Luke is a Level I Certified Whiskey Specialist with a passion for exploring and unearthing the best whiskeys around. Luke has a preference for Rye whiskeys but has tasted over 250 different whiskeys to date varying from bourbons to scotches. He continues to expand upon his whiskey knowledge by tasting dozens of bottles monthly and reviewing them here on Barrel and Brew as he pursues his Masters of Whiskey certification.
Here at Barrel and Brew, we set out to learn as much as we can about all spirits, beers, wines, and all else alcohol related. Up to this point, we have only focused on spirits, and primarily whiskey, but now we’re going to slowly work our way into wine. We’re going to start with what…
Recently, we wrote a review of Redwood Empire’s Pipe Dream Bourbon, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, we enjoyed it enough to pick up a bottle of their rye whiskey, Emerald Giant, to review. One reason we love Redwood Empire is that they don’t just source whiskey, they also distill their own to add…
Here at Barrel and Brew, we have a love-hate relationship with Scotch. There are some we really like and some that we just really don’t. We haven’t quite acquired a taste for Islay/peated scotch, such as Laphroaig or Ardbeg, but we do tend to like Highland and Speyside whiskies. So, in this review we are…
Let’s set the scene. A couple of weeks ago, my brother, Jake, and I took off on a little road trip. After a few weeks we found ourselves in Nashville, TN for two nights. In-between bar hopping, exploring, and dinner, we had a couple of hours to spare. So, we did like any wise man…
Most of you here are probably familiar with Jim Beam, the largest seller of bourbon in the world, and 2nd largest seller of whiskey in the world behind Jack Daniel’s. However, you may not be familiar with it’s history. Before Jim Beam Whiskey was Jim Beam Whiskey, it was Old Tub Bourbon Whiskey. In 2020,…
Distilling is as much an art as it is a science. A balance of art and science brings more creativity, imagination, and experimentation. It’s also a growing part of the whiskey market. We see it in whiskeys such as Dewar’s cask series. We also see it it in Oak & Eden Whiskey. Oak & Eden…
When we think of different types of liquor, we immediately think of whiskey, tequila, vodka, rum, and gin. It’s not too often that our minds jump to brandy. Why is it that we don’t consume brandy in the same way as other spirits or think of it in the same way? Partly because many people…
Here at Barrel and Brew, our favorite whiskey is undoubtedly rye whiskey; however, most people still fancy their bourbon. As rye is taking over a larger and larger share of the whiskey market, we figured we’d help people out that are looking to get their feet wet. So, we’re bringing you a list of the…
If you’re an avid reader here at Barrel and Brew, you know we like our rye whiskey, especially an MGP rye. So, today we’re bringing another MGP rye review to the table with Templeton Rye Whiskey aged 4 years. Templeton is a very popular brand with an interesting story. We’ll cover the whiskey, their history,…
We are constantly on the search to find new whiskeys to add to our liquor shelf. Even if we don’t like a whiskey, it’s fun to try new stuff from different distillers and regions. While we’ve been expanding our reach, we haven’t ventured to spirits distilled around the pacific northwest. That changes today as we…
My days of drinking vodka involved flavored Svedka and Smirnoff. Granted, those were in my days of when it wasn’t exactly legal for me to be drinking alcohol. I had grown up, a little bit, and moved my way to Absolut and Tito’s, but there wasn’t much else in terms of vodka for me. Present…
Recently, we made the trek to Total Wine instead of our local liquor store. Liquor is a bit cheaper there, and it was time for us to reload our inventory. On our drive out there, we were discussing how a huge part of selling whiskey – especially whiskey sourced from other distilleries – relies on…