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.
I don’t drink as much barrel finished whiskey as I’d like to. Barrel finishing adds to a whiskey, but sometimes the addition is for the better, and sometimes it makes the whiskey worse. Regardless, trying different barrel finished whiskeys is always fun and enjoyable for me. So, today we’re taking a look at Ammunition Rye…
I’m continuing on with my journey to review all of the Johnnie Walker whiskies in their core lineup (with the exception of a few). We’ve reached our 2nd to last whisky in the series, Johnnie Walker 18. What was once Johnnie Walker Gold 18 Year transformed into two whiskies – Johnnie Walker Platinum and Johnnie…
This bottle was supplied to us for a review free of charge. I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible, but a free bottle of whiskey always tastes better than one you pay for. As you can tell, there are a lot of unknowns with the actual spirit that goes into a bottle of Von…
Months ago I reviewed Smooth Ambler’s Contradiction Bourbon. It was a blend between Old Scout, a wholly sourced whiskey, and their in-house bourbon. I liked it enough, but I wanted to try the two whiskeys separately. So, today we’re reviewing Smooth Ambler Old Scout. We’ll touch on all the details next before we jump into…
Elijah Craig is one of the most notable whiskeys on the market. When you say Elijah Craig everyone, even non-whiskey drinkers, knows what you’re talking about. However, they’re likely thinking of Elijah Craig Bourbon, not Elijah Craig Rye. Elijah Craig has been around for hundreds of years, but Elijah Craig Rye was just released in…
Leopold Bros is a Denver based distillery (I live just outside of Denver), and I’ve enjoyed their whiskey a couple times over the years. I’ll be going for a tour of the distillery soon, and will update the article after I do. For now, we’re going to focus on Leopold Bros Small Batch American Whiskey….
Howler Head is a flavored bourbon – a whiskey specialty – that has gotten a lot of attention. Perhaps the main reason is the partnership between Howler Head and Dana White and the UFC. Howler Head is the official whiskey of the UFC, so it certainly receives a lot of screen time. Our goal is…
Let me start by admitting that I purchased this 50ml bottle of Shanky’s Whip for two reasons. The name and the bottle design. The name, Shanky’s Whip, reminded me of something out of Runescape, and the bottle is reminscent of those comics on Bazooka Bubblegum. It was intrgiguing to say the least, so I picked…
Irish Whiskey is definitely a category we tend to overlook here at Barrel & Brew. Most of our reviews are centered around bourbon and other American whiskeys, and when we branch out, it’s usually to Scotch. Yeah, we’ve reviewed Jameson, Tullamore Dew, Bushmills, and Proper Twelve – they’re the powerhouses of Irish whiskey here in…
I love trying whiskey from different states and regions from the US – especially when they are actually distilled in that state and not sourced (not that I have anything against sourced whiskey). I saw Iowa No 9 whiskey sitting on the shelf, and I don’t believe I’d ever had Iowa whiskey before, so I…
When it comes to whiskey, we often think bourbon, scotch, and Irish whiskey. Throw in a little blended Canadian whisky like Crown, and you’ve covered all your bases. Well, not quite. Japanese Whisky has been one of the most popular types of whiskey in the recent years. Today, we’re talking about a “bourbon” – Legent…
I recently reviewed Woodford Reserve Double Oaked and really enjoyed it. As I explained in that review, double oaked whiskeys have been hit and miss for me. After liking Woodford’s expression, I figured I’d try Old Forester 1910, OF’s double oaked expression. Today we’re going to find out which is better: Old Forester 1910 or…