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 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…
We are continuing our mission to review all of the Johnnie Walker Labels with the goal of doing a blind taste test at the end to determine which is the best Johnnie Walker. After reviewing Red, Black, Double Black, and Green, we are now at Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve. Following this review, we’ll have…
Double Oaked Bourbon is very hit and miss here at Barrel & Brew. We’ve had one that we loved (Sagamore Spirits Double Oaked), one or two that we thought were solid, and a couple we didn’t like at all. We’ve always appreciated Woodford, so we figured we’d put Double Oaked bourbons to the test with…
Ezra Brooks is a fairly popular name in the world of bourbon. It’s not Jack Daniel’s, Woodford, Jim Beam, or any of the other big names, but it’s still well known. Personally, I’ve seen Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Bourbon 1000 times on liquor shelves, and I’ve glanced over it without a second thought 999 times….
I’ve reviewed regular ol’ Jack Daniels, Jack Daniels Single Barrel Select, and JD Bonded, but I’ve never covered Gentleman Jack. It’s my Dad’s go-to whiskey drink, so I’ve had my fair share of it, which is possibly why I’ve passed on it when it comes to my reviews. We’re going to cover the tasting notes…
I’ve been living around the Denver area for a couple years now, and I’m not but 20 minutes away from Downslope Distilling in Centennial, CO, but I’d never been to their distillery. I’ve had their whiskey once or twice throughout the years, but I figured it was time to stop in and really check out…
While Garrison Brothers was the first legal distillery in Texas, founded in ’05-’06, it’s really been the last couple years that Garrison Brothers Bourbon has become more notable and widespread. I’ve seen it all over the shelves of different liquor stores, but I’ve continually passed on it due to the ~$80 price tag. Well, that…
I love drinking a new whiskey, that’s one of the reasons I review so many. I like seeing how seemingly similar whiskey can taste so different. I also like trying completely different whiskies and enjoying their vast differences. Cask finished whiskey is another fun way to experiment with whiskey. Which brings me to today’s review……..
I’ve previously reviewed Johnnie Walker Red, Black, and Double Black, so now it’s time to move on the a review of Johnnie Walker Green Label. My goal is to review the whole series and have a blind tasting to figure out which is best. However, that takes quite a little money, so we’ll get to…
As current residents of Colorado, we like to check out some locally produced whiskey to review. We recently purchased a bottle of 477 Distilling Rye Whiskey, a blended rye out of Greeley, CO. There are a lot of distilleries we really like out of Colorado, our favorite being Laws Whiskey House, but we also enjoy…
The world of whiskey, or whisky, can be a confusing one, so we’re here to make things a little easier for you. We have some guides on the different types of whiskey and the specific types of bourbon you’ll see, but we’re going to cover two types of whiskey in particular – rye vs bourbon….
A couple months ago I reviewed Hornitos Plata Tequila, and it was almost really good, but just a little off. Some people had recommended I try Hornitos Black Barrel, one of their añejo offerings, instead. Well, I recently decided to give it a try because I was looking at making some tequila old fashioneds. If…