It was a year! While we had a few stinkers, we've talked enough about those. Let's talk about the whiskey we really enjoyed. The no-brainers and the surprises. The ones we spent too much on and the ones we didn't have to break the bank on.
We're still happy to be able to say there are plenty of tasty bourbon and rye whiskeys on shelves everywhere, every day for $15-30 that we'd be happy to drink any day of the week.
The main standout for both of us is the @boulderspirits9302 5-year-old, cask strength bourbon. This is the first barrel proof bourbon from a small producer that can truly hold its own with barrel proof offerings from the big players like Booker's, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and Elijah Craig among others. It won't be easy to get with only 1,000 bottles released but if you can, at $75 it's an easy purchase to make.
From there we talk about the Dickel and Leopold Bros Rye release which is maybe one of the only truly unique bottles on a shelf these days. Forget all the bullshit finishes going on lately, this whiskey is unique in its installation, its grain selection, and its collaborative production. It's pricing but worth it especially if you're debating on whether to drop $300 on @leopoldbros.3409 full 3-chamber rye offering as I've been considering/will likely buy. I love this collaboration and will certainly buy more of it.
It was another good year for store picks. The Knob Creek bottles stood out as delicious no matter which store they came from. The private barrels we sip today came from @HazelsBeverageWorld in Boulder and we'll keep buying them. At $55 for the Knob Creek and $60 or so for the Dickel 15-year-old bottlings, it may be impossible to find better value for whiskey geeks at the moment. As a bonus, you get to support a local store investing in our happiness wherever you happen to live.
And sure, the two main stinker bottles, the Cream of Kentucky Bottled In Bond Rye from Jim Rutledge and Hidden Barn Series One Small batch may shake our belief in people we should be able to trust - and these two bottles are just bad and there is no way Jim Rutledge and Jackie Zykan didn't know they weren't putting good whiskey in these releases - that still happens less often than we'd think so we'll have a cathartic yard pouring and move on.
Cheers!
On a non-whiskey note. You probably know that we also produce some excellent bicycle content. Slow Guy on the Fast Ride is focused on road and gravel cycling. Dan hosts a podcast and we put out a fair amount of gear-focused content. Our Lemme See That Videos are a hoot and valuable and we also do longer-form, written, and video reviews of road and gravel cycling gear. We also just launched Dawn Patrol MTB which is focused on mountain bikes as the name suggests.
At the moment, it's just me and Dan cranking it out, and when we can with our limited resources, we pull in freelance writers. We really want to provide diverse insight into cycling but we don't want to ask others to work for free (like we do so far) so we're asking for your support (beyond watching us, which we so greatly appreciate). If you can donate at this link - https://www.gofundme.com/f/reshape-cycling-media - we'll use all proceeds to pay talented freelance writers from backgrounds different from our own, to produce bike content that we know will appeal to a wide audience. Of course, whenever possible, we'll pour them a tipple of tasty whiskey too. Anyone who donates $75 or more will receive some goodies, not limited to a Slow Guy t-shirt, stickers, and probably more. Thank you for all you do to support the Practical Still and me and Dan.
Cheers!
#ryewhiskey #bourbon #irishwhiskey #blantons #buffalotrace #buffalotracedistillery
If you're into bicycles, we are too! Take a look at slowguyonthefastride.com and @Slow Guy on the Fast Ride for reviews, interviews, and our podcast. In August, we'll launch Dawn Patrol MTB - a digital mountain bike title with videos, reviews, and more. You can already follow us on Instagram @DawnPatrolMTB.
And give a listen to the latest podcast to join us, Mental Healthlete - www.mentalhealthlete.com and @mentalhealthlete - it's on all the podcasts apps. We all struggle from time to time and maybe athletes more than most. Host Bill Garrels opens up about his own struggles and has great guests on to share their stories and the strategies they have found to keep them moving in the right direction.
Join us each week for Friday Sips Live at 2:30pm MST. Subscribe so you get the notifications for Live Sips and other videos.
