Blind Whiskey Taste Test! Unmasking 4 Mystery Drams

April 5, 2025April 5, 2025 / bourbonjourney / Leave a comment

Get ready for a thrilling taste adventure 🚀 into the shadowy world of Blind Barrels! 🕵️‍♂️ In this episode, we’re plunging headfirst into the unknown, blind tasting 👀 and dissecting FOUR ENIGMATIC MYSTERY WHISKEYS! 🥃🥃🥃🥃 Can our palates decipher their secrets? 🤔

Join us as we become whiskey detectives 🔎, meticulously sniffing👃, swirling 🔄, and savoring 😋 each anonymous dram. We’ll delve deep into their intriguing flavor profiles and captivating aromas ✨, piecing together the clues 🧩 to uncover what makes each one truly unique.

The anticipation is building! ⏳ Will we correctly identify their origins? 🌍 Which hidden gem 💎 will steal our hearts (and our taste buds 👅)? And ultimately… which mysterious whiskey will rise above the rest and claim the coveted top spot 🏆 in our ranking?

Prepare for unexpected twists 😲, surprising revelations 🎉, and maybe even a few gasps of delight! 😮 You might just discover your next favorite pour lurking within these blind barrels. Hit play ▶️ now and join the mystery! 😉

Blind Barrels

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Our Original Review – J.T. Meleck Rice Whiskey Tasting: https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2024/08/25/august-2024-j-t-meleck-rice-whiskey-tasting/

Distilleries in this Blind Barrel:

13th Century Whiskey Company – Colorado Springs, CO: https://13thcenturywhiskey.com/
Holladay Distillery – Weston, MO: https://holladaydistillery.com/
J.T. Meleck Distillers – Branch, LA: https://jtmeleck.com/
Rock Town Distillery – Little Rock, AR: https://www.rocktowndistillery.com/

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NOTE: We were not compensated by the spirit producers for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.

Unleash the Flavor: Old Louisville’s Cognac Finished Whiskey!

March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 / bourbonjourney / Leave a comment

In this bourbon review episode, we highlight our recent visit to Old Louisville Whiskey Co, where we enjoyed an incredible barrel thieving experience with owner, Amine Kar. We delve into our exciting purchase from that visit – the 9 Year Old Cognac Finished Straight Whiskey. Join us as we explore this exceptional release, relishing its rich aromas, complex palate, and unforgettable finish. We wholeheartedly recommend adding Old Louisville Whiskey Co to your bourbon journey; make sure to book a tour the next time you’re headed to the Louisville, Kentucky area.

ABOUT THIS BOTTLE

Old Louisville Straight Whiskey Cognac Cask Finish
Classification: Straight Whiskey
Distilled: Indiana
Bottled: Old Louisville Whiskey Co, Louisville KY
Mash Bill: Undisclosed
Age: 9 years
Proof: 106.6
Released: 2025
Other: Uncut, Non-Chill Filtered, Cognac Cask Finished
Purchased: 02/21/25 for $149.99 at Old Louisville Whiskey Co, Louisville KY

Old Louisville Whiskey Co.: https://oldlouisvillewhiskey.com/

AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS (commissions earned):

GLENCAIRN Whiskey Glass, Gift Set of 4: https://amzn.to/4ak8DOR
CairnCaps Bamboo Whiskey Glass Lids – Set of 6: https://amzn.to/4hgIJh0
CairnCradle Whiskey Glass Rack: https://amzn.to/4amLZ8k

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Questions? YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

NOTE: The spirit in this review was 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.

August 2024 Blind Match Up Tasting

August 30, 2024 / bourbonjourney / Leave a comment

August 30, 2024
By Wayne McBrayer

Rebecca and I have been doing tasting over the last year and it’s always fun. Today, I decided to spring on her a mystery tasting that I called “Match Up.” I placed stickers with the number 1 and 2 on the bottom of our Glencairn glasses. Rebecca was instructed to enter the bourbon room, mix them up a bit (so I won’t know either), and bring the glasses out for the tasting. For the notes, we will go with each person’s A (left) & B (right). I looked forward to having a fun and different tasting with my wife.

This will be fun since we don’t even know if we have the same pour in the A or B glass!

Wayne Blind A	Wayne Blind B	Rebecca Blind A	Rebecca Blind B
Aroma: It’s a lot of sweet. I get cherry and cotton candy, maybe a little vanilla – that’s three things I’m getting.	Aroma: Baking spices, there’s a stone fruit, and cinnamon. The nose might be cherry.	Aroma: Caramel cinnamon, maybe a hint of red apple.	Aroma: There are some darker tones in this one. Caramel – almost to a toffee, some wood notes coming through as well as some baking spices such as nutmeg.
Tasted Neat: I get a nuttiness, almost peanut, wood, and not very sweet.	Tasted Neat: I’m getting cinnamon, white pepper, light, brown sugar.	Tasted Neat: Vanilla, not very sweet, cinnamon on the back.	Tasted Neat: There’s a lot of spice on the palate. It does give way to some notes of vanilla & caramel. Very woody and very light on the spice – more like nutmeg and white pepper.
Finish: Finish is a little cinnamon and a little white pepper; short.	Finish: The finish is short.	Finish: The finish is somewhat woody, cinnamon, hints of white pepper, and medium too long.	Finish: Medium in length, oak comes through on the finish as well as white pepper.
General Thoughts: I’m guessing the age is pretty young. I don’t think it’s older than four years. The proof is probably in the 90s. Short finish. Honestly, just OK.	General Thoughts: This is not bad and I get a little bit more on the taste and in the nose than I did the first one. Overall, it’s OK.	General Thoughts: The proof on this one is probably low-mid 90s, maybe 4 years old. I think it’s OK. It’s not overly dynamic. It’s got good flavors, just not a lot of them. It is a decent poor.	General Thoughts: The nose matches the pallet pretty well. Sweet and with little spice. Proof is likely under 100. Young but maybe a bit older than the first one.
	This was Wayne’s winner.		This was Rebecca’s winner.
Wayne’s Blind A = Our Bourbon Journey 2023	Wayne’s Blind B = Rebecca & Wayne 2022	Rebecca’s Blind A = Our Bourbon Journey 2023	Rebecca’s Blind B = Rebecca & Wayne 2022

Ironically, we were tasting the same thing and selected the same winner!!

The Match Up Reveal

The bottles I selected were from Barrels & Billets. It’s located next door to the Louisville Slugger Museum and it’s a place we recommend. It’s fun experience where you can create your own bourbon based on a series of questions regarding your preferences. Our winner was our Rebecca & Wayne 2022 bottle, which has no age statement and is 90 proof.

As I was putting this tasting together, I honestly thought we would end up selecting the Our Bourbon Journey 2023 bottle, which also has no age statement and is 90 proof. I was confident that I had selected the 2023 and was surprised I had selected the 2022. Rebecca was equally as surprised that she selected the 2022 as well. The 2022 represented a sweeter profile while the 2023 was a little more savory and smoky.

It appears on this day, we went back to the future with our pick.

Cheers,
Wayne & Rebecca

Photo by Wayne McBrayer

Bourbon Whiskey Requirements

Bourbon Whiskey: Such whiskeys have all the requirements of bourbon: Made in the U.S, distilled at <= 160 proof, barreled at <= 125 proof, aged in new, charred oak containers, bottled at >= 80 proof. For additional information on bourbon requirements, please read this post – Bourbon Whiskey.

NOTE: The bourbon in this review was purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producers for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.