Welcome to our October 2026 WHISKEY OF THE MONTH blind tasting showdown! 🥃
October was one of our biggest and most diverse tasting months of the entire year—we evaluated 25 different whiskeys across 14 separate tasting sessions. After setting aside our special vintage dusties (like a 1973 Seagram’s Benchmark 6 Year) and allocated legacy projects (such as Starlight’s 10 Year Mizunara Reserve Batch 1, Elijah Craig 21 Year Single Barrel, and Brown-Forman’s Kentucky Boy tribute), we narrowed the field down to 4 absolute powerhouse contenders.
This elite lineup averages 12.25 years of age, 119.38 proof, and $157.25 SRP. But can price and pedigree survive when the labels are stripped away?
THE CONTENDERS (Tasted Completely Blind):
🌹 Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch (109.2 Proof | Blend of 14–23 Yr Bourbons | $249 SRP)
📚 Little Book The Infinite Edition III (118.3 Proof | Blend of Bourbons 7–23 Yrs | $199.99 SRP)
🏛️ MGP Chapter One: Out of the Shadows (111 Proof | 10 Year Straight Bourbon | $69.99 SRP)
🔥 Penelope 18 Year American Light Whiskey (139 Proof | 18 Years in Used Oak | $110 SRP)
Will an ultra-aged limited release take the crown, or will an underdog shake up our Road to the Sweet Sixteen? We pour them neat, mix them up, rate each pour on our 20-point rubric (Nose, Taste, Finish, Wildcard), and reveal our rankings from 4th to 1st place!
Drop your guess in the comments BEFORE the reveal: Which bottle do you think took the top spot?
🔔 Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and ring the notification bell to follow along on the Road to the 2026 Sweet Sixteen and our Whiskey of the Year tournament!
Let us know in the comments: What has been your favorite pour this month? Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the bell so you never miss a review, blind flight, or cocktail guide!
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🥃 OUR SCORING PROCESS: We’ve revamped our scoring to be more transparent than ever. No more “Redundancy”—just pure, data-driven blind competitions. Read the full breakdown of our new rubric and the “Sweet Sixteen” bracket process on our website: 👉 https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/02/27/decoding-the-pour-the-new-your-bourbon-journey-scoring-woty-process/
📊 SEE THE LIVE LEADERBOARD: Want to see where this bottle ranks against the rest of the field? Check out our real-time leaderboard here: 👉 https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/02/27/the-live-leaderboard-road-to-the-sweet-sixteen/
🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨
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NOTE: The spirits in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.
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