If you are planning on making a trip to the Bourbon trail this week or next, you might want to call ahead to make sure they are open. Kentucky is experiencing days of rain, causing massive flooding. There are numerous roads in Louisville along the river and in Frankfort that are flooded and closed.

I’d like to tour, but must produce a US “style” with corn, rye or wheat majority. Thanks.

Look I been drinking but this one is damn special so I went ahead and took notes. Hope ya’ll enjoying the evening.

Nose: Thick oak, damp tobacco, orange peel, dusty shelf, autumn spice or some shit, ginger snap, sautéed mushrooms, really an eclectic nose it’s got huge character

Palate: Oily, peppery, sweet and leathery, citrus builds with oak, intense, bright bordering on pixie stick sweetness. Huge palate.

Finish: sweet, spicy, longgggg

Yeah it’s special. Drink it if you got it.

9/10 T8ke scale

I purchased this last year.

Price: $115

Nose: a little ethanol first. Very caramel. Oak. Not too complex, but pleasant. A little peanut. Some mint.

Palate: Decent mouthfeel, caramel and oak forward. Some herbal notes, minty.

Finish: very woody, medium length. Ok finish overall, but nothing special.

Rating: 6.5

If you like very oak forward bourbons, this would be for you. I personally think the oak flavor dominates too much, but it's still a solid pour.

Scale

1.0-1.9 Undrinkable (Gold bar cognac cask)

2.0-2.9 Bad (Gold bar)

3.0-3.9 Poor (High West Prarie Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle 23yr)

4.0-4.9 Below Average (Old Overholt, Dickel 15 yr, Weller SR)

5.0-5.9 Average (Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, Blanton's)

6.0-6.9 Above Average (Jimmy Russel 70th, Redemption 9yr, E.H. Taylor Seasoned Oak)

7.0-7.9 Very Good (Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph, Sagamore 9yr rye, Jack Daniel's SBBP)

8.0-8.9 Great (William Larue Weller(2019), Pappy Van Winkle 15yr, Double Eagle Very Rare, William Heavenhill 14yr)

9.0-9.9 Excellent (Thomas H. Handy (2010), George T. Stagg (2008, 2019), Four Roses LE (2016, 2023), Willet Purple Top 14 yr)

10.0 Perfect (Michter's 20)

Verdicts Explained

• Special Occasions: Rare, special pours that go well and above. Something you pour to celebrate.
• Treat Yourself: Obligatory weekend pour. Worth having on hand at all times if possible.
• Daily Drinker: Affordable, available and tasty. Could have every day and be perfectly content.
• Penseur Pour: Puzzling pours that won’t be to everyone’s liking.
• Trophy Bottle: Something to show off more than anything. Likely allocated and overpriced.
• Cocktail Request: Shines best in a cocktail, as opposed to neat or on the rocks.
• Good If Affordable: Only worth buying if the price comfortably fits within the budget.
• Serve to Guests: Something accessible that you don’t mind sharing or parting ways with. Likely belongs in a decanter.
• Couch Pour: Something enjoyable enough, but ideal for drinking while doing another activity (movies, TV, games, etc.).
• Find a Mixer: Grab the Coke or Sprite and relax.
• Drain Pour: No. You deserve better.

Link to blog post: https://thewhiskeyramble.com/2025/04/05/13th-colony-15th-anniversary-scoresheet-review/

More scoresheets available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpiritScoresheets/

13^th Colony has become one of the most talked about fresh faces in the American whiskey scene. Founded in Americus, GA, the distillery’s namesake refers to the Province of Georgia between 1732 and 1782, the last of the British colonies that supported the American Revolution. Although 13^th Colony as a brand was established in 2009, it wasn’t until 2022 that interest in the producer lit up like wildfire, squarely thanks to its Double Oaked expression. Between the opaque liquid color and rave reviews (mostly from WhiskeyTube), the hype machine was in full swing for the Georgia name.

Yet aspects of both the whiskey and the operation behind it also drew scrutiny. The primary pain points boiled down to the lack of “straight” on the label, the omission of a distilling source, and the suspected use of additives. Inquiries and subsequent responses from the distillery proved to be…less than enlightening. Although future 13^th Colony whiskeys will likely start bearing the straight whiskey designation, there remains a hazy air surrounding the brand.

I also have my share of skepticisms surrounding 13^th Colony, but I’d be lying if I said the portfolio doesn’t intrigue me. The distillery’s products just recently started showing up in my local market, and one that I was surprised to come into was their 15^th Anniversary bourbon release. Comprised of 25 barrels (distilling source and mash bill undisclosed) selected by Master Distiller Graham Arthur, 13^th Colony 15^th Anniversary was limited to just 3,330 bottles. Unsurprisingly, the paltry online allocations vanished as soon as they appeared, no doubt riding the coattails of Double Oaked’s popularity. This is despite a rather intimidating MSRP of $169.99.

One final note I’d like to emphasize is that, like Chattanooga’s Founder’s line, the 15^th Anniversary doesn’t mean the whiskey is 15 years old. In fact, the whiskey is reported to be aged 8 years and 9 months. The bottling strength also comes just under hazmat at 69.6% ABV. I mention the aging aspect because I’ve seen this bottle brought up in online discussions and referred to as “13^th Colony 15-Year,” which to me reads like declaring the whiskey as being aged for 15 years. This may just be semantics, but I felt compelled to mention it.

Nose: Butterscotch, Flan, Burnt Sugars, Salted Toffee

Pungent, Indulgent, Buttery

Palate: Salted Caramel, Crème Brulee, Molasses, Burnt Bacon

Dense, Rich, Strong

Finish: Flan, Caramel Sauce, Bacon Grease, Latte

Medium, Bitter, Musty

If 13^th Colony 15^th Anniversary is intended as a goal post of sorts for the brand’s future, then I’d say it’s lofty, but not unrealistic. The overall profile and ensuing experience hit me like Jack Daniel’s 12-Year Batch 1, which is appropriate, because both bottles left me saying, “this is really good; just not THAT good.” One reason is that I get a savory aftertaste matched with a bitter sensation not unlike most Old Forester products. Those who know me will realize this borders on being a crippling blow, depending on the whiskey. Furthermore, that savory sensation I get here? I got it in spades on 13^th Colony’s second Double Oaked release. And to put it bluntly: I hated it (both the sensation and product).

The good news is that the 15^th Anniversary release does a much better job mitigating these shortcomings, to the point that I enjoyed the pours I had with few qualms to speak of. I also understand why this release won over those who tried it—certainly more than I understand Double Oaked’s acclaim. I just don’t think it’s worth going nuts over.

Went in to my local liquor store for some beer and noticed this beauty on the shelf for only a little more than MSRP, so I just had to get it! 19 year wheated Kentucky bourbon, and they threw in a Stagg 24D for MSRP? Heck yeah!

Cracked it immediately when we got home and threw out the stupid box. I was initially thinking disappointment would be within due to the relatively low 100 proof, and mixed reviews, but oh boy was I so wonderfully wrong.

Setup: Rested for 15 minutes in a Nolan glass with a small washed piece of ice. We prefer our whisky slightly lower than room temperature.

Nose: Wow this is intense. Caramels, musty oak, vanilla, sweet icing, candied fruits, even more musty oak.

Taste: Sweet tea, sweet icing, candied fruit, with spice & oak intermingling with the icing. This is intense, but zero hint of ethanol. Sweet, but not overly so, and the spice and oak keeps everything in check.

Finish: Waves of icing and vintage oak through to a medium finish. There’s an interesting feeling of “lifting freshness” on the finish which I can’t quite pinpoint and haven’t experienced with other ultra-aged whiskies.

Honestly I had a really hard time deciding on the final rating considering the Brook Hill 10yr I last reviewed was so incredible and worthy of a 10/10. I feel that if HH went with the 107 proof they initially considered it would’ve increased the overall mouthfeel & viscosity, and ultimately length of the finish. Therefore the HH19 is not perfect, but damn close. Final Score: 9.5/10

Final thoughts: I might prefer this to the two WLW I’ve tried: 2012 (at Old Lightning) and 2023 (I own). Both were incredible but were little hot, and were just suckers for musty oak. I’ll have to do a side by side.

Shoutout: If others have other HHHC batches, would love to exchange samples, especially the famous 17 year batch!

My friend brought this to share.

Price: $140

Nose: some caramel, mustyness, some kind of old oak note, cherry, apple, a little bit of ethanol, but not much.

Palate: pretty watery, mouth feel is thin. Dominated by herbal notes like mint, dill, etc. some caramel, but not overly sweet. Some spice in the back palate.

Finish: very little finish, short. Mostly oak dominated with some dark chocolate.

Rating: 6.0

The nose is pretty nice on this, and it has decent flavor on the palate. The mouth feel really let's it down along with the lack of a finish. The palate is too watery.

I wouldn't pay anywhere close to $140 for this. It's not bad by any means, but it's overpriced.

Scale

1.0-1.9 Undrinkable (Gold bar cognac cask)

2.0-2.9 Bad (Gold bar)

3.0-3.9 Poor (High West Prarie Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle 23yr)

4.0-4.9 Below Average (Old Overholt, Dickel 15 yr, Weller SR)

5.0-5.9 Average (Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, Blanton's)

6.0-6.9 Above Average (Jimmy Russel 70th, Redemption 9yr, E.H. Taylor Seasoned Oak)

7.0-7.9 Very Good (Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph, Sagamore 9yr rye, Jack Daniel's SBBP)

8.0-8.9 Great (William Larue Weller(2019), Pappy Van Winkle 15yr, Double Eagle Very Rare, William Heavenhill 14yr)

9.0-9.9 Excellent (Thomas H. Handy (2010), George T. Stagg (2008, 2019), Four Roses LE (2016, 2023), Willet Purple Top 14 yr)

10.0 Perfect (Michter's 20)

Blood Oath Pact 11 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Anejo Tequila Barrels

Produced by Lux Row Distillers

Blended by John Rempe

The source and mashbills of the Kentucky bourbons are undisclosed

The blend: 14 year ryed bourbon 10 year wheated bourbon 7 year ryed bourbon finished in Añejo tequila barrels

Luxco owns Blood Oath and El Mayor tequila. I assume the finishing casks are El Mayor Añejo

El Mayor is distilled by Destiladora Gonzalez Lux (DGL), located just outside the city of Arandas in Jalisco, Mexico

The Gonzalez family has making tequila for more than 150 years going back to Destiladora Gonzalez Gonzalez (DGG)

El Mayor Añejo won Double Platinum at the 2024 ASCOT Awards

Proof: 98.6

Launch date: April 26 at the Lux Row Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky

The official launch of Blood Oath Pact 11 will include a total allocation of 51,000 bottles, 1,400 of which will be held for a future Trilogy release.

MSRP: $130

Nose: Honey. Almond butter. Burnt orange peel. Green bell pepper. Dusty corn.

Palate: Vanilla. Black pepper. Chili powder. Unripe plum. Lime zest. Thick mouthfeel.

Finish: Black currants. Unsweetened cocoa powder. Roasted sweet potato.

I get that people love to hate on Blood Oath and tequila finishes, but Pact 11 definitely works. I have no complaints. It seems that most tequila finishes involve younger whiskey, while Pact 11 is packing good age… and only a portion of the overall blend has been finished. The amount of tequila influence on the well-aged bourbon feels right. On top of it all, the mouthfeel is really nice! This is one of the better Blood Oath releases.

Honestly… with as much as I like Blood Oath Pact 11, it gives me hope for Booker’s The Reserves Batch 2025 finished in tequila casks.

Sample provided for review by Lux Row Distillers

Rating: 7  

Rebel Cask Strength Store Pick a Review (120 Proof) – Caramel Candy on Fire Price Paid: $45
TL;DR: Dessert-forward, hot on the nose, sweet on the tongue, long warming finish. The warming is long due to the heat and not necessarily the type bold flavors that stick to your tongue. A solid value play at $45, even if it doesn’t quite reach legendary status.

Preface:
Tasted in a Glencairn, but no—I didn’t wait an hour for it to “open up.” I gave it a respectful 5-minute swirl session. Look, if you’re out here letting your bourbon breathe for 60 minutes, you either have too much free time or the patience of a monk. I’m just trying to live my life and get to sipping.

Nose:
Caramel and toffee right up front, like a dessert tray trying to kill you with kindness. But don’t get too cozy—there’s a good whack of ethanol that reminds you this is a 120 proof rebel. It’s hot. Every sniff stings just a little, but not in a bad way. You’ll catch some dried fruit—prunes, raisins—if you go looking, but they’re more background singers than headliners. Was hoping for more oak or deeper aged notes, but the wood was playing hard to get.

Palate & Finish:
Sweet on entry, then a long and warming finish that kind of tingles your tongue like a marshmallow left too long over the fire. Mouth-drying, tongue-tingling, and just bold enough to make you say “whoa” out loud. It doesn’t evolve much from first sip to last, but what it does, it does with confidence. And maybe a little attitude.

Final Thoughts:
I like to judge bourbon against Eagle Rare—mainly because it’s easy to get in California and it’s a solid, dependable pour. Compared to Eagle Rare, this Rebel pick is louder, hotter, and sweeter. But for a 120 proof cask strength, I was hoping for a bit more concentrated flavor and complexity. That said, $45 for cask strength? That’s hard to argue with in today’s market.

Score: 8/10 (factoring in the price—without the value play, maybe closer to a 7)

Verdict:
If you like high-proof bourbon that leans sweet and don’t mind a little heat, this is a fun one. Not life-changing, but definitely not a regret. Would I buy again? Probably, especially if I’m in the mood for something strong and sweet that doesn't water down my cocktail.

https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/garrard-county-distilling-company-halts-production-owes-more-than-2-000-000-in-liens-unpaid-property-taxes

https://www.kentucky.com/lexgoeat/bourbon/article303396986.html

Review #: 06

Bottle: Knob Creek 12

Proof: 100 proof

Age: 12 years

Price: $70

Background: I’ve been waiting for this bottle to restock at my local liquor store and it finally came back. This one was a no brainer to open and enjoy once I got it home. I’ve got friends who have hyped it up and I figured I had to try the 12 before I buy the 18 because I’ve heard the 12 is better from some (18 has been in stock for months but 12 has been out of stock since Christmas).

Nose: Honey Graham Cracker, Brown Sugar, Oak, Peanut Butter, and Vanilla

Palate: Medium Thick Viscosity, the Oak comes out strong with some spice, you can taste the age on the bourbon, Vanilla, and Honey Graham Cracker closes it out

Finish: Really sits in your mouth with an oily feel, the age and spice stay in the cheeks, Not very long but enjoyable; I think the peanuts from the nose find their way in at the end of the finish

Thoughts: Overall, this is a solid pour that I really enjoyed. The nose is very sweet and enjoyable while the palate is thicker and really shows the age. The finish isn’t long but it’s very enjoyable with the spices coming out. I’ve really enjoyed this pour but debated where it stands on my scale. It’s taken me a couple pours to really decide where I rank this bourbon and I think it’s landed in the top place of my reviews so far.

Score: 8.0

Intro: So Fall/Winter 2024 saw a crazy rush to hunt down bottles of Russell's Reserve 10 with the laser code LL/ME after David Jennings (Rare Bird 101) speculated that there was possibly leftover Russell's 15 added to the mix. Since that time, Bruce Russell has come out to confirm that there was some special juice in that batch, but that it wasn't RR15. Since I was ready to kill one bottle of RR10 (LL/MB), I figured it was time to crack open the LL/ME bottle I had (although mine is a LL/ME19 - not the LL/ME17 or 20 that's been raved about) and compare the two to see if there was any merit to this laser code jibber jabber. So let's get into it!

Tale of the Tape
Bottle 1: Russell's Reserve 10 (LL/MB)
Bottle 2: Russell's Reserve 10 (LL/ME)
Proof: 90 / Age: 10 years
Mashbill: 75% Corn / 13% Rye / 12% Malted Barley
Bottle Price: $45 / Price per 1.5oz serving: $2.65

Impressions
Bottle 1 (LL/MB)
Nose:  Molasses / nougat / apricot / honey
Palate: Cinnamon / nuttiness / cherry / honey
Mouthfeel: Moderate
Finish: Medium cherry

Bottle 2 (LL/ME)
Nose:  Toasted oak / faint leather / grape / toffee
Palate: Cinnamon / chocolate / leather / honey / cherry
Mouthfeel: Moderate
Finish: Medium cherry

Ratings - t8ke scale (modified to include half-points)
Bottle 1 (LL/MB): 5.5/10
Bottle 2 (LL/ME): 5.5/10

Tasting Notes: Bottle 1 was pleasant with your typical bourbon notes on the nose and some slight ethanol that wasn't as present in Bottle 2. The flavor profile on Bottle 2 definitely had some notes that I associate with higher proof/older bottles like the chocolate/leather, as well as a muted ethanol/spiciness to both the nose/palate compared to Bottle 1.

Final Thoughts: Do I think the ME was better than the MB? Yes. Do I think it was that much better that it should be bumped up to a 6? No. To me there wasn't enough of a separation between the two, to warrant moving one up to a higher tier. One thought is that since my MB had plenty of time to open up, it "closed the gap" to a fresh cracked ME. To test this theory, I compared my MB bottle to a fresh cracked MB bottle someone else had, and mine was noticeably tastier. I also tried to be as thorough as I could with this comparison by repeating it several times, on consecutive days, and alternating which bottle I started with so for now I'm satisfied with my findings. I'll revisit the ME later when its had some time to open up and see how it evolves. In the end, Russell's Reserve 10 remains a delicious daily sipper at a fantastic price point, and a great gateway to the upper tier expressions that Russell's has to offer.

 Swing by IG and say hey

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists
5 | Good | Good, just fine
6 | Very Good | A cut above
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional
9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect