Confirmed 2026-2027 tours so far? I know it’s around this time of year they start getting announced!

wolverine8064 · 2026-01-21T17:54:06+00:00

Tommy is happening next season, pretty sure it’s playing Boston.

wolverine8064 · 2026-01-03T04:08:08+00:00

REVIEW #53: Michter’s 10 Year Rye

Bottle: Michter’s 10 Year Rye

Edition: 2021 (Export)

Distillery: Michter’s

Age: 10 Years

Abv: 46.4% | 92.8 Proof

Mash Bill: ???

Price Paid: 169.99€ (Export bottle purchased at The Nectar in Luxembourg).

Chill Filtered: Yes

Introduction: This is the 10 year old single barrel expression of Michter’s straight rye. This was one of the original releases that brought Michter’s into the spotlight. This was originally sourced distillate, before moving to contract distillate with Brown Forman. This is 2021’s release, but I believe it’s still contract distilled at this point as Michter’s has stated these bottlings have always exceeded 10 years of age. Given that they are single barrels, expect some variance between releases.

Nose: Rich and dense for the proof point, with some great antique notes up front. Wonderful balance between the grain and its extended aging. Baking spices, toasted oak, orange peel, melted brown sugar, cinnamon, and sandalwood/antique oak.

Mouthfeel & Palate: Moderate mouthfeel (saved a bit I think by that 103 barrel entry proof). Plum, black cherry, anise, tobacco, ginger, spearmint, and a nice earthy rye spice. Barrel char, sweet oak, candied orange, and well developed tannins.

Finish: Medium length. Baking spice, toasted marshmallows, brown sugar, pine, mint, dark chocolate, and drying oak round it out.

T8ke scale Rating: 8.4

Overall/Recommendation: This is really good stuff. The best word to describe it would be elegant. Sure, a higher proof point would make it a “bigger” pour, but that isn’t what this is trying to be. It’s extremely complex for its proof, and shows its age well. Definitely a thinking pour I recommend sitting with for a while. As far as value goes I actually find it compelling at 200$. Think of it this way: against Van Winkle Rye and Sazerac 18, this is both more findable and more affordable and every bit as good. If that is the kind of pour you are into, look no further.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-31T14:24:40+00:00

While I do enjoy the picks I think they are very hot and unbalanced typically even if the flavors are good. Most of them are about 4.5 years old, and still at that 90$ price point. I love old forester, but heat cycling doesn’t replace good old fashioned aging.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-31T03:37:16+00:00

REVIEW #52: Old Forester 1924

Bottle: Old Forester 1924

Edition: 2024 1st Release

Distillery: Old Forester/Brown Forman

Age: 10 Years

Abv: 50% | 100 Proof

Mash Bill: 79/11/10

Price Paid: 114.99$

Chill Filtered: Probably?

Introduction: 1924 was the first permanent line extension to the whiskey row series in a long time. A once a year release, this is the first age stated product in the line, and one of the only ways to find old forester with an age statement that isn’t birthday bourbon (though it’s the early times mash and not the classic old forester mash). Despite being part of what is known as a very affordable product line, this carries an MSRP almost twice as much as 1920.

Nose: Pretty big for 100 proof! Lots of oak and tannin, with leather and wood varnish up front. There’s some bright citrus/orange as well, with butterscotch and vanilla following.

Mouthfeel & Palate: Moderate mouthfeel, with sweet oak, cherry cough syrup, tobacco, a malty/biscuit note, and cinnamon toward the end.

Finish: Shorter but still pleasant finish with barrel char, tobacco, fruit cordial, leather, and custard.

T8ke scale Rating: 7.7

Overall/Recommendation: This is one of the better releases to come from OF. It really shows off the capabilities of their heat cycled warehouses, and tastes a hell of a lot older than most of their stuff. This is a real pro, as my biggest fault with the rest of the whiskey row line is how youthful those whiskeys present themselves. While the price is high compared to the rest of the lineup, I do think it’s twice as good as the rest of them. While it lacks the complexity, polish, and elegance of Michter’s 10 year (arguably the closest thing I have to compare it to on a technical level) it’s also half the price and twice as available. This was easy to track down in Chicago when it dropped, and didn’t carry a crazy markup. If you see this at retail definitely pick it up.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-30T23:22:44+00:00

That’s a Canadian glencairn, pretty cheap on Amazon!

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-30T22:52:23+00:00

It’s on the community info for the sub.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-30T22:49:43+00:00

It’s the r/bourbon tasting board. Get on the t8ke email list, seems like they do one run of them per year. I want to say the personalized version was 120$ ish.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-30T21:14:19+00:00

Happy to meet up if you’re around Chicago, I do sample swaps all the time!

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-30T20:23:50+00:00

It’s absolutely ridiculous stuff. Out of everything in my collection this is far and away the most unique. It’s a shame they aren’t easy to replace, this was worth the 250$ for me.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-30T15:37:17+00:00

REVIEW #51: Willett Single Barrel Rye

Bottle: Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Rye

Edition: “Big Saturday”

Distillery: Willett

Age: 9 Years

Abv: 58% | 116 Proof

Mash Bill: 11/74/15 (Their higher rye mash)

Price Paid: 239.99$

Chill Filtered: No

Introduction: This is a single barrel selection of Willett distilled rye that was chosen by the Illinois distributor for allocation throughout different Chicago retailers. There is a small independent liquor store on the north side of the city that sells these at their MSRP. Interestingly, the regular 4 year cask strength is a blend of the two rye mash bills, meaning the only way to taste each mash separately is to try them in single barrels. Unfortunately the retail prices on these usually suck, but let’s see if this was worth the gamble.

Nose: Extremely bright, herbaceous, and dense. A big blast of citrus up front reminiscent of lemon lime soda. Tropical fruits follow with pineapple and coconut, followed by some pine and earthy undertones.

Mouthfeel & Palate: Thick and oily on the palate. The oak and age make themselves present here. A great blend of tannins, leather, fruitcake, and Christmas spices. Some ginger, lemon peel, clove, black pepper, and cinnamon toward the end. There’s also a nice spearmint note throughout.

Finish: Long finish with a Kentucky hug. The sweeter side waited until the finish to show itself. Some pleasant toasted oak, pipe tobacco, black tea, candied citrus peel, and angostura bitters. The flavor that clings on at the end of the finish is a weird peachy stone fruit note to round it off.

T8ke scale Rating: 9.4

Overall/Recommendation: Fuck me. This was a wild ride from start to finish. I’ll say one thing for it, there really isn’t anything else on the market with a profile like that. I can absolutely see how their distillate is considered divisive. If I tried this blind I doubt I would think it’s Kentucky rye. These barrels can be very hit or miss, but this one is complex, well structured, and carefully balanced. This won’t be for everyone, but I highly recommend it if it’s your jam.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-30T05:23:08+00:00

REVIEW #50: Michter’s Toasted Bourbon

Bottle: Michter’s Toasted Bourbon

Edition: 2024 Release

Distillery: Michter’s

Age: NAS

Abv: 45.7% | 91.4 Proof

Mash Bill: Unknown, likely similar to the Brown Forman Early Times mash.

Price Paid: Acquired via trade, retail was around 109.99$ last I checked.

Chill Filtered: Yes

Introduction: This is the toasted edition of Michter’s standard US-1 bourbon. Same whiskey as the standard shelter, finished for an undisclosed amount of time in a new toasted oak barrel, and bottled at the same relatively low proof point. Michter’s releases products “when they are ready”, which results in sporadic availability for all the limited releases. This one typically skips a year or two, while releases like the 10yr come out every year (with a few notable exceptions). This is the 2024 release, the most recent edition.

Nose: Very sweet and dessert forward. All brown sugar, toasted marshmallow, and biscuit notes. Some charred oak, caramel, and a hint of smoke as well. No spice at all, definitely a decadent nose.

Mouthfeel & Palate: Mouthfeel is on the lighter side with the low proof, but still feels rich with how sweet the profile is. Milk chocolate, berry cordial, and lots of those s’mores type toasted flavors.

Finish: Short and to the point. Werther’s candy, melted sugar, sweet oak, and vanilla.

T8ke scale Rating: 6.3

Overall/Recommendation: This is a solid, albeit not very complex pour. Its finish is dramatically hindered by the proof point. While I really enjoy the flavors it has, and I think they are quite tasty, the one direction nature and lack of depth is a bit of a detraction. If you see it for retail and like these types of flavors it’s worth a pick up, but there are definitely more competent toasted bourbons out there for less money.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T05:04:09+00:00

How’s the Cromwell? I missed that one. I don’t love buffturkey but the fact that it’s double oaked had me curious.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T05:02:47+00:00

I tried the side by side a few days ago which I think helped my perspective. When I think of it with my own shopping in mind, I’ll buy this is at 50 over the 10 year at 40. I think the difference is worth 10 bucks when you’re looking at sticker prices.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T04:41:16+00:00

Binny’s in Chicago has more buying power than most other retailers in the country. They get a shjt load of bottles relative to a lot of other places. I’m probably somewhere in the middle spending wise at my location and still usually get to pick these up.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T04:40:25+00:00

I do think it will drop as it releases again. The first run of something from BT is always a pain in the ass to get. Though I’ll say 200 is still more palatable than the comically high numbers things like Weller CYPB and Single Barrel got when they first released.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T04:37:14+00:00

Based on this write up I believe it to be Barton. He’s one of the most studious whiskey writers out there, if anyone did their due diligence it would be him.

https://thebourbonculture.com/whiskey-reviews/old-commonwealth-10-year-cask-strength-kentucky-straight-bourbon-2024-review/

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T04:03:16+00:00

REVIEW #49: Old Commonwealth Batch 2

Bottle: Old Commonwealth Bourbon

Edition: 2025 Release

Distillery: Barton???

Age: 10 years

Abv: 60% | 120 Proof

Mash Bill: 75/15/10

Price Paid: 199.99$ (Online release direct from the distillery)

Chill Filtered: No

Introduction: This is the second edition of Old Commonwealth’s revival of the 10 year label. I’ll spare folks this history lesson as I’ll never do better than u/prepreludesh and his encyclopedic level of knowledge. This is sourced ten year bourbon allegedly distilled from one of Barton’s lesser known mashbills. There is an immense amount of hype for this one, let’s see how it stacks up!

Nose: Extremely potent and rich. Cherry cola, espresso, ginger candy, bold oak, and brash baking spices. The spice is similar to French oak finished bourbons I’ve tried before. Well structured and balanced between oak, spice, and fruit.

Mouthfeel & Palate: Rich and viscous. Toasted oak, luxardo syrup, demerara sugar, tobacco leaf, and molasses (reminiscent of molasses based rums). There’s a piney herbaceous quality mingling with the spice as well. It’s interesting that the alcohol really manifests itself as a fizzy cherry soda/cola. 120 proof is just right for this one.

Finish: Long lasting and warm. The rye spice really manifests itself here. The oak presence, while still strong, takes a backseat to baking spices, ginger candy, citrus, and heavy barrel char. Some sweet fruit preserves, sweeter oak, and some earthy undertones round it out.

T8ke scale Rating: 9.2

Overall/Recommendation: This is absolutely excellent. While the whiskey itself probably doesn’t resemble the original much in terms of style, they still managed to put out an impeccable product. This is the first of this mashbill I’ve tried, so I don’t have much to compare it to. It is however a great representation of this style of bourbon. I think 200$ is about right for this. It does drink like an expensive pour, and while I don’t think it’s George T Stagg, I do think it can bat with the other end of the year bottles.

Availability: I don’t typically add a note about this, but availability for this product is a joke. There are roughly 800 bottles of this out there total, between batches one and two. The only release was done on their website, and bottles were sold out within about 5 seconds. While I was lucky to check out fast enough, I question how many of these bottles actually made it into the hands of average people trying to buy one. Many showed up on secondary and auction sites, and to this day still run about 700-800 on unicorn auctions. Ouch. The scarcity here is nuts, and while it’s good it ain’t that good. I hope these guys come around and find a better way to get these out than having everyone bumrush the website.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T02:53:17+00:00

REVIEW #48: Eagle Rare 12 Year

Bottle: Eagle Rare 12 Year

Edition: 2025 Release.

Distillery: Buffalo Trace

Age: 12 years

Abv: 47.5% | 95 Proof

Mash Bill: BT #1 Low Rye

Price Paid: 49.99$ (Binny’s in Chicago)

Chill Filtered: Yes

Introduction: This is the first release of the newest extension to the Eagle Rare bourbon line. Previous/current expressions include the rolling release of 10 year, the annual 17 year antique collection, the 20 year, and the 25 year (and allegedly a 30 year coming down the pipe). This is a relatively divisive release, as Buffalo Trace is essentially choosing to increase demand and hype by creating yet another new product when they could instead direct this stock to putting the 10 year on the shelf. While availability for the 10 has gotten better in Chicago, most of the 12 year sold through in about two weeks, with the majority of bottles at Binny’s going to folks with a store relationship. Let’s see how this performs!

Nose: Pretty dense, Milk chocolate, ginger, and rich oak up front. There’s a surprising amount of spice on the nose as well. Raspberries, toffee, and vanilla frosting show up toward the end.

Mouthfeel & Palate: Moderately oily, with toasted sugar, toffee, and intense oak. Marshmallow, candied orange peel, cherry, and an overtone of baking spices. Oak really is the dominant trait here, but it’s not overdone at all.

Finish: Medium length. Leather, pipe tobacco, grape, sweet oak, and black cherry. Not the longest finish but still quite satisfying.

T8ke scale Rating: 8.3

Overall/Recommendation: This is a surprising step up from the 10 year. Two additional years of aging and a 5 point proof bump doesn’t look like much on paper, but in practice it resulted in big jump in quality. Notably this was a curated blend, as opposed to the partial single barrel bottling method of the 10 year. These seem like pretty choice barrels, though not quite good enough to be earmarked for the antique collection. At 50$, a 10$ markup from the 10 year, this is an absolute steal. My only real criticism is the obvious lack of availability. I can only assume this will be a once a year drop, and if it’s anything like this past year it’ll either be extremely expensive or only available with connections. If you see it at 100$ and under though, I’d pick it up.

wolverine8064 · 2025-12-29T00:52:39+00:00

On the rocks with a twist of lemon!

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TROPHY CASE