u/singlemaltbourbonrye

I’m not even positive I’m making out the number on this one accurately, but I think it’s Oct. 15, 2024. Around that time - late 2024 and early 2025, these were hard to come by. I found a couple at MSRP sometime around Christmas 2025 so I bought two just not being sure I’d ever see them again.

I reviewed the other one alongside some other 100 proof ~ single barrels but this one does seem to taste a bit different from the other bottle.

Age: NAS (typically these are 7-10 years old, so barreled around 2014-2017)

ABV: 50%

Warehouse C.

Mash bill: low rye/undisclosed

Nose: Caramel and light ethanol on first pass. There’s a lot of caramel on second pass with some light oak. Maybe a faint cherry note that I didn’t find in the last barrel.

Palate: Full bodied. Werthers original. Maple syrup. Light flecks of pepper. I get some figs on this one, too.

Finish: lighter than my favorite drams. The caramel and maple give way to wood influence. The fruit flavors evolve into just a bit of cinnamon.

7.9/10

Great bottle!

Very Old St Nick is an old brand revived by our friends at Preservation Distillery. Folks like to complain about the lack of transparency on their products and the high price tags. Other folks like to pay the high price tags because they love the distillate or the brand or the hype. So what’s the deal with this one? I was gifted this bottle for my birthday and I’m just cracking it open now.

ABV: 59.05%

Age: NAS but it’s a blend of a 10 year old ~ high rye bourbon and an 8 year old~ old wheated pot stilled bourbon and a 19 year old ~ base.

Nose: First pass I think it burned a nose hair or two. After letting it rest a little longer and coming back - I got some fresh baked bread. Raspberry and oak are also clearly present.

Palate: Cherries up front and then dark chocolate. The two flavors end up melding together on my tongue and could eventually be described as chocolate covered cherries. It’s a nice oily texture. There’s some pepper on the back end.

Finish: Some more pepper. A nice warm lingering finish. Tobacco and more dark fruit - cherries plus some other fruits that I can’t quite identify.

7.9/10

This is a really good bourbon, despite the hype. However - I’m not sure I’d pay $260. I’ll have to come back to this bottle a few more times and re-rate it before I’d say is it truly on par with $250+ bourbons.

Cedar Ridge Small Batch (Batch 0011) Barrel Proof Bourbon

ABV: 58%

Mash bill: 74% Iowa Corn; 14% Rye; 12% malted Barley

Age: NAS (but it’s aged 3-4 years)

Nose: Sweet caramel. A bit of ethanol. There’s dark cherry and a hint of vanilla.

Palate: Oily mouthfeel with a bit of pepper up front that transitions to sweeter flavors of maple syrup and hard candies and almost milk chocolate.

Finish: lots of cinnamon. It’s a nice warm finish. I’d love to drink this on a crisp Fall day. There’s also some dark fruit present. I like how this finish lingers a bit.

8.0/10

I bought this bottle without trying it first on the reputation of Cedar Ridge. I’ve tried a couple of different offerings and been happy so when I saw this available for around $48, I figured it was low risk and grabbed it. I was on a work trip in San Antonio - Cedar Ridge is not sold in my state so I figured it was worth the shot. I’m really glad that I bought it. Cedar Ridge is living up to its reputation in my limited experience.

This bottle is about as good as it gets for bourbon under $50.

Cheers

I sometimes am overly critical of “hype” bottles. I’m sometimes critical of bottles that are sub 100 proof. This bottle is both of those things. Yet it’s one of my favorites.

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 46.4%

Price paid: $225 ~

They say Michter’s distillate remains extra flavorful at low ABV because of how low it enters the barrel, which makes sense as it doesn’t have to be watered down to get low and smooth.

This bottle is about 1/2 full and has been open for maybe 7 months. Tasted in a glen neat after sitting for 5 minutes ~.

Nose: marshmallow and rye spice up front. Light cinnamon and toffee.

Palate: light but pleasant. Baked apples and a hint of pepper. It’s silky smooth and very light. Light caramel layers on as well.

Finish: this has to be the best sub 100 proof finish on earth. Red hots. Quite oaky and the caramel on the palate transitions to chocolate. It’s not as long of a finish as I sometimes prefer but it’s just incredibly pleasant.

9.0/10

This bottle is one of those that is worth the $200 price tag IMO. I wouldn’t pay a big secondary markup but it’s worth every penny of $200 ~ in my book.

Tasting these different chapters of Little Book side by side by side. I just cracked a bottle of Chapter 9 tonight and I’m trying it for the first time. Chapters 5 and 7 are from samples.

CHAPTER 9: “None for Granted” (2025)
This is a blend of 5 whiskies ranging from 7-11 years old. The whiskies are bourbon and rye with one of the bourbons consisting of malted brown rice rather than rye.

ABV: 60.9%

CHAPTER 7: “In Retrospect” (2023)
This is a blend of 7 whiskies ranging in age from 4-18 years. 3 Ryes, 3 bourbons, and a smoked apple wood barrel finished straight malt whiskey.

ABV: 59.05%

CHAPTER 5: “The Invitation” (2021)

Consists of 2-15 year old ryes and bourbons.

ABV: 58.4%

The rainbow was so hyped during the boom years and once these bottles became so overpriced, they kind of started to become hated.

All in all, my personal opinion is that they’re all solid at MSRP except for CYPB. That one just hasn’t ever hit home for me. But the 12 sort of is the forgotten step child for a lot of people. I actually quite like it.

This bottle has been open awhile and sat at 1/4 ~ full for some time so it’s become quite oxidized.

Price paid: $50 ~ about a year ago

Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Wheated Mash bill

ABV: 45%

Nose: Baked bread up front. Vanilla in the background. A bit of dried fruit on second pass. Faint caramel.

Palate: Silky smooth mouth feel. Cherry and baking spices. More of that baked bread. A light hint of werthers original candies.

Finish: Quite light and short. But pleasant. There’s some nice cinnamon to finish.

7.0/10

It would be a lot better with just a couple of extra proof points but that’s why 107 wins for so many people. That said, for a 45% bourbon - honestly it is among the very best, to me.

Not much intro needed here, but this is Buffalo Trace wheated mashbill at 53.5% ABV. This was bottled in 2025. It’s a relatively small batch of barrels from lower floors of undisclosed warehouses - the cooler temperature play a big role here in keeping it from
Being overly oaked at 15 years.

Is this just Weller 107 with extra age? Maybe sort of but the lower floors and select barrels also make a difference - not just the age.

Price paid: I actually traded a 2024 GTS and a Springbank Local Barley 8 for this bottle and a Horse Soldier 13 SiB.

Nose: It reminds me of those old soft serve vanilla and chocolate ice cream swirls. But it’s caramel and ethanol in the swirl (and a hint of vanilla). Caramel leads the way. There’s cherry coming through in the background, too. There’s also a lot more swirling in the 3rd and 4th pass - baking spices and some pleasant aromas that I can’t quite place. I’m getting a hint of chocolate tonight, too. Pleasant oak is there, as well.

Palate: a nice glassy mouthfeel. Chocolate covered cherries is distinct on the tongue, tonight. The oak is coming through more than on the nose.

Finish: especially for 107 proof this really is a nice long finish. The oak is still there but it’s not overly tannic. This is why I think many of us prefer the 15 over the 20/23. There’s some butterscotch which I didn’t find on the nose or palate. I am reminded a bit of Weller 107, so I just poured myself a tiny little sip of 107 - it’s a similar sort of sweetness but with more oak and way more butterscotch but something about the sweetness really is similar.

Overall 8.7/10

Very good dram. In fact - excellent. It lives up to its legend, if not its secondary price. Absolutely worth MSRP plus a markup to $300+. I would never vaguely consider playing $1,000+ for it though, as is commonly required on the secondary market.

At the thousands of dollars price point? I’d only be interested in select old vintage Springbank bottles or Michter’s 20. There’s really nothing else that would ever make me consider dropping that kind of money on a bottle. This one does not approach that level of greatness. But I’m happy to have the bottle and I’m happy with my trade.

EH TAYLOR SiB

50% ABV
NAS (likely 6-10 years)
BT #1 Mashbill

Nose: Toasted Oak with undertones of butterscotch. I get something that’s kind of like herbal earth something that I don’t know the word for. More butterscotch and hints of cherry. The heat is somewhat elevated for 50% ABV.

Palate: more butterscotch on the palate with a bit of rye spice. A hint of werthers original on the tongue.

Finish: I prefer a slightly stronger finish. That’s my biggest complaint but it’s not empty. I just would like it to linger more than it does. It is warming and oaky (but not overly oaky, it’s the right amount of oak). I think I get just a hint of mint as well.

Overall: 7.8/10

RUSSELL’s RESERVE PRIVATE BARREL SELECTION

55% ABV
NAS (likely 8-11 years old)
WT mashbill

Nose: it’s the bag of peanuts that I would be eating at MSG if I’d paid $100,000 to watch the Knicks get smoked tonight. Undertones of caramel. Classic caramel in the background with a swirl of vanilla.

Palate: Cherry and cola. Dark honey. It feels nice and oily. A hint of honeyed oak.

Finish: More peanuts. This is what I get overwhelmingly. Even more than in the palate. The peanuts are wrapped in creamy vanilla and some lingering baking spice. Like the EHT, this one could be better with a longer finish but it’s really good.

I am a big Wild Turkey fan and this one is definitely a nice bottle of Turkey.

8.0/10

BOTTLE NO. 3: WILLETT 12 Year Single Barrel. Barrel No 8197 (Land of Opportunity)

Nose: this one has evolved since I last tasted it. I’m getting some citrus notes that weren’t here before. A hint of ethanol. Earthy chocolate. Maybe like cocoa beans and powdered chocolate. There are cherries and fruity oak.

Palate: more chocolate. Quite viscous. It’s like a chocolate covered caramel. It’s pleasant and dessert-like. A bit of dark fruit.

Finish: here’s where it wins. The chocolate continues and becomes more of a hot chocolate flavor. There’s some really nice spice starting to shine through. It’s just a nice lingering medium-long finish.

8.2/10

Fuck/Marry/Kill?

Fuck the Willett. Marry the Russell’s. Unfortunately kill the EHT, but reluctantly.

I’ve bought the hype of Still Austin over the past year or so. I visit Austin a few times per year for work and have stopped by the distillery a couple of times. Great people!

This SiB cask strength rye is my favorite Still Austin bottle that I’ve been able to get my hands on, so far.

Price paid was around $65 several weeks ago.

ABV: 58%

Mash bill: 100% Brassetto Texas Rye as far as I know. Maybe someone in Texas could confirm that. The bottle doesn’t say. The Internet seems to confirm my disposition.

Nose: Cherry and Ginger and spice up front. Think of these flavors in hard candies, that’s what you’re getting up front. I also get subtle sort of earthy/farmy undertones. There’s a hint of citrus and some baked goods as well.

Palate: More hard candy. Not red hots but cinnamon cherry hard candies. It’s a very rich mouthfeel and the baked goods/spices remain. There’s other fruits as well. Maybe peaches. Some sweetness and a bit of almonds as well.

Finish: Fantastic long finish. There’s a pleasant burn but it doesn’t scream ethanol, it’s more rye spice. There’s other fruits initial cherry flavor is there but takes a back seat to the peppery rye spice. Some candies remain here as well. Maybe Mike and Ike type of candy.

8.3/10

This is a stellar bottle that punches well above its price tag.

Review: Binder’s Stash Wave Stave SiB

Bottle: Trevor’s (Scottsdale) store pick.

Wave Stave Finish (“staves” are cut into the barrel as opposed to inserted, thus exposing the distillate to new oak).

ABV: 58%

Distillate: Willett.

For anyone unfamiliar, Binder’s Stash is a label founded by Bill Binder, known for fantastic single barrels and high-proof releases. Recently, Binder’s Stash announced a partnership with Willett Distillery, giving them access to Willett’s inventory and bottling operations. This bottle is from a single 9 year old wave-staved Willett barrel. Please google Binder’s Stash if you’re unfamiliar and start exploring.

Nose: a little ethanol forward but in a good way. There’s oaky chocolate. There’s tobacco for sure - that’s not a note I can always pick out but it’s there.

Palate: peanut forward. It reminds me just a bit when it hits my tongue if last year’s Jack Daniel’s 12. There’s also Cherry and spice.

Finish: this is the fucking winner folks. It’s drying and oaky and just enough alcohol burn. There’s spice and cherry. Maybe some cola. A bit of glassy-ness. It gives me a nice lingering hug.

I’ve felt this way every time I’ve tasted this dram. It’s my favorite bottle of 2026. Period. My actual rating fluctuates from tasting to tasting, but it’s phenomenal.

9.0/10

Bottle: Trevor’s (Scottsdale) store pick.

Wave Stave Finish (“staves” are cut into the barrel as opposed to inserted, thus exposing the distillate to new oak).

ABV: 58%

Distillate: Willett.

For anyone unfamiliar, Binder’s Stash is a label founded by Bill Binder, known for fantastic single barrels and high-proof releases. Recently, Binder’s Stash announced a partnership with Willett Distillery, giving them access to Willett’s inventory and bottling operations. This bottle is from a single 9 year old wave-staved Willett barrel. Please google Binder’s Stash if you’re unfamiliar and start exploring.

Nose: a little ethanol forward but in a good way. There’s oaky chocolate. There’s tobacco for sure - that’s not a note I can always pick out but it’s there.

Palate: peanut forward. It reminds me just a bit when it hits my tongue if last year’s Jack Daniel’s 12. There’s also Cherry and spice.

Finish: this is the fucking winner folks. It’s drying and oaky and just enough alcohol burn. There’s spice and cherry. Maybe some cola. A bit of glassy-ness. It gives me a nice lingering hug.

I’ve felt this way every time I’ve tasted this dram. It’s my favorite bottle of 2026. Period. My actual rating fluctuates from tasting to tasting, but it’s phenomenal.

9.0/10

Just cracked this one as Game 2 of the NBA Finals was wrapping up. What a game!

Distillery: This is a Canadian Blend from undisclosed Canadian distilleries by Preservation Distillery in Bardstown. Mods - I’m unsure whether I’m breaking any rules by posting Canadian Whiskey, but since it’s sourced and bottled by a Kentucky distillery and it’s a Marci Palatella operation? I reckon it’s close enough to bourbon?

ABV: 50.35% ABV.

This is a heck of a lot different than the higher ABV 15 year offering.

If we are comparing this to a bourbon? It reminds me vaguely of Michter’s 10 stylistically.

Nose: The two competing notes that kind of swirl together are creamy caramel and tropical fruits. There’s a hint of chocolate, too.

Palate: Almost s’mores on the palate. Liquid s’mores. I’ve heard people talk about candy corn - I’m not sure I’d have come up with that on my own, but wow! I definitely see it. Slight hints of peach and cherry, maybe. The s’mores like flavor dominates for me.

Finish: This reminds me of those Canadian maple syrup suckers you can pick up in airports in Toronto or Vancouver. Little maple leafs on a stick. There’s a nice soft medium burn, too. Slightly drying oak is clearly present too with maybe a little bit of leather.

7.9/10

This bottle isn’t my every day go-to by any stretch but it’s really very good. This is the first time I’ve owned a bottle and only the second glass I’ve ever had so I’d like to review this one again in the future. I really like it but I could see it moving up or down significantly once the sort of newness wears off.