Brackets - BourbonSphere

11th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The Championship Rounds

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Welcome back, folks! We are now at the end of the 2024 contest. Eight whiskeys entered the arena. Four have fallen by the wayside. There have been some delicious treats, with not a single stinker in the bunch. Let’s see how it all ends and see if we’ve learned anything along the way. First, we have the Round Two matchups.

Division 2: Whiskey A (Buffalo Trace) vs. Whiskey B (George Dickel Bourbon)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: The noses are pretty similar. “A” is more vibrant, “B” is nuttier. In the mouth, “A” is very nicely balanced with a nice sweetness. “B” is spicier, also with a nice flavor.

Winner: “B” (George Dickel Bourbon) moves on to the Championship Round based on the nice spiciness.

Division 1: Whiskey A (Old Forester 100 Proof) vs. Whiskey B (Old Grand-Dad 114 Proof)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: The nose on “B” has more caramel and nuttiness. The nose on “A” is more muted with a faint medicinal note. “B” is very spicy on the month. “A” has notes of red fruit and marzipan.

Winner: “B” is spicier, but that spiciness overwhelms the other notes. “A” is more well-rounded, which I prefer. “A” (Old Forester 100 proof) moves on to the Championship Round

Championship Round: Whiskey A (George Dickel Bourbon) vs. Whiskey B (Old Forester 100 Proof)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: The nose on “A” shows more caramel and vanilla versus the fruit notes on “B.” The mouth on “A” is showing spice, caramel, and oak. “B” shows more fruit. It’s close, but I think “A” pulls ahead based on the oak and spice.

Winner: “A” (George Dickel Bourbon)

Congrats to George Dickel 8-Year-Old Bourbon, the 2024 BourbonGuy.com Bracket Champion!

Lessons Learned:

This was an interesting contest for me. I like contests where I know I won’t need to brace myself before taking the first sip in a tasting. Every one of the bourbons was good. I don’t think I’d say there is anything in here that would warrant a “meh/neutral” rating if it were being tasted alone. That might be a first.

So, what did I learn about each of these?

Ok, right off the bat, I expected a little blowback on George Dickel Bourbon even being in the contest. I got it last year when I included their Bottled-in-Bond Whiskey, and I honestly expected the same this year. I am personally shocked that Dickel won the contest. I honestly expected Old Forester 100 proof to win based on what I thought my personal preferences were. That said, upon reflection, I’m not shocked that the only age-stated bourbon in the batch won the whole thing. It’s hard to beat time in a barrel for making good whiskey. Add in the fact that it was less than $25 and less than 100 proof, and the whole thing just makes me happy. I love an underdog story.

Moving over to the other Championship contender, as stated above, Old Forester 100 Proof would have been my favorite to win the contest at the outset. Not only does it sit in my favorite proof point, but it was also the most expensive of the bunch. Not that price always correlates to quality (that’s one of the reasons we run this contest each year), but it certainly correlates to how much a company thinks people would be willing to pay for something. And that has at least a passing relationship with how good something is, especially with a product that has been on the market for a long time like this. That said, it came in second and won its division. It’s a good bourbon and one that is often on my shelf.

Newcomer Wheel Horse Bourbon handled itself admirably. It didn’t quite have the gusto to knock off a competitor with lots of age on it, but it should hold its head up high. It lost to the eventual champion this year. That’s nothing to sneeze at. It’s good whiskey and a good value. It may have advanced if it had had a different matchup in the first round. I think I’ll be doing a full review of this one in the near future if I don’t drink it all first.

Elijah Craig is a great bourbon. It is more delicate than other bourbons in this list, having neither the age nor the proof of other contestants. Because of that, it doesn’t surprise me that it lost in the first round. But with no comparisons, I'm a happy camper if this is in my glass.

When I think of Buffalo Trace, the old chant from high school sports of “O-Ver-Rate-Ed clap clap clapclapclap.” That isn’t to say that it is a stinker or even a “meh” bourbon. No, it is very good. But when I get comments from people saying that it goes for $50 in their neck of the woods, it’s hard to take it seriously these days. Especially when contrasted with other comparable products. Sazerac won the PR lottery when they got the contract to have Pappy chosen from among their stocks oh-so-many years ago.

I’m just going to copy and paste what I said last year about Old Tub, as nothing has changed in my assessment: “Old Tub reminded me that Jim Beam makes good whiskey. It just needs some proof. Go below 100° proof, and it gets way too nutty for many folks, including me, when the mood isn’t right.”

I didn’t learn much from Old Grand-Dad 114 that I didn’t already know. I knew it was a great bourbon that didn’t cost much, and nothing about that has changed. The proof adds a nice spice to what might otherwise be a lackluster bourbon that would be too grain-forward for my personal tastes. That’s why I like Bonded and 114 so much better than the 80 proof.

Finally, Ezra Brooks 99 is right there with the other bourbons in this group. It was great as a 90° proof. And with that great base, the proof bump makes it an absolute winner. Sure, the price is higher than the now-discontinued 90, but I think the quality went up more. If I’m not buying for content, this is one that I pick up a lot.

Ok, so we have one further contest to take a look at before we put the brackets to bed this year. I retired Wild Turkey 101 from the yearly bracket contest a few years ago. It won every time it appeared until I paired it against other, more expensive, 100-ish proof bourbons during the pandemic. It is literally the GOAT when it comes to inexpensive bourbon. One of the guys I talk to at a local liquor store describes more expensive bourbons using Wild Turkey 101 as the measuring stick. “Is this worth four bottles of Wild Turkey 101?” And I love that. So, I decided to bring it out of retirement to see how this year’s winner stacked up against the old bird. (You may notice it hiding in the back of the photo above.)

Emeritus Round: Whiskey A (George Dickel Bourbon) vs. Whiskey B (Wild Turkey 101)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: “A” has a lot of oak on both the nose and mouth, along with toffee on the mouth. “B” shows nice cinnamon on the nose and mouth along with some caramel on the mouth. Both have a nice spice.

Winner: Very close, but I'm leaning toward “B” (Wild Turkey) in the Emeritus Contest.

Now that we are done, it’s time to turn the page to the future. Next week, we will look at the samples that have been stacking up while the contest was going on. As much fun as this was, it’s fun to try new bourbons, too.

Once again, congrats to George Dickel 8-Year-Old Bourbon on their 2024 Championship!

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11th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: George Dickel Bourbon vs. Wheel Horse Bourbon

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Hello again, my friends! Let’s continue with the brackets, shall we?

If you’ve been following along, you know that these were tasted in an order only known to my wife, which was another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2024 BourbonGuy.com Brackets finishes up with Division 2’s Number 2 seed, Wheel Horse Bourbon, taking on Number 3 seed George Dickel Bourbon.

Wheel Horse Bourbon is a new one to me. It was suggested by a reader in the last giveaway. I don’t know too much about it, but I know that it was distilled at the Green River Distilling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky. This property has been distilling whiskey off and on since the late 1800s. It was the home of “The Whiskey Without A Headache” until Prohibition. After Prohibition, it was run by the Medley Family until the 1980s. The property was briefly the OZ Tyler Distillery, making some truly terrible whiskey, before being renamed to Green River in 2019 and deciding to stop using the TerrePure process for the future whiskeys they were making there. I was thrilled to read this, which made me decide to take another chance on the whiskey produced there. I bought this bottle at Top Ten Liquors in Chanhassen, MN. It costs $25.96 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.73 per pour.

Their opponent is another bourbon that doesn’t come from a traditional Kentucky Bourbon background. In this case, it is because it is made in Tennessee instead of Kentucky. George Dickel Bourbon is eight years old and is one of the most inexpensive age-stated eight-year-old bourbons on the shelf. Other bourbons include eight-year-old juice in that price range, but they don’t age state it. That gives them the flexibility to swap in younger bourbons as needed, but there is something reassuring about a bourbon willing to tell you it’s age. This bottle cost $24.99 for a 750 mL bottle at France44 in Minneapolis, MN or $1.67 per pour.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all from before we knew what was what. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and probably influenced the perceptions of one another.

Whiskey A (Wheel Horse Bourbon)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.73

Details: 50.5% ABV.

Nose: Cinnamon, vanilla, mint, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon, mint, a hint of black tea, and some caramel.

Finish: Hot and medium length. Notes of Cinnamon, honey, and tannic oak.

Whiskey B (George Dickel Bourbon)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.67

Details: 45% ABV.

Nose: Black tea, honey, and oak.

Mouth: Honey, caramel, cinnamon and citrus.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Notes of oak, caramel, and cinnamon.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is the first competition this year with a clear winner. Don't get me wrong, both of these are tasty. But “B” has a more "stereotypical bourbon" sort of flavor profile. Which is what I like, as you might have guessed by the fact that I've been excited by bourbon for well over a decade. “A” is just a bit too hot relative to the more balanced “B.”

Post-Reveal Thoughts: When I set up the brackets, this was the one competition where I had no clue what was going to happen. It’s a new-to-me bourbon versus a Tennessee bourbon. I like Dickel, but I was pretty sure it wouldn’t do much in the competition. Of course, with me not really knowing much about its opponent, it was impossible to predict the outcome. And though I was initially surprised, after some thought, it makes sense. I like Dickel, and I like bourbon in the six- to eight-year-old range.

Winner: George Dickel Bourbon is advancing to round 2.

Next time we will cover round two and the Championship round to find out who wins. Let me know your guesses down in the comment section below.

11TH ANNUAL BOURBONGUY.COM BRACKETS: ROUND 1: Old Forester 100 Proof vs. Elijah Craig

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Hello again, my friends! Let’s continue with the brackets, shall we?

If you’ve been following along, you know that these were tasted in an order only known to my wife, which was another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2024 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 1’s Number 1 seed, Old Forester 100 proof, taking on Number 4 seed Elijah Craig.

Old Forester 100 proof, one time known as Old Forester Signature, is probably my favorite Brown-Forman bourbon from a Quality-to-Price perspective. It is delicious, relatively inexpensive (at least when compared to its Whiskey Row brothers), and has enough proof to keep you interested. Did I mention that it is delicious? I was thrilled to include this one in the brackets this year. It is the number one overall seed due to the fact that it is at the high end of this contest’s price parameters and it’s proof. I bought this bottle at South Lyndale Liquors in Minneapolis, MN. It costs $27.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.87 per pour.

Their opponent is another bourbon that I buy quite often. In this case, it is because Heaven Hill’s flagship bourbon, Elijah Craig, is often on sale in the low $ 20 range near me. I’m a big fan of bottles that taste good but cost relatively little. Hence, the contest theme. This particular bottle was not on sale but was still priced well. It costs $24.96 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.66 per pour.

Whiskey A (Elijah Craig)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.66

Details: 47% ABV.

Nose: Brown sugar, mint, cola, and baking spice.

Mouth: Caramel, cola, cinnamon, and oak.

Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium. Notes of brown sugar, mint, and oak.

Whiskey B (Old Forester 100 proof)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.87

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Caramel, citrus zest, mint, and almond.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy with notes of caramel, cedar, mint, almond, and cinnamon.

Finish: Warm and of medium length—notes of toffee, chalk, mint, and cinnamon.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: We had a hard time with this one. Relatively, “A” is the more delicate of the two, which wouldn't matter if one of these was bad. I’ve chosen the more delicate bourbon in previous year’s contests because it happened to be the better one. But both of these were very good. So I'm left with which one made more of an impression. And in this case, that is the robust flavor of “B.”

Post-Reveal Thoughts: There are no surprises here. The proof won out. If this contest had happened ten years ago, it would have been a different story. Old Forester had fallen on hard times and, frankly, wasn’t very good. And Elijah Craig was a 12-year-old powerhouse of a bourbon. But these days, Old Forester 100 is delicious, and Elijah Craig, though delicious, is much more approachable than it once was.

Winner: Old Forester 100 is advancing to round 2.

11th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: Old Grand-Dad 114 vs. Ezra Brooks 99

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Hello again my friends! Let’s continue with the brackets, shall we?

If you’ve been following along, you know that these were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2024 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 1’s Number 3 seed Ezra Brooks 99 taking on Number 2 seed Old Grand-Dad 114.

Ezra Brooks 99 recently replaced Lux Row’s Ezra Brooks 90 proof. Much to the dismay of certain commenters. I happen to enjoy the fact that they bumped the proof up. I’m guessing the dismay comes from the fact that they also bumped up the price at the same time. They didn’t go too high, though, since it still meets bracket parameters. When I picked this up at South Lyndale Liquors in Minneapolis, MN, it cost $24.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.67 per pour.

Their opponent is another bourbon that wears its proof right in the name. Old Grand-Dad 114 is Beam Suntory’s highest-proof product using the Old Grand-Dad mashbill. This bottle was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN. It cost $26.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.80 per pour.

Whiskey A (Ezra Brooks 99)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.67

Details: 49.5% ABV.

Nose: Spearmint, caramel, and almond.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Strong caramel notes along with cinnamon, mint, and a slight grainy note.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cinnamon, mint, and red fruit.

Whiskey B (Old Grand-Dad 114)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.80

Details: 57% ABV.

Nose: Toffee, red fruits, and baking spice.

Mouth: Baking Spice, caramel, and red fruit.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cinnamon, mint, and red fruit.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Once again, both are delicious, but “B” is the winner on the strength of the overall experience. “A” shows some grain on the month which leads to a slight bitterness on the finish. “B” is sweet and spicy throughout with a nice full mouthfeel. On another day this might have gone another way, but today is “B’s” day.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: I’m both surprised and not surprised by the reveal on this one. On one hand, it is not unusual in these competitions that the higher-proof bourbon wins the day. On the other hand, it didn’t in the last post. In that one, the 100° Old Tub lost to the 90° proof Buffalo Trace. And usually, I’d grab a pour of Ezra Brooks 99 before a pour of Buffalo Trace. So that threw me for a moment. But then again, I really tend to like both of these. So going back to proof being the deciding factor, Old Grand-Dad 114’s win shouldn’t be a surprise.

Winner: Old Grand-Dad 114 is advancing to round 2.

11th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: Buffalo Trace vs. Old Tub Bottled in Bond

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Here we go! Let’s get down to the competitions. I hope that you guys are as excited by this as I am. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2024 BourbonGuy.com Brackets starts with Division 2’s Number 4 seed Old Tub taking on Number 1 seed Buffalo Trace.

Buffalo Trace is the flagship product of Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, KY. It can be hard to find in this area, and I’ve heard tell of it costing in the $50 or more range from commenters in other states. When I happened across it at the Burnsville, MN Total Wine, it cost $27.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.87 per pour.

Their opponent recently replaced Jim Beam Bonded in the Jim Beam brand line-up. Old Tub is a bottled-in-bond, unfiltered bourbon that is named after the brand the the Beam family made before they started producing Jim Beam branded products. It was distilled in Clermont, KY at Jim Beam’s distillery DSP-KY-230. This bottle was purchased at France44 in Minneapolis, MN. It cost $21.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.47 per pour.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all from before we knew what was what. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and could have influenced the perceptions of one another.

Whiskey A (Buffalo Trace)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.87

Details: 45% ABV.

Nose: Vanilla sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: Nutmeg, mint, vanilla sugar, and a nice spicy tingle.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Nutmeg, cardamom, oak, and a slight mineral note.

Whiskey B (Old Tub Bottled-in-Bond)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.47

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Cinnamon, caramel, oak.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon, caramel, cedar, and dried grain.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: “B” hits hard at the start, is spicy, and continues strong into the finish. “A” starts soft and sweet but then blossoms into a nice spice as it transitions into the finish. Ultimately this was really close, but I think I enjoyed the journey that “A” took me on a little more.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Honestly not surprised by the results of this one. While I tend to think of Buffalo Trace as severely overhyped, it is a very good bourbon. And while I like Old Tub, it is marketed toward the lower end of the Premium Bourbon market. After going back and reading the notes, you can really tell that these had influenced each other. I don’t know that I’ve ever described Old Tub as “spicy” in the past. but that is why we put the disclaimer up there. When you move back and forth from glass to glass to see which you like better, you are doing a different thing than the typical sensory evaluation that full tasting notes would require. It’s a more roughshod and sloppy tasting experience. That said, it does it’s job in telling us which one we liked better. And as I would have expected going into the competition, Buffalo Trace, the most expensive entry in the competition, beat out Old Tub, the least expensive in the bunch.

Winner: Buffalo Trace is advancing to round 2.

11th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The “Not Quite Bottom-Shelf” Edition

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Welcome back, my friends, to my favorite posts of the year. It’s bracket time!

Historically, this has been a series where we take a look at the cheapest of the cheapest bourbons, pit them against each other, and decide which you should pick up and which you should leave down on that bottom shelf. The 2022 edition broke me; I dumped out about 7 liters of bourbon, so last year, I tossed out all pricing requirements and did a series of Bonded Bourbons. This year, I’m reinstating the price requirements, but I’ve decided to keep them a bit “relaxed.” My goal was to find readily available bourbons all at about the same price point, in this case, the $20 to $30 price range.

Here is how we set everything up. And it is an oh-so-simple process. I seed the whiskey in the bracket, in this case, by price. Then, I pour 200 mL bottles of each contestant whiskey and label them with a nonsense name. Finally, I make a separate bracket with the nonsense names and give that and the 200 mL bottles to my wife. After that, she takes care of everything. She has no idea what is in each bottle due to the nonsense name. She pours and keeps track of the winners while we do our tastings. And all I need to do is taste and write. It’s a pretty slick system.

So, who are the participants, and how did they get chosen?

Well, every year, I try to put in limitations that will force me to choose a new set of participants. Well, mostly new, anyway. We still have four this year that were in previous editions. Because the “bottom-shelf” ones have gotten so much worse than they used to be due to inflation and strategic price increases, this year, I limited myself to only bourbons priced between $20 and $30 for a 750 mL bottle. This allowed me to get some names that are familiar to the general public but that might be overlooked due to the general public’s idea that “more expensive equals better whiskey.” A while back, I also asked what you guys wanted to see included as part of a giveaway. I included as many of those as I could. Some weren’t available in my market. Others were quite expensive. Some had just been in so many contests that I looked for fresh faces. But I included what I could.

The contestants were seeded by price. If there was more than one at the same price, the tie was broken by proof.

Division 1, Seed 1: Old Forester 100: This was purchased at South Lyndale Liquors in Minneapolis, MN, for $27.99 or $0.037 per milliliter.
Division 2, Seed 1: Buffalo Trace: This was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN, for $27.99 or $0.037 per milliliter.
Division 1, Seed 2: Old Grand-Dad 114: A reader suggested Old Grand-Dad Bonded, but since I saw this fit the price constraints, I upgraded. This was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN, for $26.99 or $0.036 per milliliter.
Division 2, Seed 2: Wheel Horse Bourbon: This was a reader suggestion. It was purchased at Top Ten Liquors in Chanhassan, MN, for $25.96 or $0.035 per milliliter.
Division 1, Seed 3: Ezra Brooks 99: This was purchased at South Lyndale Liquors in Minneapolis, MN, for $24.99 or $0.033 per milliliter.
Division 2, Seed 3: George Dickel Bourbon: This was purchased at France 44 in Minneapolis, MN, for $24.99 or $0.033 per milliliter.
Division 1, Seed 4: Elijah Craig: This was purchased at Top Ten Liquors in Chanhassen, MN, for $24.96 or $0.033 per milliliter.
Division 2, Seed 4: Old Tub: This was a reader suggestion. It was purchased at France 44 in Minneapolis, MN, for $21.99 or $0.029 per milliliter.

I’m going to tell you right now, that there were some real surprises here. I was honestly shocked at the winner. But that is for the future. In the mean time, who you got? Let us know down in the comments.

10th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The Championship Rounds

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Welcome back, folks! Can you believe we’ve done this for 10 years now? Crazy. We are now at the end of the 2023 contest. Eight whiskeys entered the arena. Four have fallen by the wayside. There have been some delicious treats, and contrary to years past, no stinkers. Let’s see how it all ends and see if we’ve learned anything along the way. First, we have the Round Two matchups.

Division 2: Whiskey A (New Riff Bourbon) vs. Whiskey B (Old Forester 1897)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: "A" has a nicer nose. Sweet and fruity. "B" has a longer and warmer finish. They are both delicious, but in this case, "A" matches my preferred flavor profile a little better. I tend to like a sweet and lightly fruity bourbon, and "A" is exactly that.

Winner: New Riff Bourbon moves on to the Championship Round

Division 1: Whiskey A (George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond No. 4) vs. Whiskey B (Jack Daniel’s Bonded)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: "B" has a nicer nose. "A" has a nicer finish with dark chocolate notes. In the mouth, "A" is a little fruitier, whereas "B" is got more "candy bar" notes. This one is tough. So tough that my wife and I are split. I prefer "A.” She prefers "B." But at the end of the day, it's my vote that gets published.

Winner: George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond (No. 4) moves on to the Championship Round

Championship Round: Whiskey A (New Riff Bourbon) vs. Whiskey B (George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond No. 4)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: The nose is very nice on both of these. In the mouth and on the finish, “A” is a little fruitier and gets my vote for the nicer experience. Both are delicious, but "A" is the winner. That fruitiness is intoxicating (and not just because of the alcohol).

Winner: New Riff Bourbon

Congrats to New Riff Bourbon, the 2023 BourbonGuy.com Bracket Champion!

Lessons Learned:

This was an interesting contest for me. When I was reminded that I only had a few days to find a theme, buy, seed, and taste the entire competition full of whiskeys. I had a moment of panic. I actually considered not doing it this year. But I’m not going to lie. This is my favorite post series each year. And once I decided to drop the price requirement as an overreaction to last year’s stinkers, it got even easier. Thankfully my local store had over eight bonded whiskeys, so I had my choice without running all over the metro the night before a big snowstorm.

So what did I learn about each of these?

With George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond (No. 4) competing for the Championship in what is, ostensibly, a bourbon contest, there may be cries of foul play since they don’t call themselves “bourbon.” But, as I told a reader in a comment on the first post in this year’s contest: if you show me a bonded whiskey (in the bourbon style) that is 13 years old for right around $50? I’m going buy that every time. It was no surprise to me that 13 years in a barrel allowed Dickel to stand up tall with the best of the best this year.

Moving on to the other Tennessee Whiskey in the competition, you get the only first-round upset. Jack Daniel’s Bonded knocked out a bourbon from Barton 1792 in the first round and almost made it to the Championship in a split decision in Round 2. That was a surprise to me. Though having had it before, I shouldn’t have been surprised. 100° proof is probably the sweet spot for Jack Daniel’s, as far as I’m concerned. It is delicious at higher proofs but gets really hot real quick. Below that, it is really mellow. Bonded just hits right for me. I was actually shocked that it went blow to blow with a 13-year-old and didn’t embarrass itself, honestly. That’s a lot of age to overcome.

Evan Williams Bottled in Bond handled itself admirably. It didn’t quite have the gusto to knock off a competitor with lots of age on it, but it should hold its head up high. It won last year and lost to the eventual number 2 this year. That’s nothing to sneeze at. It’s good whiskey and an even better value. It should be on everyone’s back bar, even if you just use it for cocktails.

Wolcott Bottled-in-Bond was interesting to me. But probably not for the reasons that Total Wine would have liked. It was the only contestant that I would describe as “meh.” It just goes to show that even a producer of great whiskey like Sazerac isn’t going to put their best stuff into somebody else’s bottle.

Moving to the other division. Our Champion New Riff was so delicious that my wife wrote, “I can’t wait to find out what this is” on the sheet she was using to keep track of the contest. It won a squeaker in the first round but easily handled two whiskeys that were either a limited edition or part of a “high-end” brand extension. I was shocked because as I was tasting it, I kept thinking, “we don’t have a Four Roses product in the line-up, but if I didn’t know better, I’d think this was one.” It had been a long time since I’d purchased the standard New Riff Bourbon. I need to change that.

I didn’t learn much from Old Grand-Dad Bonded that I didn’t already know. I knew it was a great bourbon that didn’t cost much. It is the second former champion in the mix. Nothing about that has changed.

Old Tub reminded me that Jim Beam makes good whiskey. It just needs some proof on it. Go down below 100° proof, and it gets way too nutty for a lot of folks, including me when the mood isn’t right.

Finally, Old Forester 1897 is much better than I remember it being. I love the 1920 expression. But when 1897 first came out, I thought it was a little muddy and flat. No more. This is a really good bourbon for a pretty good price. It’s going on the list of things I need to buy much more often.

This was such a fun contest this year. Not once did I have to brace myself before taking an initial sip. I knew there were no stinkers in the mix. And the champ was one that I would have never guessed. Honestly, if I was going to guess the outcome beforehand, I would have put my money on Old Forester 1897 to win it all. I also didn’t think that Dickel would make it all the way to the Championship match. I’ve liked all of the releases of Dickel Bottled-in-Bond that I’ve had. But I liked this one the least of the four. That said, it’s still good whiskey when not compared to its earlier brothers. Next week we take a look at the samples that have been stacking up while the contest was going on. As much fun as this was, it’s fun to try new bourbons too.

Once again, congrats to New Riff Bourbon on their 2023 Championship!

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10th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond, No. 4 vs. Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond

Those o…

Those of you that have been following along know that this is the fourth and final competition of Round 1. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2023 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 1’s Number 1 seed George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond (No 4) taking on Number 4 seed Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond.

Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond is no stranger to the BourbonGuy Brackets, having been a contestant three times previously and even champion last year. It was distilled in Louisville at the Heaven Hill/Bernheim Distillery DSP-KY-1 and bottled in Bardstown, KY at Heaven Hill’s DSP-KY-31. It was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN. It cost $21.99 for a 1 Liter bottle or $1.10 per pour.

Their opponent is the most recent release from a fabulous line of whiskeys out of Tennessee. George Dickel Bottled-in-Bon (No. 4) was distilled in Tullahoma, TN, at Diageo’s distillery DSP-TN-2. It was bottled up in Illinois at Diageo’s Plainfield, IL DSP-IL-58. This was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN. It cost $52.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $3.53 per pour.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind, and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all from before we knew what was what. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and could have influenced the perceptions of one another.

Whiskey A (Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.10

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Vibrant, floral, cinnamon candies, and vanilla.

Mouth: Cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Notes of floral vanilla and cinnamon candies.

Whiskey B (George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond No. 4)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.53

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Baking spices, fresh-tilled garden soil, and wet rock.

Mouth: Very rich, caramel, toffee, and cinnamon.

Finish: On the longer side of medium and sweet. Notes of caramel and wet rock.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: "A" is very vibrant and floral with cinnamon notes throughout. "B" is rich and sweet with mineral notes on the nose and finish. Both of these stand out when compared to the rest of the tastings. In this case, that rich sweetness wins out, though.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: It’s always fun when you put the most expensive contestant up against the least expensive one and the fight turns out to be a good one. I always root for the underdogs (maybe that’s why I’m a fan of Minnesota Gophers football). And if I had known which was which, there would have been the temptation to convince myself that the underdog was the winner. But that’s why we do blind tastings. As it is, I really liked both. As I said when I was doing the tasting, both of these stood out when compared to the others we had tasted. Maybe with another opponent, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond would have come out on top, but not this time.

Winner: George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond (No. 4) is advancing to round 2.

IMAGE: The Brackets so far showing George Dickel Bottled in Bond Advancing

10th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: New Riff Bourbon vs. Old Grand-Dad Bonded

Those o…

Those of you that have been following along know that this is the third competition of Round 1. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2023 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 2’s Number 2 seed New Riff Bourbon taking on Number 3 seed Old Grand-Dad Bonded.

New Riff Bourbon is the flagship product of Northern Kentucky’s New Riff Distillery. As with most, if not all, of their products, this is a bottled-in-bond product that has not been chill-filtered. It was distilled in the Cincinnati suburb of Newport, KY at New Riff’s distillery DSP-KY-20016. It was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN. It cost $41.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $2.80 per pour.

Their opponent is probably my personal favorite expression of Jim Beam’s “High-Rye” bourbon line-up. I even like it a little more than Old Grand-Dad 114 proof these days. Old Grand-Dad Bonded was distilled in Clermont, KY at Jim Beam’s distillery DSP-KY-230. This was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN. It cost $21.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.47 per pour.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all from before we knew what was what. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and could have influenced the perceptions of one another.

Whiskey A (New Riff Bourbon)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $2.80

Details: 50% ABV. Non-Chill Filtered

Nose: Sweet and fruity with notes of spearmint, toffee, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy with notes of cinnamon, red fruits, vanilla, and caramel.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of cinnamon, fruit, and vanilla.

Whiskey B (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Vanilla, toasted grains, and mint.

Mouth: Toasted grains, oak, vanilla, caramel, and mint.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of caramel, toasted grains, and oak.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is a close one, but the depth of flavor in "A" pushes it ahead of the competition. The toasted grain notes are nice, but I'm really digging the sweet, fruity notes of "A". “A’s” finish is nicer too.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: I’m always surprised when Old Grand-Dad does well in these things. And then I get surprised by my surprise. I mean, I like Old Grand-Dad. I buy it three or four times a year in one of its various expressions. I don’t know why I get surprised when it puts up a good fight against more expensive competition. That said, I am in love with this bottle of New Riff. Which reminds me, I need to make a note to buy more New Riff.

Winner: New Riff Bourbon is advancing to round 2.

IMAGE: The Brackets so far showing New Riff advancing

10th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: Old Forester 1897 vs. Old Tub

Those o…

IMAGE: The Front labels of Old Tub and Old Forester 1897

Those of you that have been following along know that this is the second competition of Round 1. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2023 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 2’s Number 4 seed Old Tub taking on Number 1 seed Old Forester 1897.

Old Forester 1897 is part of Old Forester’s Whiskey Row line of Bourbons. This one was named for the 1897 Bottled-in-Bond Act (if you want a poster I designed around the text of the act, click here) and as you might have guessed from the context is a bonded bourbon. It was distilled in Louisville, KY at Brown-Forman’s distillery DSP-KY-354 (at one time known as the Early Times Distillery). It was bottled at Brown-Forman’s distillery DSP-KY-414. It was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN. It cost $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $3.33 per pour.

And their opponent is currently the replacement to Jim Beam Bonded in the Jim Beam brand line-up. Old Tub is a bottled-in-bond, unfiltered bourbon that has been named after the brand the the Beam family made before they started producing Jim Beam branded products. It was distilled in Clermont, KY at Jim Beam’s distillery DSP-KY-230. This was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN. It cost $20.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.40 per pour.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all from before we knew what was what. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and could have influenced the perceptions of one another.

Whiskey A (Old Tub)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.40

Details: 50% ABV. Unfiltered.

Nose: Floral mint and oak.

Mouth: Spicy. Vegetal. Floral.

Finish: Medium length and warm. Notes of Cinnamon, dusty oak, and a touch of dried grains.

Whiskey B (Old Forester 1897)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Herbal mint, caramel, and vanilla.

Mouth: Floral vanilla, caramel, and baking spice.

Finish: Medium length and warm with notes of caramel, mint, and cinnamon.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: At the first sip of "B," I knew it was the winner. "A" is a good whiskey, but "B" lands right in the flavor profile that I love: sweet with lots of baking spice. "B" also has a wonderful mouth feel. It coats the month and throat beautifully.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Another nice matchup. For the first time since we started these brackets, I knew that it was highly unlikely that there would be a “bad” whiskey in the bunch. I mean, Bonded bourbon is the gold standard for a reason. And that reason is no additives or shortcuts. You gotta just let nature do its thing for at least four years. That said, I would have been very surprised to see Old Tub beat Old Forester 1897. And things worked out as expected in this round.

Winner: Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond is advancing to round 2.