’s just a bit too much going on for me to take it to the next rating. With that being said- super fun experiment, and an awesome bottle to spend some time with. Well worth what River Roots priced this at, IMO.

The t8ke Scoring Scale :

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

Here we go! The final 2026 ASS Club blind review! This is one that nobody got correct… which post reveal, really surprised me. Without further ado, my blind take on Sample O ⬇️

Appearance : Dark and oily. Good stuff.

Type of Whiskey Guess (Rye’d Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Other) : Wheated Bourbon

Proof Guess : 113

Age Guess : 7 years

Distillery Guess : Green River/Bardstown Bourbon Co.

Nose : Soft on the nose. Getting some muted vanillas, solid cherry notes, and well… not a whole lot else. This may be “soft” but by no means is it bad. Just simple.

Palate : Echoes the same sentiments. Easy notes of cherry or other red fruits, vanillas, maybe even the slightest cola note. I dig this- but not the most complex of notes here. Those cola notes ramp up a bit on the finish with very little spice, if any. Finish is medium in length.

MSRP : This seems like an $80 bottle, and if so, an okay price. I wouldn’t personally throw too much more at it.

Score : 6

Reveal : Ope. This was a rye whiskey, and not a single one of our 40+ participants guessed that-This is the least rye drinking rye whiskey I’ve ever tried. Today’s sample was from Peerless: a double oaked single barrel entitled “Oh Fudge”. This is non age stated, but clocks in at 111.6 proof. This is likely an ~8 year product, and the group gave this an average score of 7.6. To be honest, I may have been a little too harsh on this one, because it is pretty damn good from prior experience with this single barrel.

That’s a wrap for ASS Club 2026! Keep an eye out for a recap of everything we’ve tried (as well as where I placed on the leaderboard🤫)

The t8ke Scoring Scale :

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn't consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l'd rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

ASS Club 2026 Sample N performed very well, and given the reveal, it’s not a huge surprise. Let’s take a look at another blind review ⬇️

Appearance : Lighter in color than most samples thus far, but has some crazy legs/viscosity present.

Type of Whiskey Guess (Rye’d Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Other) : Other - American Light Whiskey

Proof Guess : 140

Age Guess : 18 years

Distillery Guess : MGP (potentially distilled for Penelope?)

Nose : Hell of an ethanol kick. But once that subsides- there’s some really sweet notes here. Vanilla custard, slight barrel char, kettle corn. I’m fairly confident on the nose alone that this is an MGP/LDI American Light Whiskey.

Palate : Same as the nose- the ethanol kick on the nose is instead a hefty and warm kentucky hug all throughout the chest. Does drink with some heat- but once you acclimate, notes of Sweet vanilla, sugary caramels and some additional barrel influence all start to sing. This is like a fiery dessert, and the sweetness on the finish sings for quite some time.

MSRP : If I’m right, I think this is a $120 bottle? Fair price for the drinking experience, IMO.

Score : 8.5

Reveal : Bingo. I thought this may have been the 18 year hazmat, but whatever- we were close enough. This was Penelope’s (MGP) American Light Whiskey, at 17 years old and 138.8 proof. This carries a mash-bill of 99% corn and 1% Malted Barley, and the group gave this an average score of 7.8. Well deserved score, might I add. This carried an SRP of ~$100 at the time of release.

The t8ke Scoring Scale :

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn't consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l'd rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

ASS Club 2026 Sample M was one that humbled me. Words are hard right now, but enjoy this fumble of a blind review from me⬇️

Appearance : Dark in color, decent legs. Shows promise.

Type of Whiskey Guess (Rye’d Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Other) : Rye Whiskey

Proof Guess : 122.4. Idk why so specific- feels right though.

Age Guess : 9 year

Distillery Guess : Heaven Hill? Old Forester? This one is really tough. For the sake of locking in a guess- let’s go Heaven Hill.

Nose : Citrus and Rye spice forward. Some nice dark caramels and oak behind those aforementioned notes. Decent little proof or ethanol kick here too but resting the glass helps a bit.

Palate : This has me conflicted. Drinks like both a subdued rye and a high rye bourbon- I could go either way here but thinking this leans more towards a rye whiskey. Those same sharper notes of citrus and rye spice, even a spearmint are present. This pairs very well with additional notes of dark chocolate and caramel. Kinda’ gives me an andes mint vibe. Finish leans more into the rye spice aspect and is medium in length.

MSRP : I’m thinking this is an $80 bottle.

Score : 5.8

Reveal : Oh… well.. this is embarrassing. This is a release I love- I reviewed this previously and gave it a 9! 2025 Four Roses Father’s Day release, single barrel 36-3L from Warehouse UN… whoof. This is a 116.4 proof, ~15 year bourbon. For whatever reason, this time around it did not hit nearly as good or as complex as my first review. That happens sometimes- but wow, was not expecting it. The group gave this an average rating of 6.7. I have nothing else to say- I’m flabbergasted.

I don’t think this bottle deserves a 5.8 overall necessarily, but man… it just wasn’t hitting for me this time around like it did previously. My palate coulda’ been off, or I wasn’t in the mood for a pour with a minty profile such as this one. Either way- just one man’s blind review experience, take it for what it is!

The t8ke Scoring Scale :

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn't consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l'd rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

There are some pours out there that are unmistakable- after a few sips, it becomes pretty apparent what’s in your glass. That’s exactly what happened with ASS Club 2026 Sample L, with many participants getting a perfect score. Here was my take on it⬇️

Appearance : Only the lighter side, nothing all too impressive to note here.

Type of Whiskey Guess (Rye’d Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Other) : Rye’d Bourbon

Proof Guess : 103

Age Guess : 7 Years

Distillery Guess : Wild Turkey

Nose : Rather simple. Some orange zest, cinnamon, touch of oak.

Palate : Same as the nose- nothing overly complex happening but enjoyable notes of oak, orange zest, baking spices like rye and cinnamon. Finish is on the shorter side. Overall this is a softer pour with a light spicy bite at the end, and if reasonably priced, is a solid sipper.

MSRP : This might be a $40 bottle? I hope? It’s good- but doesn’t feel all that elevated in any way.

Score : 5

Reveal : Yeahhh… I may not have had Kentucky Spirit in mind, but 101 proof Wild Turkey was almost a given. This was a single barrel of Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit from warehouse CN-D. This was aged between 8.5 & 9.5 years I believe, and was bottled on 10/16/25. For whatever reason, I remember the last Kentucky Spirit I had as a decent amount better than this one, but after all, it is a single barrel. The group gave this an average score of 5.4. MSRP on these bottles are ~$59.

The t8ke Scoring Scale :

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn't consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l'd rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect