Don’t Buy An Old Jett Finish Until You Watch This

Four for Tuesday! On this episode of Your Bourbon Journey, Wayne and Rebecca dive into an incredible “Curiosities & Wood” flight featuring four unique expressions of The Old Jett Brothers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, Kentucky.

Known for their traditional sweet-mash, double pot-distilled approach and exceptional flavor profiles, Royce Neeley and the team have crafted some of the most adventurous barrel finishes in craft whiskey. From fortified and dry European wine casks to Mexican Sotol and multi-use hybrid wood, we break down the nose, palate, and finish on each pour to crown a unanimous favorite for our monthly blind whiskey competition.

Featured Flight Details:

๐Ÿ‡๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿฏ Old Jett Finished in White Port Barrel

๐Ÿท๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Old Jett Finished in Amarone Wine Barrel

๐ŸŽ†๐ŸŒต๐Ÿ’ฅ Old Jett Finished in Sotol Barrel (America’s 250th Anniversary Edition) 

๐Ÿชต๐Ÿฅง๐Ÿ‚ Old Jett Finished in Brandy Amburana Rye Hybrid Cask

Which of these wild barrel finishes would you try first? Let us know in the comments below!

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๐ŸŽ“ Want to earn a FREE Whiskey Certificate? Start your bourbon education journey with Whiskey University today! Take your first steps here: https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/first-steps

โŒYOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOLโŒ

The Old Jett Brothers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a White Port Barrel

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Finished)
  • Distillery: Neeley Family Distillery (DSP-KY-20039 โ€” Sparta, KY)
  • Mash Bill: Sweet-Mash Wheated Bourbon
  • Age: NAS (Primary maturation ~4โ€“5 years + 28 months secondary finishing; fortified wine)
  • Proof: 107 (53.5% ABV)
  • Purchased 07/24/26 for $100 at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, KY

The Old Jett Brothers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Amarone Wine Barrel

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Finished)
  • Distillery: Neeley Family Distillery (DSP-KY-20039 โ€” Sparta, KY)
  • Mash Bill: Sweet-Mash High-Rye Bourbon
  • Age: NAS (Primary maturation ~4โ€“5 years + 11 months secondary finishing; dry red wine cask)
  • Proof: 106.4 (53.2% ABV)
  • Other: Finished in European Italian Amarone red wine casks.
  • Purchased 07/24/26 for $100 at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, KY

The Old Jett Brothers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sotol Barrel

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Finished)
  • Distillery: Neeley Family Distillery (DSP-KY-20039 โ€” Sparta, KY)
  • Mash Bill: Sweet-Mash High-Rye Bourbon
  • Age: NAS (Primary maturation ~4โ€“5 years + 19 months secondary finishing; botanical / agave-adjacent spirit finish)
  • Proof: 112.4 (56.2% ABV)
  • Other: Finished in casks previously holding Mexican Sotol spirit (distilled wild Dasylirion plant).
  • Purchased 07/24/26 for $100 at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, KY

The Old Jett Brothers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Brandy Amburana Rye (Cask)

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Finished)
  • Distillery: Neeley Family Distillery (DSP-KY-20039 โ€” Sparta, KY)
  • Mash Bill: Sweet-Mash High-Rye Bourbon
  • Age: NAS (Primary maturation ~4โ€“5 years + 48 months / 4 years secondary finishing; exotic wood and fruit brandy hybrid)
  • Proof: 103 (51.5% ABV)
  • Other: An extended 4-year finish in hybrid casks that conditioned both fruit brandy and Brazilian Amburana oak.
  • Purchased 07/24/26 for $100 at Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta, KY

๐ŸšจREMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY๐Ÿšจ

โ“Questionsโ“ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

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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Ultimate Blind Bourbon Tasting: July Whiskey of the Month!ย 

Welcome to the JULY BLIND WHISKEY OF THE MONTH SHOWDOWN! ๐Ÿฅƒ๐Ÿ”ฅ

In this episode, we put five incredible Straight Bourbon Whiskeys to the ultimate blind taste test. From rare cask finishes and double-Italian wine cask experiments to heirloom blue corn mash bills and heavy-hitting barrel proofs, this lineup is packed with power and flavor!

Can an underdog craft bourbon take down legacy titans, or will a legendary barrel proof beast sweep the rankings? Watch to find outโ€”no bias, no label influence, just pure palate evaluation!

OUR FIVE CONTENDERS (in alphabetical order): 

  • ๐Ÿชต Barrel Bourbon Cigar Blend – The Multi-Cask Powerhouse: A heavy-hitting blend boasting up to 18-year aged whiskey finished across four distinct casks, including Madeira, Armagnac, Rum, and Hungarian Oak.
  • ๐Ÿท Blood Oath Pact 12 – The Italian Wine Experiment: A limited release blending 7, 9, and 12-year bourbons finished in both fruit-forward Montepulciano and savory Sangiovese wine casks.
  • ๐Ÿ’ฅ Bookerโ€™s 2026-02 Milkshake Batch – The High-Proof Beam Beast: A high-octane Kentucky Straight Bourbon sitting at 124.4 proof, aged over 7.5 years and packed with iconic Beam character.
  • ๐ŸŒฝ Glenns Creek Patriotic Meri-COB – The Heirloom Triple-Corn Craft: A unique Kentucky bourbon crafted from a rare 100% heirloom corn mash bill featuring Bloody Butcher Red, Hickory King White, and Hoppi Blue.
  • โ›ฐ๏ธ Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof – The High-Altitude High-Proofer: A 132-proof Colorado-aged monster distilled with a proprietary 4-grain heirloom blue corn mash bill.

๐Ÿ‘‡ Which whiskey do you think took 1st place? Drop your guess in the comments BEFORE the final reveal!

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๐Ÿ“Š SEE THE LIVE LEADERBOARD: Want to see where this bottle ranks against the rest of the field? Check out our real-time leaderboard here: ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/02/27/the-live-leaderboard-road-to-the-sweet-sixteen/

๐Ÿฅƒ OUR SCORING PROCESS: Weโ€™ve revamped our scoring to be more transparent than ever. No more “Redundancy”โ€”just pure, data-driven blind competitions. Read the full breakdown of our new rubric and the “Sweet Sixteen” bracket process on our website: ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/02/27/decoding-the-pour-the-new-your-bourbon-journey-scoring-woty-process/ 


๐ŸŽ“ Want to earn a FREE Whiskey Certificate? Start your bourbon education journey with Whiskey University today! Take your first steps here: https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/first-steps

โŒYOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOLโŒ

๐Ÿฅƒ The July Lineup Competitors (Alphabetical Order):

Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend

  • Classification: Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Madeira, Armagnac, Rum & Hungarian Oak Casks
  • Distillery: Blended & Bottled by Barrell Craft Spirits (KY, IN, TN)
  • Age: 7.5 to 18 Years | Proof: 111.2 (55.6% ABV) | SRP: $84.99

Blood Oath Pact 12

  • Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Double Italian Wine Cask Finish: Montepulciano & Sangiovese)
  • Distillery: Lux Row Distillers (Master Distiller John Rempe)
  • Age: Blend of 7, 9, and 12-Year Bourbons | Proof: 98.6 (49.3% ABV) | SRP: $129.99

Bookerโ€™s 2026-02 “Milkshake Batch”

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Distillery: Jim Beam
  • Age: 7 Years, 6 Months, 12 Days | Proof: 124.4 (62.2% ABV) | SRP: $100.00

Glenns Creek “Patriotic ‘Meri-COB” (Heirloom Collection)

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Distillery: Glenns Creek Distillery
  • Mash Bill: Triple Heirloom Corn (Bloody Butcher Red, Hickory King White & Hoppi Blue)
  • Age: 47+ Months | Proof: 106 (53% ABV) | SRP: $75.00

Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof

  • Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Distillery: Distilled in IN; Barreled, Aged & Bottled by Smokeye Hill Spirits (Colorado Springs, CO)
  • Mash Bill: 4-Grain Heirloom Blue Corn Mash Bill
  • Age: 5 Years | Proof: 132 (66% ABV) | SRP: $89.99

๐ŸšจREMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY๐Ÿšจ

โ“Questionsโ“ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

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.

#WhiskeyOfTheMonth #Bourbon #WhiskeyTasting #BlindTasting #BourbonReview #BloodOathPact12 #BookersBourbon #BarrellCraftSpirits #SmokeyeHill  #StraightBourbon #BarrelProof #CraftWhiskey #WhiskeyGram #BourbonCommunity