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.
There are all kinds of celebrity spirits out there. Some are started by celebrities – with a lot of help from people who know what they’re doing – and others are more collaboration. Obviously, Wild Turkey Longbranch is owned and distilled by Wild Turkey, by way of the Campari Group. It is, however, crafted by…
There’s a huge supply of MGP rye whiskey available under a number of different brand names – one of which is Rossville Union. Some whiskey drinkers may be tired of sourced MGP bottlings, but there’s a reason MGP is so popular, they make good whiskey. Today, we’re going to figure out if Rossville Union Single…
I’ve been interested in exploring more tequilas, but before I branch out, I want to cover all the basic, popular options. I’ve reviewed Casamigos and Don Julio before, but I want to drink them side by side to see which is better. We’re going to discuss the differences in taste, flavor, and production. Is one…
You may find yourself walking through the aisle of a liquor store when a snowy bottle of Jack Daniel’s catches your eye – a spiced apple punch cider. ‘I wonder if this is good’. ‘I wonder if I can make some fun holiday themed cocktails with this’. Well, that’s precisely what went through my mind….
It comes time to pick up a bottle of tequila for the party. You’re not 20 years old, and you want something decent, or at least something that appears decent. A couple popular options are Casamigos, Patron, and Don Julio. Which would you choose? Which should you choose? In this article, we’re going to discuss…
We all know the different liquors, at least most of us know the main ones. You’ve got whiskey, rum, vodka, tequila. But it’s not really that simple, and what actually separates these? What are the differences between something like tequila from say whiskey? In this article, we’ll discuss the legal differences between whiskey and tequila,…
One of our go-to whiskeys is Clyde May’s Rye, which I reviewed over a year ago now. It also made our list of our 8 Best Whiskeys to use for an Old Fashioned. It’s safe to say that we really enjoy Clyde May’s. Well, now that we have our hands on a bottle of their…
I recently reviewed Widow Jane Paradigm Rye, and I loved it. It was a blend of Widow Jane’s in-house distilled whiskey with MGP and a KY distillery. I liked it so much that I decided to try Widow Jane 10 Year Bourbon – their standard offering, a blend of bourbons aged 10 years. First off,…
I’ve drunken a lot of whiskey in my days, but Japanese whisky is really an untapped category for me. I mean, I’ve had my fair share of American whiskeys and bourbon, I’ve got a long ways to go when it comes to Irish and Scotch whisky, but I’ve only had a few sips of Japanese…
Over a year ago, I reviewed Blue Note Juke Joint Bourbon, and I really liked it. To this day, I recommend Blue Note Juke Joint to people looking for a good ~$30 bottle of whiskey. I have my suspicions that the single barrel version of Juke Joint – Uncut – will be even better. I’m…
Founded in 2012 out of Brooklyn, NY by Daniel Preston, Widow Jane has changed hands a couple of times. The brand was purchased by Samson & Surrey which was then purchased by Heaven Hill.Widow Jane is named after a limestone mine in Rosendale, NY. Their water source is from around the Widow Jane mine that…
I have individually reviewed every Johnnie Walker from Red Label to Blue Label (Red, Black, Double Black, Green, Gold, 18 Year, Blue). Now, I had an idea of which was best, or at least my favorite. I also had an idea of which was worst, or my least favorite. However, you can’t truly escape your…