u/NerdsNBourbs

Today we're taking a look at Little Book - The Infinite II! This 2nd edition builds on top of the Infinite 1's original blend by adding on a 22 year old bourbon from Booker, a 10 year bourbon from Fred, and a 7 year old bourbon from Freddie. I was lucky enough to have a bud visiting the distillery earlier this year and he was able to snag me one of these. I was a massive fan of the Infinite 1, so much so it was my favorite Jim Beam product that I had ever had. Very excited to see how Infinite 2 stacks up. Let's dive in.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes.

Age: Blend of bourbons ranging in age between 7-22 years

Proof: 120.4

Nose: A really strong brown sugar, raspberry, and cinnamon right out the gate followed by some oak. Swirling the glass brings out that classic Beam peanut note, more brown sugar, oak, and a decently strong floral note which is interesting. This nose is constantly changing too. Sometimes it's leaning more on the raspberry and brown sugar side, other times I'm just getting oak and peanuts. All in all, this is off to a fantastic start!

Palate: Very viscous on the palate with oak, rich caramel, and brown sugar. Subsequent sips brings out cinnamon, tobacco, and peanuts. Very reminiscent of The Infinite 1 with the flavors just being a bit bolder. Eventually this starts to remind me of some cinnamon-roasted peanuts and I am loving it.

Finish: Long finish of peanut shells, raspberry, baking spices, and a drying oak. The Infinite 1 had a good deal of baking spices on the palate, but on Infinite 2, those baking spices show up big time on the finish.

An absolute homerun from Jim Beam. Infinite 2 is, expectedly, reminiscent of The Infinite 1 but it does come across a little more bolder overall. This was confirmed in a blind I did between the two. If you were a fan of the 1st edition, I think you'd really enjoy the 2nd edition. You know it's a Beam product with that peanut note but it's not the star of the show. The caramels, brown sugars, and oak come across in a very rich way and the mouthfeel is outstanding creating what to me is an incredible pour and one that will be in my running for Whiskey of the Year for 2026.

t8ke scale: 9.1/10 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

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 better exists.

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.

Today we're checking out this Ezra Brooks Cask Strength Single Barrel that was picked back in 2024 by the fellas at Georgia Liquor Barn and the OG McFarland! Don't really see these around in my area like you used to. Used to could walk into any shop and they'd have one of these 120 proofer picks. This comes to us from Lux Row and is sourced from Heaven Hill. Let's dive and see what she's about.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes.

Age: Barrel fill date of 11.21.17, so at least 6 years

Proof: 120

Nose: Strong heat kick followed by brown sugar, cinnamon covered pecans, and caramel. Swirling the glass brings out an even heavier heat kick with more cinnamon, caramel, and pecans.

Palate: Moderately oily on the palate of caramel, butterscotch, and cinnamon. After a few sips, I start to get more butterscotch and a caramel brittle.

Finish: Medium finish of butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, and clove.

This one smells hotter than it turns out to be on the palate, but the flavors delivered are pretty good. In the realm of your "classic" bourbon notes, but the cinnamon covered pecans on the nose is what really stands out to me. Nothing crazy or unique, but this is a solid pour all around, especially for the price.

t8ke scale: 6.9/10 | Very Good | A cut above.

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 better exists.

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.

Today we're checking out the Peerless Small Batch Bourbon! This is Peerless' baseline bourbon that is batched, is non-chilled filtered, and utilizes a sweet mash distilling process, like all of their other products as well. Peerless just recently hit a major milestone with the release of their first ever age-stated release coming in right at 10 years old. So, I figured now would be a great time to see what their standard offering is like before (hopefully) seeing what their 10 year bottle is all about. Let's dive in.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes.

Age: NAS

Proof: 112.8

Nose: Great balance of tobacco and cherries at first but the cherries start to become a little more potent over time. Swirling the glass brings out a sharp heat punch followed by more tobacco, cherries, caramel, and oak. The aromas on this are great but it does feel hotter than its 112 proof point.

Palate: Medium viscosity of tobacco, caramel, and cherries that really come in strong and just sit on the palate like a red Starburst. After subsequent sips, the viscosity starts to thin out some but the cherry note becomes stronger. This is all fairly simple on the palate, but as someone who loves red fruit notes in whiskey more than anything else, I'm loving it.

Finish: Longer side of medium finish of cherries, caramel, and a mildly drying oak on the backend. The cherry almost gets a medicinal feel to it towards the end of the pour.

This is one of those times where I'm kicking myself for not diving into Peerless more as a brand. Have had this bottle for awhile, always felt it was pretty good, but never gave it too much thought until now. This is a great bottle and the cherries I get are right up my alley! It does turn into a medicinal cherry towards the end, but that's my jam. Revisiting this after so long has me very curious about what their single barrel picks can be like.

t8ke scale: 7.2/10 | Great | Well above average.

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 better exists.

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.

Today we're taking a look at this Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit! This was the first, and is still the only, Kentucky Spirit I have in the selection. This was bottled in August of 2022 and comes from warehouse B. You typically hear tons of positives about Kentucky Spirit barrels that come from Camp Nelson F or D, but I've never heard anything one way or another about warehouse B Kentucky Spirits. Let's see how she is.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes.

Age: NAS

Proof: 101

Nose: Heavy clove at first followed by herbal tea, cherry, and oak. Giving the glass a swirl brings out some vanilla, orange peel, and a tad bit more cherry. After some time, I start to get a mild cinnamon Red Hots note.

Palate: Thinner side of medium viscosity of clove, caramel, cherries, and oak. After a few sips, this starts to become more cherry and cinnamon forward with some baking spices on the backend.

Finish: Caramel, baking spices, and a mildly drying oak in a finish that's medium in length.

This is one of the situations where I like to toss out a reminder that my review scores are strictly based on the whiskey itself. However, I will always mention price/value if I think it's necessary. The whiskey itself is pretty good, but absolutely not worth double+ what regular Wild Turkey 101 goes for. Of course, being single barrels and taking in what warehouse the barrels come from into consideration, this will vary a ton. This particular Kentucky Spirit has way less cinnamon to me compared to a standard 101, but the experience as a whole still feels too inline with a normal 101 to warrant the price jump.

t8ke scale: 6.1/10 | Very Good | A cut above.

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 better exists.

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.

Today, Spidey and myself are checking out the Maker's Mark Lost Recipe Series Edition 02! I missed out on the 01 release of this and wasn't going to let it happen again. This 2nd release into their Lost Recipe Series consists of a stave profile of:

• 3 Baked American Pure 2
• 0 Seared French Cuvée
• 4 Maker's Mark 46
• 3 Roasted French Mocha
• 0 Toasted French Spice

Maker's has been on a heater for me over the past year with nothing but consistently great offerings between their single barrel store picks and their limited release stuff. Especially the Star Hill Farms. Excited to see if their Lost Recipe Series continues that run. Let's dig in.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes.

Age: NAS

Proof: 110.9

Nose: French toast, brown butter, and brown sugar all hit at once with some oak in there as well. Swirling the glass enhances that brown sugar note and brings out some cherries and chocolate. This is very sweet on the nose and like all other Maker's products, I need this in a candle. Towards the end of the pour, the chocolate comes off like a milk chocolate and a little maple starts to come out. A really fantastic nose on this!

Palate: Medium viscosity of brown sugar and chocolate-covered cherries. The chocolate and cherries continue strong after a few sips but now I start to get caramel, maple, and oak.

Finish: Chocolate, cinnamon, cherries, and a mildly drying toasted oak in a finish that's on the longer side of medium in length.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the nose alone on Maker's products just hits different. All of them you could sit with for hours just smelling and not get bored. The Lost Recipe Series Edition 02 is a homerun for Maker's. Combine the fantastic evolving nose with that chocolate-covered cherries note on the palate and you're left with a bottle that is worth some high praise and one I think any Maker's fan should be on the lookout for.

t8ke scale: 8.1/10 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

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 better exists.

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.