Dan and Mark discuss packaging in the retail whiskey industry. Specifically, does it even matter to the experience and enjoyment of sipping on bourbon, rye, and single malt whiskeys? Cardboard and wooden boxes, tubes, stoppers, toppers, wax, plastic, ribbons, and beautifully crafted stories printed on cards and booklets. Do you…
Back to the Bottle - Kentucky Owl Confiscated bourbon whiskey. Does the first national release from Kentucky Owl stand up to its more limited release predecessors?
Dan and Mark work through the whiskey styles and supporting components to put together a $100 whiskey bar to hopefully satisfy bourbon drinkers, rye drinkers, scotch drinkers, and cocktail consumers. Is that even possible? Give episode 7 a listen and find out. Then, let us know what you think. Which…
Back to the Bottle - Early Times Bottled In Bond Bourbon. One of the new crop of reasonably priced bourbon whiskeys that may not blow your mind but certainly rewards the whiskey fan willing to venture down to the bottom shelf and can help recruit new whiskey drinkers starting out…
We open up a Stranahan's Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt whiskey. A cool bottle with a tin shot glass included but how does the whiskey stand up? Better than the standard offering? Does the extra proof make a difference? Why am I asking so many questions about an American,…
Unfiltered, Bottled In Bond. Those are good things for bourbon in my estimation especially when it comes with a $23 (or less) price tag. A nod to Beam's past more in name and label than a completely unique distillate but I'll take it. How often do we get limited release…
Open the Bottle Belle Meade Reserve Cask Strength Bourbon. An MGP sourced bourbon whiskey I just can't make up my mind about. Not bad, not great, sort of ok, beautiful nose, and hot nose ... what the heck? Dan and I also taste this one against two other MGP distilled…
In Dan's very first Open the Bottle video, recorded right in the middle of us recording episode 6 of The Practical Still podcast, he opens up the Smoke Wagon Uncut bourbon. We tasted, we talk, we say root beer and cream soda more than enough times.
Going back to the bottle to follow up on three whiskeys we liked a lot when we first opened them, Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon, George Dickel 9yr Hand Select Single Barrel Tennessee Whisky, and Whistle Pig 10yr Single Barrel Rye. How do we like them after living with each…
We open up Kentucky Owl's Confiscated Bourbon Whiskey. This is Kentucky Owl's first widely released bourbon and I had high hopes for it but found it to be too dry for my tastes with too much bitter oak lingering for a long time. It has certainly opened up over the…
Opening up a single barrel from one of the most storied families in American whiskey, the Russell's at Wild Turkey. A non-chill filtered bourbon, 8 to 9 years old, and super tasty.
Whiskey bottles are meant to be opened so we open up this George Dickel, Hand Selected Tennessee whisky. It's 9 years old and a single barrel offering store pick. At 103 proof, it's got a little extra over the Dickel 12.
Mark had a couple of bottles open, and as it turned out, both of them were a bit disappointing. Here's what he thought of the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Malted Rye, and Breakers wheated bourbon.If you haven't already seen the Open the Bottle video, take a look. https://www.thepracticalstill.com/post/open-the-bottle-not-every-whiskey-tastes-good Podcast…
Mark has had a bottle of Old Ezra 7 open for a bit, so it's time to revisit to find out if it holds up after several drams.If you haven't already seen the Open the Bottle video, take a look. https://www.thepracticalstill.com/post/open-the-bottle-old-ezra-7-barrel-strength-bourbon Podcast episodes, videos, and livesteams are available at thepracticalstill.com…
Mark and Dan get down to the nitty gritty: what's the difference between bourbon and rye, and why do some of the latter taste like the former? It turns out, there's a lot of subtle differences that make a huge impact on flavor. But really, as with most things whiskey,…
Every bottle of bourbon can't be wonderful. Sometimes the whiskey just isn't good and sometimes it's made well but still doesn't line up with what you want or like in a spirit. That's just part of the process of finding and tasting whiskey. You win some, you lose some. In…
Bottles are meant to be opened so we open up an Old Ezra 7 Barrel Proof bourbon. It is noteworthy for its 7 year age statement, sub-$50 price tag, and for being produced and aged by Heaven Hill using the same specs as Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, and others before…
In this week's episode of The Practical Still Podcast, Mark and Dan discuss the different types of glassware for enjoying your whiskey — and whether the type of glass you're drinking from even matters. Podcast episodes, videos, and livesteams are available at thepracticalstill.com (https://www.thepracticalstill.com). Join us for Friday Sips Live…
Opening a Whistle Pig 10-year barrel proof, store pick rye whiskey. Whistle Pig is based in Vermont but this particular rye whiskey is distilled in Canada. The standard Whistle Pig 10 is bottled at 100 proof but this store pick is bottled at a barrel proof of 121.2 proof and…
Mark and Dan do a quick recap of Old Forester 1920, several days after popping the bottle open. Do the flavors hold up? Is it worth the price? Listen to find out.If you haven't already seen the Open the Bottle video, take a look. https://www.thepracticalstill.com/post/back-to-the-bottle-old-forester-1920 Podcast episodes, videos, and livesteams…
Dan loves Old Forester 1920 but I haven't had it. It's a great bourbon that is available, reasonably priced, and it aligns with the values of The Practical Still. But will I like it as much as Dan? We'll see.
Episode 1 of the Practical Still podcast gives listeners a sense of what to look for when you're on the hunt for an excellent bottle of bourbon that won't cost you top-shelf prices.Mark and Dan discuss the terms you need to know to get started on your bourbon hunt so…
