Four Bourbon Contenders: The Road to the Sweet 16 Continues! 

Can a $54 Craft Bourbon Take Down a $200 Kentucky Legend? 🥃 Blind Bourbon Tasting

We are back with another high-stakes Blind Whiskey of the Month tasting! This month, we’re putting four incredible contenders to the ultimate test using our brand-new, data-driven scoring rubric. From a New York-distilled “transplant” bottled at Glenn’s Creek to the highly anticipated 2026 Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked, this lineup is absolutely stacked.

In this episode, Wayne and Rebecca dive deep into the nose, palate, and finish of four mysterious samples. You won’t believe the scores—we actually witnessed a “Mr. Perfect” moment with one of the highest ratings we’ve ever handed out! Does the $200 price tag of the Woodford Double Double Oaked guarantee a win, or will a craft underdog like 5094 Transplant, General Thomas, or Robert’s Reserve pull off the upset?

THE CONTENDERS:

  • 5094 Transplant Bourbon (5094 Distilling/Glenns Creek) – 94.8 Proof
  • General Thomas Bourbon Single Barrel (General Thomas Spirits) – 110 Proof
  • Robert’s Reserve Bourbon (Pauley Hollow Distillery) – 92 Proof
  • Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked (2026) – 90.4 Proof

Stay tuned until the end for the Big Reveal! We break down the math, discuss the “Sweet Sixteen” leaderboard implications, and find out which of these bottles are destined for our Whiskey of the Year tournament.

🥃 OUR NEW SCORING PROCESS: We’ve revamped our scoring to be more transparent than ever. 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 these bottles rank 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/

Connect With Us & Support The Journey! 

🥃 Become a Patron & Get Exclusive Content

🔔 YouTube

📸 Instagram 

👍 Facebook

YOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOL

5094 Transplant Bourbon

  • Classification: Bourbon Whiskey
  • By: 5094 Distilling
  • Distilled in New York
  • Bottled by Glenns Creek Distilling
  • Mash Bill: Four Grain
  • Age: 4 Years (then 3 years in a toasted barrel)
  • Proof: 94.8
  • MSRP: $54

Original Review:

General Thomas Bourbon Single Barrel

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • By: General Thomas Spirits LLC
  • Sourced from a Northern Kentucky distillery
  • Bottled in Newport, KY
  • Mash Bill: Undisclosed
  • Age: 5 Years
  • Proof: 110
  • MSRP: $70

Original Review:

Robert’s Reserve Bourbon

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Distillery: Pauley Hollow Distillery
  • Mash Bill: Four-grain (Corn, Rye, Wheat, and Malted Barley)
  • Barreling: Uses a combination of 10-gallon and 30-gallon barrels with a #3 char.
  • Age: 4 Years
  • Proof: 92
  • MSRP: $50

Original Review:

Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked Bourbon

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Company: Brown-Forman
  • Distillery: Woodford Reserve Distillery
  • Mash Bill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
  • Age: NAS: 5-7 Years in first barrel, then up to 2 years in second barrel
  • Proof: 90.4
  • MSRP: $199.99 (700 ml)

Original Review:

YOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOL

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

NOTE: The spirits in this review were 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.

#Bourbon #Whiskey #BlindTasting #YourBourbonJourney #WoodfordReserve #BourbonReview #WhiskeyGram #KentuckyBourbon #BourbonHunt #WhiskeyTasting #CraftWhiskey #BourbonLife #Distillery #WhiskeyLovers #BourbonCommunity

Bourbon from the Hatfield-McCoy Well? Robert’s Reserve Review

A Pike County Reunion in a Glass: Robert’s Reserve Bourbon Review

What happens when you mix the legendary water of the Hatfield-McCoy feud with one of the most prestigious names in bourbon history? You get Robert’s Reserve from Pauley Hollow Distillery.

In today’s episode, we’re tasting a bottle that is deeply personal. Pauley Hollow, the first legal distillery in Pike County, Kentucky, uses water drawn from the original Randall McCoy family well. But there’s a twist—Wayne’s ancestors, the McBrayers, lived on this same soil and were titans of the 19th-century whiskey world.

This is more than just a bourbon review; it’s a journey back to Wayne’s roots in Eastern Kentucky. We dive into the unique 4-grain mash bill, the use of rare Cypress wood fermenters, and how small-barrel aging (10 and 30-gallon) creates a “Sith Lord” level of dark, rich complexity in a 4-year-old spirit.

Does the 92-proof Robert’s Reserve live up to the McBrayer legacy? Let’s find out.

Connect With Us & Support The Journey! 

🥃 Become a Patron & Get Exclusive Content

🔔 YouTube

📸 Instagram 

👍 Facebook

YOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOL

✴️ Robert’s Reserve

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Company: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Distillery: Pauley Hollow Distillery (Forest Hills, KY)
  • Distillation: They utilize 300-gallon cypress wood fermenters and a 150-gallon cypress pot still with a stainless/copper hybrid column.
  • Mash Bill: Four-grain (Corn, Rye, Wheat, and Malted Barley)
  • Barreling: Uses a combination of 10-gallon and 30-gallon barrels with a #3 char. Smaller barrels are often used by craft distilleries to accelerate the interaction between the wood and the spirit.
  • Age: 4 Years
  • Proof: 92
  • MSRP: $50

YOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOL

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

❓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.

#BourbonReview #PauleyHollow #PikeCounty #KentuckyBourbon #WhiskeyTasting #HatfieldAndMcCoy #RobertsReserve #CraftDistillery #BourbonJourney #KentuckyHistory #BourbonCon #WhiskeyHeritage #FourGrainBourbon #BourbonLover #KentuckyStraightBourbon