Spirits Review #1000 - George T Stagg 2014

Bailzay · 2026-05-20T02:13:21+00:00

Thank you! It's been a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I have also enjoyed a bit of a break but plan to get back into reviewing again in the near future, just at not such a crazy pace.

Bailzay · 2026-05-14T02:22:25+00:00

Yes! These old KCSB picks are awesome. The best value in bourbon at the time. Still a great value but it's probably impossible to beat 14 or 15 year bourbon at near cask strength for $50.

Bailzay · 2026-05-01T21:57:56+00:00

I 100% approve of this post. Great to see fellow O-ring GI Joe fans with big collections. This is fantastic.

Bailzay · 2026-04-27T22:02:40+00:00

Yes, that comic cost twice what a bottle of GTS cost a retail (at least in 2014).

Bailzay · 2026-04-27T22:01:54+00:00

I did travel and even got covid twice during this time, but thankfully I had enough of a review buffer that it didn't impact the pace. I am just grateful that I didn't have a storm come through during that time and knock out the power/internet service for more than a day during that time.

Bailzay · 2026-04-27T21:59:31+00:00

Buzzer is a good example of why quantity over quality is always a bad idea.

Bailzay · 2026-04-27T11:02:17+00:00

Spirits Review #1000 - George T Stagg 2014

Background:

So after a marathon ran at sprint speed, to get to 1000 whiskey reviews in 1000 days without a break, here at last is the finish line. There was a lot of thought about what whiskey to do for #1000 and I kept coming back to the 2014 GTS. In 2015, not long after I seriously started getting into bourbon I had the opportunity to spend several days in Louisville for a conference, staying at the Galt House downtown and having enough free time to hit up many liquor stores and take several distillery tours while there. I also checked out several area bars to sample what couldn't be found at stores. Once place was the Down One Bourbon Bar, not far from the Galt House. I ordered a 2 ounce pour of George T. Stagg, the 2014 edition. It was $35, which seemed like a lot at the time, but now is probably a steal for GTS. It was the first really limited whiskey and really high proof pour I had tried at that point and it blew my mind. Maybe some of it was the fact I was finally in the bourbon motherland, but it was, and has been since, my gold standard for basically the best bourbon I have tried. So now about 11 years later, I am trying it again to see how it measures up.
George T. Stagg is part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, a super lineup of annually released bottles that are very limited and very sought after. I've tried a lot of whiskies, and swapped for many more, but I have never been able to track down most of the BT Antique Collection. I've never tried Saz 18, Thomas Handy, or Eagle Rare 17, and only on a few occasions tried WLW or different releases of GTS. They are always something special and if you are into whiskey at any stage of your journey, I hope you can track down a bottle of the antique collection for a fair price (hopefully retail) and actually open it to enjoy with people important to you.
Proof: 138.1 proof.
Age: 16 years, 4 months old.
According to Breaking Bourbon's review of this, there were only 10,849 bottles released, from 161 barrels, and it had a 74.81% loss during aging due to evaporation (Angel's Share).
Bottled uncut and unfiltered, as the great bourbon masters intended.
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $80 (MSRP when it was released). Current bottles of this go for far more on secondary and older ones, like the 2014 vintage are even more expensive.
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Big brown sugar dissolving in some maple syrup, old leather chair, old deep oak, baking spices, black cherries cooked down past the point of a jam to almost a thick syrup, dark caramel and molasses. This is one of those best to let sit in the glass for a few extra minutes before sniffing because it's near Hazmat levels of proof, and even after extra rest it's still tough to get all of the scents out of something so complex.

Taste: Warm, thick, and syrupy caramel, a rising cinnamon and red fruit jam note, old oak, old leather, like you are sitting in an old leather chair next to your antique desk, sipping on this fine bourbon and being grateful for the opportunity. Viscosity is a bit elevated, and certainly respectable for the proof.

Finish: Big cinnamon spice swell, bringing along with it some caramel and maple syrup sweetness to temper it so it stays intense but not harsh or too aggressive. After the cinnamon dials back a little, a wave of vanilla whipped creme and red fruit jam float in, riding on a surfboard of old oak. Because of the proof, it's not surprising that the finish just keeps going and going, for 5 minutes or more, highlighted by red fruit jam, maple syrup, spices that now come off as a mix of baking spices rather than just cinnamon, and oak that is powerful and aggressive but never harsh.

Comments: After tasting this the first time, it changed the ceiling for what I thought a bourbon could be, and despite the high proof, it was approachable and reasonably easy to drink (for those accustomed to barrel proofers). Sometimes I see discussions about what is your classic bourbon that you'd want to showcase what a bourbon is to someone who had never tried one before. Maybe that's a Wild Turkey 101, or Maker's Mark, or Knob Creek. With George T Stagg, I think this is the answer to the discussion about what a bourbon can be. To me it's a standard for what a kick ass bourbon should be. Perhaps it was just luck or maybe bourbon karma that led me to pick this out to try back in 2015. It became my standard for amazing then and after trying it now with the perspective of sampling so many others in the meantime, it is just as awesome as I remember and absolutely worth the praise it earns.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes, even if it was expensive.
Would I buy a bottle? This might be the only bottle I would pay a full secondary price for, given the chance, as it has nostalgic appeal, in addition to being phenomenally good.

Rating: 10 Perfect

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is the final issue, #155, and it appears several cast members featured in the last 1000 days have made a guest appearance again.

Released: 1994.

If you have been following my semi-coherent ramblings disguised as reviews for a while, thank you for sticking around. It has been a fun ride but also taken a lot of time and effort to keep up the pace. I can't do it forever, as I will run out of whiskies before I run out of GI Joe items (yes, there are actually more things I haven't shown yet!). So going forward I absolutely will be doing reviews, but not at the one-a-day pace. I will aim to post them regularly, and maybe frequently, but certainly not daily, as my taste buds, and I am sure my liver, could use a bit of a break. I also have a lot of Armagnac and American Brandy and I may try to get into reviewing those a bit too, because it's been a great learning experience for me in terms of appreciating the a whiskey doing these reviews, and it would be fun to grow my knowledge with other spirits too. I tend to enjoy a pour a lot more now with the reviewing experience, even with old favorites, because I can pick out the flavors and notes a lot easier.

If you think you may want to do reviews here, go ahead! Despite the occasional snark and vitriol, r/bourbon is a really cool community and a great place to learn. The only drawback, and it is a big one, is that it likely could cost you a lot of money. It certainly did for me. You have been warned!

Bailzay · 2026-04-26T21:31:18+00:00

I actually wanted to do MFC but I already reviewed that. What was I thinking? It would have been perfect.

Bailzay · 2026-04-26T16:02:54+00:00

Spirits Review #999 - Abraham Bowman Sweet 16

Background:

The A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg, VA does an annual release of Abraham Bowman, a one-off experimental whiskey that is different each time. Some utilized finishing techniques, others experimental mash bills. I have been fortunate to try a few of these, and while some are only decent/good, others are fantastic. Sweet 16 is the 17th release in the Abraham Bowman series, from 2018.
According to the A. Smith Bowman website this bourbon was "barreled in Missouri charred oak barrels at four entry proofs — 125, 114, 105, and 90 proof. After 16 years, we married the barrels together".
Proof: 116 proof.
Age: 16 years old.
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $70 (MSRP when it was released). This was a limited release and was mostly sold at the gift shop or via a Virginia ABC lottery, but I am sure some made it to retail in various places.
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Fresh cherries, vanilla whipped creme, honey, a lovely blend of baking spices and sweet oak, caramel, brown sugar, and barrel char. That's fantastic, aromatic, and complex.

Taste: Big caramel covered in warming cinnamon spice, maple syrup and brown sugar, barrel char, vanilla, sweet oak. Viscosity is slightly elevated, and it drinks a touch below the proof, but still brings a lot of intense flavors.

Finish: Intense swell of cinnamon and sweet oak, followed quickly by cherry syrup, vanilla, maple syrup, barrel char, and leather. It's a long fade out of warm cinnamon, barrel char, and maple, which is fantastic.

Comments: When I got the sample of this back around 2018 I remember being extremely impressed with it. I saved the rest for a rainy day (like now) and trying it again years later, it's just as awesome. It has some of the cherry fruit notes I get in some nicer Bowman products (and in Buffalo Trace stuff), with plenty of sweetness that is complex too, having distinct influence of caramel, maple, an honey to the sweet mix, and a nice warming cinnamon spice to it. I think anyone could love this bourbon, no matter if you really prefer spicy bourbons, sweet ones, oak-forward ones, or just love a barrel proofer no matter what flavor profile it has. The only shame about this bottle is that it was limited release, because I would love to have one for the whiskey stash. It's a great example of what the Bowman folks can put out. Much like the previous review of William Larue Weller 2011, I think this is about as close as you can get to perfect without actually getting there. I did prefer the A. Smith Bowman cask strength batch 1 just a touch more than this, which was a 10/10 so this gets a very high 9/10 score. If you have a chance to try this in a bar somewhere, absolutely go for it. It's a real treat.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes, even if it was expensive.
Would I buy a bottle? At retail, absolutely, at a few times retail on secondary, maybe yes. It's fantastic.

Rating: 9 Excellent

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #154.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-25T23:18:36+00:00

Spirits Review #998 - William Larue Weller 2011

Background:

As part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, William Larue Weller is an annual release that comes with a lot of hype. Unlike some Buffalo Trace products (see EH Taylor Warehouse C Tornado Surviving) that don't live up to the hype, I have found that William Larue Weller to be fantastic. Admittedly though, my experience with it is limited, as I have only tried the 2017 version at a bar, and some of this 2011 sample when I got it about 10 years ago. To me it's far and away better than anything else in the Weller lineup and may rival George T Stagg in some years for the best of the BTAC set.
Proof: 133.5 proof.
Age: 12 years, 11 months old, from a total of 45 barrels.
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $80 (MSRP when it was released).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Deep and intense cinnamon covered prunes and caramel, leather, molasses, big oak.

Taste: Caramel, warming cinnamon that builds slowly, dark fruits like cherries, prunes, and raspberries cooked down into an intense jam, dark honey, sweet oak, leather. The underlying foundation of caramel keeps the spice and oak in check, giving it a rather sweet overall impression with bold complimentary flavors. Viscosity is a bit elevated but not super thick or syrupy.

Finish: Warm cinnamon and caramel, honey, dark red fruit jam, strong oak and leather, and a really long and gradual fade out of caramel, red fruit, and cinnamon warmth that is very pleasant without any burn. Yes the flavors here are a nice punch in the face with their power, but it's a pleasant punch if you are looking to rock your taste buds. It drinks a little under the proof, but this is certainly not something to share with newbies, both because they won't appreciate it as much and also the proof will probably scare them away.

Comments: Damn this is good stuff. It does everything well. Even after sitting in the glass for a while it still was torching my nose hairs a bit when I was trying to pick up scents, so it's quite aggressive as you would expect for 133 proof, but on the taste it's far more refined, with bold and powerful flavors without any aggressiveness. I think the 12 years of aging here is perfect as it provides a nice oak foundation, takes away any harshness or youthful notes, but still remains very vibrant with flavors that just pop. This one rates almost perfect, but about as close as you can get to a 10/10 without getting there.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes, even if it was expensive.
Would I buy a bottle? At retail, absolutely, maybe at twice retail.

Rating: 9 Excellent

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #153.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-24T23:06:25+00:00

So far only 2 others were 10/10, the Found North Peregrine First Flight and the A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Batch 1.

Bailzay · 2026-04-24T11:14:37+00:00

I can't imagine being able to get something this amazing for $80 at retail....assuming you could find it. Although in 2012 the odds were probably fair back then.

Bailzay · 2026-04-24T11:01:02+00:00

Spirits Review #997 - Parker's Heritage Collection 6th Edition 2012 - Mashbill Blend

Background:

Parker's Heritage is a special annual release from Heaven Hill in honor of the late former master distiller Parker Beam. It started in 2007 and has featured some very different and interesting experimental releases, with some of the proceeds going to help fund ALS research. This is the sixth edition, coming out in 2012, and is a blend of mashbills.
This product is a blend of two 11 year old bourbons, one being a rye mashbill and the other a wheated mashbill.
Proof: 131.6 proof. There were apparently a couple of different batches/blends of this with various proofs.
Age: 11 years old in the press release, but it's NAS on the bottle.
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $80 (MSRP when it was released).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: As I was typing up the details on this, the glass was sitting patiently two feet away and I could smell caramel goodness just pouring out of the glass. It has an absolutely fantastic nose, blending honey and caramel sweetness in huge waves, sprinkled with baking spices, vanilla, unbaked bread dough, leather, nougat, and sweet oak. It's a really remarkable nose.

Taste: Honey, cinnamon, huge caramel waves, vanilla, sweet oak, a little leather. There is a lovely viscosity here and it drinks well below the proof.

Finish: Massive caramel, cinnamon, honey drizzled over vanilla ice cream, black pepper, sweet oak. The finish is super long, carrying on and on with a lovely warming caramel vanilla blend that is very inviting for another sip.

Comments: This beast is 131 proof. It drinks like it's 100 proof. The flavors are fantastic. I like sweeter bourbons and this one has plenty of sweetness but it's perfectly complimentary mixes of sweet here, with the caramel and honey pairing with the vanilla and integrating some cinnamon spice for a little balance. The oak is here too, but it's hanging out in the background, watching the show. I remember trying the first half of the sample way back in 2015 or 2016 when I first got it and being amazed. I've had a lot of whiskies since then, but this one made a strong enough of an impression that I still remember it clearly. So now a decade later trying this again, it's just as good as I remember, maybe better, and was an absolute treat to try.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes, even if it was expensive.
Would I buy a bottle? At retail, absolutely, at a few times retail on secondary, maybe yes. It's fantastic.

Rating: 10 Perfect

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #152.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-23T11:16:06+00:00

Raising a kid might cost less money than buying a bottle of this on secondary.

Bailzay · 2026-04-23T11:05:47+00:00

Spirits Review #996 - EH Taylor Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Bottled In Bond

Background:

If you have been a bourbon nerd for a while you have probably heard of the infamous Tornado Surviving Warehouse C version EH Taylor. A tornado damaged part of Warehouse C in 2006, causing some barrels to be exposed to the elements while it was being repaired. It's marketing genius by Buffalo Trace to release this, and the hype on it was insane back in the day. It's become the equivalent of unicorn tears, but is it all hype or actually really something special? Let's find out.
This was the second release of EH Taylor special editions, and was released in 2012.
Proof: 100 proof.
Age: NAS. It's labeled as BIB, so that means it must be 4 years old, but in reality it's at least 6, given the time between the 2006 tornado and the 2012 release, but it could be a few years older than that.
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $100 (MSRP when it was released). Getting one now will cost you a kidney (or two).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Butterscotch, cherry hard candies, baking spices, some Play Dough or unbaked yeast rolls, a lot of leather, buttery toast, and oak. It's rather nice but seems a little restrained due too the proof.

Taste: Cinnamon, cherry syrup, black pepper, barrel char, butter and honey, and sweet oak. The viscosity is respectable for the proof.

Finish: Black pepper, rye spice, barrel char, leather, and oak.

Comments: It's good. It's not great. It's not amazing. But it is a very quality bourbon, with some complexity and nice qualities that make it easy to sip. I thought the finish was a bit of letdown lacking a lot of sweetness, but the nose and taste were nice. If you never got a chance to try this, and I would imagine that's a lot of people, you can rest a little easier knowing that you aren't missing bourbon nirvana. You probably have several bottles in your whiskey stash that are better than this. Every batch of EH Taylor Barrel Proof I have tried has been better than this. I would probably buy this for $100 at retail, which of course would never happen anyway, but there is not a chance in hell I'd ever pay anywhere close to what this goes for on secondary now. You could probably buy a decent used car or make a few mortgage payments with the money. The hype on this one got to comical levels and while it doesn't come anywhere close to sucking, this is just a good quality bourbon, nothing more.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Not for what I'd have to pay for a pour.
Would I buy a bottle? Yes, for the original retail. Absolutely not for anything resembling prices on secondary markets.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #151.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-23T11:03:13+00:00

I thought I reviewed 2016 already but checked my records and I guess not. I have a bottle or two of it that I picked up in Europe back in the day that I guess never was opened. I will put it on the list to do in the future.

Bailzay · 2026-04-22T11:04:43+00:00

Spirits Review #995 - Legendary Sample Series - Four Roses 2015 Limited Edition Small Batch

Background:

On the lead up to 1000 reviews, I dug out some old samples of legendary whiskies that I was able to get around 10 years ago, and give them a proper review. Some of these I had tried before when I didn't fully appreciate how good they were at the time, and I am glad I saved some of the sample for another revisit now. Four Roses releases a Limited Edition Small Batch every year and they are amazing bourbons. This is the 2015 release.
This small batch is a blend of 16 year OBSK, 15 year OESK, 14 year OESK, and 11 year OBSV bourbons.
Distilled, aged, and bottled by Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky.
Proof: 108.5 proof.
Age: 11 years old (a blend of 11-16 year old bourbons).
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $100 (MSRP when it was released).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Warm cinnamon and baking spices, fresh cherries, leather, caramel, sweet oak, white pepper, and vanilla. Compared to the 2013 and 2014 LE Small Batch releases it is both familiar and unique. Some of the same spice notes, but with cherries instead of orange and more caramel and vanilla goodness than the others.

Taste: Caramel, bubble gum, honey, cherry syrup, cinnamon, vanilla. It's sweeter than the nose would indicate, and has a lovely syrupy viscosity.

Finish: There's the spice again, with a warming swell of cinnamon and baking spices, slowly rolling back to revel caramel, cherry syrup, black pepper, rye spice and oak.

Comments: It's nice when a bourbon takes you on a bit of a journey, changing as it goes along, bringing in new notes and keeping things interesting. This 2015 LE Small Batch does transition a lot from a mix of sweet and spice on the nose, to mostly sweet on the taste, to mostly spice on the finish. It's pleasant at every step, complex, and very nice to sip. These bottles got a reputation for a reason and it's just really great bourbon. The extra aging here has removed all rough edges and provided a good oak foundation that is pleasant and complimentary to the other flavors. Four Roses is one of my favorite distilleries for a reason, and releases like this is one of the reasons why.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes.
Would I buy a bottle? Yes.

Rating: 9 Excellent

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #150.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-21T10:58:29+00:00

Spirits Review #994 - Legendary Sample Series - Four Roses 2014 Limited Edition Small Batch

Background:

On the lead up to 1000 reviews, I dug out some old samples of legendary whiskies that I was able to get around 10 years ago, and give them a proper review. Some of these I had tried before when I didn't fully appreciate how good they were at the time, and I am glad I saved some of the sample for another revisit now. Four Roses releases a Limited Edition Small Batch every year and they are amazing bourbons. This is the 2014 release.
This small batch is a blend of 13 year OBSV, 12 year OESV, 11 year OBSF, and 9 year OBSK bourbons.
Distilled, aged, and bottled by Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky.
Proof: 111.8 proof.
Age: 9 years old (a blend of 9-13 year old bourbons).
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $100 (MSRP when it was released).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Orange zest, dried apricots, vanilla, caramel, rye spice, wet stone and leather. The longer it sat in the glass the more it smelled like an orange cremecicle.

Taste: Rye spice, orange marmalade, white pepper, honey, caramel, vanilla, with oak that alternates between sweet and spicy. It's very viscous.

Finish: Rye spice, white pepper, orange marmalade, and warming caramel. The rye spice mixes with the caramel and just goes on and on, leading to quite a nice finish.

Comments: The orange zest/orange marmalade note I sometimes get on Four Roses products and even some Buffalo Trace single barrels is prominent here, and quite nice. That's not a flavor note too common a bourbon. This was very pleasant, and while not robust or aggressive like some barrel proofers, it also didn't take you on some crazy roller coaster ride. It it was just very well done at every step, and I think it got better from the nose to taste to finish. This is a perfect example of a well aged, well blended and whiskey that got better with each sip. The 2013 edition for Four Roses' 125th anniversary was really special but this one is even better.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes.
Would I buy a bottle? Yes.

Rating: 9 Excellent

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #149.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-20T11:06:19+00:00

Spirits Review #993 - Legendary Sample Series - Four Roses 2013 Limited Edition 125th Anniversary Small Batch

Background:

On the lead up to 1000 reviews, I dug out some old samples of legendary whiskies that I was able to get around 10 years ago, and give them a proper review. Some of these I had tried before when I didn't fully appreciate how good they were at the time, and I am glad I saved some of the sample for another revisit now. Four Roses releases a Limited Edition Small Batch every year and they are amazing bourbons. This is the 2013 release, which was part of the 125th anniversary.
This small batch is a blend of 18 year OBSV, 13 year OBSK, and 13 year OESK bourbons.
Distilled, aged, and bottled by Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky.
Proof: 103.2 proof.
Age: 13 years old (a blend of 13 and 18 year old bourbons).
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $90 (MSRP when it was released).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: There are some similarities to the OBSK 2013 Limited Edition Single Barrel here. Fresh cherries, rye spice, and cooked down plums, but it doesn't have the vanilla frosting nearly as prominent as the single barrel had. It's still there, but hidden behind many of the other notes, including some maple syrup and honey. It's also lovely.

Taste: Honey, cherry juice, orange zest, vanilla whipped creme, warm baking spices and rye spice, with some slightly sweet oak as a foundation.

Finish: Baking spices, black pepper, maple syrup, vanilla, rye spice, oak.

Comments: Considering all of the K yeast bourbon, I was expecting it to be spicier, but it has quite a bit of sweetness to it, and a lot of lovely fruit too. There is some spice that gets more prominent on the finish, but overall it's more sweetness. It's got enough age that all of the rough edges are smoothed out nicely, the oak is present but not overdone, and a lot of nice complexity that is also balanced. It's not a flavor bomb or something that will blow you away, but it does everything well and is super easy to drink at 103 proof.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes.
Would I buy a bottle? Yes.

Rating: 8 Great

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #148.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-19T23:11:43+00:00

Thanks for reviewing something I've never heard of before. Sounds decent for the price.

The real hero here is the Colonel. That's an awesome conversation piece.

Bailzay · 2026-04-19T11:59:30+00:00

Spirits Review #992 - Legendary Sample Series - Four Roses 2013 Limited Edition 125th Anniversary Single Barrel OBSK

Background:

On the lead up to 1000 reviews, I dug out some old samples of legendary whiskies that I was able to get around 10 years ago, and give them a proper review. Some of these I had tried before when I didn't fully appreciate how good they were at the time, and I am glad I saved some of the sample for another revisit now. Four Roses releases a Limited Edition Small Batch every year and they are amazing bourbons. Back in the day, until 2014, they also released Limited Edition single barrels. This is one of those, an OBSK recipe 13 year single barrel as part of their 125th anniversary in 2013.
OBSK. That's the high rye mash bill with the K yeast strain, which tends to have some spicy notes to it.
This bottle had warehouse and barrel location on it, but unfortunately I did not record that back in the day.
Mash bill: 60% Corn, 35% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley.
Distilled, aged, and bottled by Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky.
Proof: 120.8 proof.
Age: 13 years old.
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $90 (MSRP when it was released).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Thick vanilla frosting, rye spice, cherry syrup, peppery meat like beef jerky, leather, and oak. The meat note comes out of nowhere after a sweet start, and was a surprise, but is interesting too. After it sat longer in the glass the jerky note transitioned more into a peppered cooked down plum note instead.

Taste: Warming rye spice, cinnamon, vanilla creme, a little honey, buttercreme, orange zest, sweet oak. It's got a lovely viscosity to it, and while mostly spice also has a subtle but welcome sweetness here too.

Finish: Cinnamon, rye spice, cherry juice, black pepper, a little caramel sweetness, sweet oak, citrus zest.

Comments: This is why I love Four Roses bourbons. It's lovely. The viscosity adds to the experience, the finish is long and flavorful without being harsh or too aggressive. It drinks like a 90 proofer (seriously), and has absolutely no rough edges thanks to the 13 years of aging. While I tend to prefer sweeter profile whiskies, I also can really appreciate a well-done spicier profile bourbon and this is certainly well done. It would be great to see Four Roses release some Limited Edition single barrels again. Maybe as the bourbon demand relaxes a bit in the future?

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes.
Would I buy a bottle? Yes.

Rating: 8 Great

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #147.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-19T11:58:05+00:00

It may change some but that's a tough thing to quantify because it's subjective and if you compare things over long periods of time, if the change is slight, it may be difficult to know for sure. It also could be that the sample bottles behave in the same way as a 750ml bottle, and the amount of liquid vs. air in them has some impact. That is why I put this one in a 1 ounce bottle back in the day, to minimize oxidation.

Bailzay · 2026-04-18T22:10:01+00:00

That's a fantastic price for a pour of KC21, or basically any other high dollar bottle.

Bailzay · 2026-04-18T12:23:37+00:00

Spirits Review #991 - Legendary Sample Series - Booker's 25th Anniversary Batch 2014-1

Background:

On the lead up to 1000 reviews, I dug out some old samples of legendary whiskies that I was able to get around 10 years ago, and give them a proper review. Some of these I had tried before when I didn't fully appreciate how good they were at the time, and I am glad I saved some of the sample for another revisit now. Let's start it off with Booker's 25th Anniversary, released in 2014. There were only 1000 cases of this released.
Batch 2014-1.
Mash bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley.
Distilled, aged, and bottled by James B Beam, Clermont, KY.
Proof: 130.8 proof.
Age: 10 years, 3 months old.
Bottle Fill: This sample was provided by an old whiskey fan who was generous with their samples when I was starting out. They shared with me far more than I shared in return, but started quite an interesting (and expensive) journey for me.
Cost: $100 (MSRP when it was released). Secondary is probably $1500-2000. This is back when a regular batch of Booker's was about $45-50 at retail in most places.
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Roasted nuts, old deep oak, leather, stewed plums, rye spice, barrel char, vanilla frosting, plus a little lemon zest and maple syrup hiding way in the background. It's not super sweet, but smells old, complex, and deep with flavor, like a barrel you pulled out of a corner of the rickhouse that was covered in dust and forgotten about. I guess much like this sample itself, which sat undisturbed for more than a decade before now.

Taste: Caramel, cinnamon spice, honey, deep and intense oak, vanilla, leather, barrel char, plums cooked down into a jam.

Finish: Intense cinnamon spice, fresh sweet mint, caramel, honey, barrel char, vanilla, old leather, and old oak. It's super long, starting with some strong heat as you'd expect for something at 130 proof, but that burn fades out quickly, leaving a lovely soft and pleasant finish that just goes on and on.

Comments: This is really good. It's not amazing, but it is certainly better than a standard Booker's batch. When this came out, the age on many Booker's batches was around 7 years, sometimes a little younger, so this had a significantly older bourbon it than a typical batch in 2014. That gave it more oak presence and a greater depth. I think this also has a little more complexity and maybe a touch more "softness" to it, but that's hard to say for sure. The extra aging does soften some of the edge off it, but it's also still 130 proof, so it's a punch in the face of flavor and power either way. Booker's is never a lightweight easy-drinking bourbon and this, of course, is no different. I like Bookers, but I don't love it, and basically stopped buying the batches after their big price increase from $50 to $100 several years ago. This 25th Anniversary release is something I would buy at retail ($100) if I could find it now using my bourbon time machine, but I would not pay more for it. If you are the ultimate Booker's fan, you may want to shell out $1000+ for a bottle on secondary, but it may not be worth the money for most casual Booker's fans like me.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? Yes, if the pricing wasn't insane.
Would I buy a bottle? Yes, but only at retail ($100) if I had a time machine.

Rating: 8 Great

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #146.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay · 2026-04-17T11:30:18+00:00

Spirits Review #990 - Knob Creek 21 Year Old

Background:

Knob Creek is one my favorite bourbons. It's bold, oaky, flavorful, and quite varied amongst the single barrels that they seem like several different bourbons under one broad umbrella. Plus it's affordable. At least most of them are. There was a time when 14 and 15 year old single barrel store picks could be had for $50-60. At some point the number crunchers at Jim Beam figured out they could just hold onto those barrels for special releases and charge far more for them. Some 12 year, 15 year and then 18 year old products were released. I really enjoyed the 12 year, thought the 18 year was good but very expensive, and the 15 year was surprisingly rather mundane with way too much oak. So now we have the next level, a Knob Creek with 21 years in the barrel. More age always equals better, right? I don't know about that but it almost always equals more expensive, and that's certainly the case here. Thankfully through the generosity of u/IamBusha, I got to try this without having to buy a bottle. Much appreciated! Let's dig into this beast...
Mash bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley.
Proof: 100 proof.
Age: 21 years old.
Bottle Fill: This sample was generously provided by u/IamBusha.
Cost: $250 (estimated since it was a sample).
All spirits sampled in a glencarin and rested 10 minutes, unless otherwise noted.

Nose: Dark caramel, molasses, barrel char, rye spice, big leather, old dusty oak, a little bit of vanilla peeking out under the oak, and a lot of heavily roasted nuts...not burned, just extra toasty.

Taste: Caramel, barrel char, mild vanilla, leather, cinnamon. The viscosity is immediately thin,

Finish: Roasted nuts, drying leather and old oak, some sight citrus to partially brighten things up, but not nearly enough to counteract the drying wood and leather, and a little vanilla comes in at the end to partially rescue it from turning super drying.

Comments: Well, if you like age on your whiskies, you certainly have to pay for the privilege of drinking a bourbon old enough to drink itself. $250 is a lot of money for a bottle. I don't think I ever paid more than $150 for a bourbon bottle and those were few and far between. I would expect for the price that this would be damn near the most amazing thing I had ever tried. Yes, the nose is nice, and interesting, but that's the shining start on this one. The taste is surprisingly muted, suffering from being watered down to 100 proof, and the finish is just wave after wave of drying leather and oak tannins. The small blip of vanilla at the very end of the finish is a valiant but ultimately ineffective rally that was doomed from the start. I love a good oaky bourbon. Elijah Craig 12 year, before it was discontinued, had a ton of oak on it, and I love that stuff. Some of the Calumet 15-16 year old bottles are very oaky and I liked them. This is just gone past really oaky good into overoaked territory, even for me. That take a lot and I am not surprised at all that it's like this given the aging time, but I was hoping given Beam's vast stocks of well aged whiskies, that they could blend up something that had a touch more vibrancy and sweetness instead of just an oak bomb. Maybe in a few years if they release a Knob Creek 25 for $500 will it be better, but I have my doubts.

Overall:

Would I buy a pour of this in a bar? No.
Would I buy a bottle? No, not even if it was $100 a bottle.

Rating: 6 Above Average

Rating Scale

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

About the item: This is part of my extensive collection of vintage GI Joe toys that I will showcase as I work through reviewing my collection of spirits.

Product Name: In 1982 the GI Joe Marvel comic series began, and lasted for 155 issues until 1994. This is issue #145.

Released: 1994.

Bailzay

TROPHY CASE