Final Four Showdown! 🥃 Blind Whiskey of the Year: Battles 13 & 14

The search for the 2025 Whiskey of the Year has reached the ultimate pressure cooker! We started with 16 incredible contenders, and now only four powerhouse bottles remain. In today’s video, we head into the Final Four with two high-stakes blind battles to determine which two whiskeys will punch their ticket to the Championship Round.

It’s the #1 seeds vs. a powerhouse #2 seed that fought its way into the inner circle. Seeding is officially out the window—these pours have proven they belong.

🥃 Today’s Blind Matchups:

• Battle 13 (FA vs FB): One glass brings a “candy store” nose filled with butterscotch and caramel, while the challenger offers a delicate, soft, and sophisticated profile.
• Battle 14 (FC vs FD): A classic “Bourbon lover’s Bourbon” featuring nutmeg and barrel notes goes head-to-head against a complex pour with hints of leather, tobacco, and a “spicy shebang.”

As always, we are 100% blind. We know these are the final four bottles, but we have no idea which is which until the scores are tallied. This episode features some of our most intense debating yet, including a result decided by a razor-thin 0.5-point margin.

✨ Video Highlights:

• The “Confectionary” Nose: Does a sweet, brown sugar profile beat out a delicate, pleasant sipper?
• The Proof Factor: We discuss why proof (ranging from 105 to 110) is becoming a major player in the evaluation.
• A House Divided: Watch Wayne and Rebecca disagree on the flavor vs. finish in a battle that nearly required a tiebreaker.
• The Road to the Finals: Which two bottles are headed back to the shelf, and which two will fight for the crown tomorrow?

📢 Join the Conversation

Looking at the remaining lineup—WH McBrayer Batch 5, Patriotic Meri-COB, Old Louisville Cognac Finish, and Bardstown Discovery 13—who is your money on? Did your favorite make the cut, or was there a major upset?

Don’t miss the Grand Finale tomorrow! We will crown the 2025 winner in our final blind “drink-off.”

🏆 WOTY TOURNAMENT HUB: View the live bracket, match results, and winner scores.16 Bottles. One Champion. No Labels. HERE: https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/01/03/%f0%9f%8f%86-the-definitive-2025-whiskey-of-the-year-bracket/ 

🥃 THE ROAD TO 2025 WOTY: We spent 12 months hunting for the best juice—see our complete selection process and the 100% blind bracket logic on our website: https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/01/01/the-road-to-the-2025-whiskey-of-the-year-the-blind-bracket-revealed/

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NOTE: All spirits in this tournament were purchased by us for the purpose of evaluation. We were not compensated by any producer for reviews or inclusion in this series. These rankings are based solely on our blind tasting scores and the performance of the liquid in the glass throughout the 2025 season.

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