Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon

I’d like to thank Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this bottle with no strings attached.

Hello, friends! It’s a lovely rainy day here in Minnesota’s Twin Cities metro area, and I couldn’t be happier! You see, I have a very large outdoor job ahead of me. I need to finish my front flower beds. But today the rain decided to come in early enough that I didn’t have to do any of it. And that makes me happy. My back is still pissed off after moving all the rocks, putting the new edging in, and laying down about half the landscape fabric. It could use the day off.

Instead, I get the opportunity to write about another of the samples that have been piling up in my office. Which is not a bad problem to have, let me tell you. Tonight’s bourbon is from Ross & Squibb and is the sequel to their Remus Babe Ruth Reserve from previous years. This year they are honoring Lou Gehrig, another dominant baseball player from the early 20th century. Because he died of ALS (often known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), Remus Bourbon is also adding a couple of charitable elements to the launch.

Accompanying the launch, Remus Bourbon will donate $9,665, one dollar for each of Gehrig’s career plate appearances, to the Live Like Lou Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding research and supporting families affected by ALS. The brand will also extend the initiative to consumers through a social media campaign, donating an additional dollar for every like and comment on Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve launch content shared via Instagram (@remusbourbon), up to $2,130 in honor of Gehrig’s iconic consecutive games played streak.

But back to the bourbon. This is a blend of four MGP bourbons. The first is a bourbon distilled in 2016 with 44% rye in the mash bill (14% of the blend). Seventy percent is a bourbon distilled in 2017 with 49% rye in the mash bill. And at 8% each are a pair of bourbons distilled in 2019, one with a mash bill containing 99% corn and another with their 36% rye mash bill. The final blend is bottled at 109 proof and carries a suggested retail price of $129.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $129.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.67

Details: 54.5% ABV. Blend of four mash bills: 14% - 44% rye bourbon distilled in 2016, 70% - 49% rye bourbon distilled in 2017, 8% - 99% corn bourbon distilled in 2019, and 8% - 36% rye bourbon distilled in 2019.

Nose: Nutmeg, caramel, mint, and oak.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy with a nice mouthfeel. Notes of caramel, mint, cedar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of caramel, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak.

IMAGE: a hand-drawn smiley face that denotes I like the product.

Thoughts: This is such a delicious bourbon. It's hitting all the notes I want in a bourbon: sweet, spicy, good oak, and a wonderful mouthfeel. I really, really like it. It's going on the special shelf so I don't go through it too fast. If you are one who likes to keep the bottles (like my wife) the bottle is very pretty as well.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Architects of Golf, Hole 3

I’d like to thank Penelope Bourbon and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Close-up of a bottle of Penelope Architects of Golf, Hole 3 bourbon on a weathered wooden deck railing. The label features a stylized golf hole design and notes the bourbon is aged six years and finished with American oak staves.

Good evening, friends! It’s a holiday weekend coming up, and some of you will be out on the golf course as you celebrate your time off. As such, I thought it was thematically appropriate to feature tonight’s bourbon in anticipation of the upcoming holiday.

It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of Penelope whiskeys for about as long as they have been available. There is some top-notch blending going on there. And using MGP stocks as the basis of the blend doesn’t hurt either. In this case, they are featuring the impact of stave finishing on the blend. As the story goes, they came up with the idea for Penelope on the golf course, so they decided to honor that with the naming of this limited-edition series of three bourbons: Hole 1, Hole 2, and Hole 3. The expressions are all bottled at 94 proof, and the suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

The bottle I received was Hole 3. So let’s dig in, shall we?

Penelope Architects of Golf, Hole 3

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 47% ABV. 6 years old.

Nose: Vanilla, bubble gum, mint, caramel, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, mint, caramel, maple, and oak.

Finish: Medium length. Gentle at first, then blossoms after a moment. Notes of almond, cinnamon, chocolate, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face. It denotes that I like the product.

Thoughts: Soft in the mouth. It reminds me a bit of Maker's in terms of mouthfeel. Although it starts off a bit gentle, the spice builds as you sip it. Good flavors of baking spices, mint, and sweet oak-influenced notes of caramel, chocolate, and maple. Overall, I like this one a lot.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Impressions: Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026

I’d like to thank Maker’s Mark and their PR team for sending these samples with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Three still-sealed half filled sample bottles with hand written and abbreviated labels.

Hello my friends! It is time for another Bonus Post. Today is a little different than usual. Normally, even in a bonus post, you get full tasting notes, maybe an anecdote that sorta connects to the whiskey, and some info about the release. Well, as you can see above from the unopened sample bottles, Maker’s Mark didn’t really send enough for us to do a full tasting. In fact, it wasn’t even enough for one of us to do a proper tasting. Not that I’m complaining or anything. I still get the opportunity to share my impressions with you so you can see if it is worth spending the money on when compared to the two standard bourbons the company puts out. First, I’ll post the press release, and then we will get into my impressions of the Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky as compared to Maker’s Mark and Maker’s 46.

LORETTO, Ky., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Maker’s Mark® today announced the highly anticipated second release of Star Hill Farm Whisky, the brand’s first new mash bill and first wheat whisky in 70 years. Awarded World’s Best Wheat Whisky 2026, Star Hill Farm Whisky celebrates the role regenerative agriculture plays to create healthier soil and better flavor. The annual release will be available in Japan and Duty Free this year, as well as in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

“My grandparents built Maker’s Mark on the belief that when we invest in the land, it gives back in flavor,” said Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and managing director of Maker’s Mark. “Star Hill Farm Whisky extends that vision by embracing ingredients sourced from regenerative agriculture. As a proud B Corp and Regenified-certified distillery, we’re helping to define leadership in sustainability for the industry, while working to make Star Hill Farm the most endearing, culturally rich and environmentally responsible homeplace in the world.”

While Maker's Mark has always used the same mash bill to create a consistent and balanced bourbon, Star Hill Farm Whisky evolves each year, revealing how nature impacts flavor. The inaugural release spotlighted soft red winter wheat—the signature grain in Maker’s Mark’s mash bill. The 2026 release introduces hard red and hard white wheat types, demonstrating how grain diversity translates into greater depth of flavor through distillation, maturation and expert blending.

Star Hill Farm 2026 is crafted from two mash bills: one composed entirely of malted wheat, and another of 70% wheat and 30% malted barley. The final blend—27% wheat, 62% malted wheat and 11% malted barley—delivers a darker, more layered aromatic profile, with a rounder structure and amplified fruit notes compared to that of 2025.

“The first release of Star Hill Farm Whisky was bright, approachable and straightforward; this year we’ve dialed up the complexity,” said Dr. Blake Layfield, master distiller at Maker’s Mark. “The 2026 release is a balanced blend of seven and eight-year whiskies bottled at cask strength, evolving from first sip to finish. It opens with aromas of molasses, fig and delicate baking spices, followed by notes of zesty citrus, ripe pear and buttery shortbread, and lingers with a soft cinnamon finish.”

In 2025, Star Hill Farm Whisky became the first to earn Estate Whiskey certification—a designation Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 will carry from the Estate Whiskey Alliance® (EWA), established by the University of Kentucky to highlight local sourcing and sustainable production, and recognize whiskey produced entirely on the distillery estate, using grains grown on estate-owned or controlled land.

Star Hill Farm Whisky expanded Maker's Mark’s ambition to advance regenerative agriculture with last year’s launch of the Maker’s Mark Regenerative Alliance, whose mission is to foster healthier farm ecosystems through education and hands-on support—already helping convert 58,000 acres of conventional farmland to certified regenerative practices. Extending its impact to consumers, the Alliance invites farms, bars and restaurants to adopt regenerative sourcing and operations, and to bring the story to life through menu storytelling and consumer engagement, with more than 14 partners already signed on.

Bottled at 58.2% ABV (116.4 proof), Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 will be available for a suggested retail price of $100 USD. In the United States, the limited release will be available at select retailers nationwide and at the Maker’s Mark Distillery with a bookable experience that includes a guided tour of Star Hill Farm paired with cocktails highlighting flavor from nature.

For more information, visit www.starhillfarm.com or www.makersmark.com.

###

Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026

Purchase Info: This sample was sent at no cost for review purposes. The suggest retail price is $100 per 700 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $7.14

Details: 27% wheat, 62% malted wheat and 11% malted barley. 58.2% ABV.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn neutral face. IT denotes that I don’t like it, but it isn’t objectively bad. It’s just kinda meh.

Impressions and Comparisons: The nose is a bit nuttier than either of the two bourbons. As it is a higher proof, it is showing a bit more alcohol as well. My first sip was a bit astringent, but that faded after a couple of minutes. You can see what corn brings to the table while doing the side-by-side. The 2026 wheat whisky has a thinner mouthfeel and less sweetness than the bourbons, even though it is a higher proof. The proof bump does give it a hotter mouth. At the end, I’ll see if I have enough to try it with a little water. It’s very dry when compared to either of the Maker’s Mark bourbons, almost mouth drying in its dryness. Honestly, with as big of a fan as I am of standard Maker’s Mark, I kinda wanted a little more from this. It is very interesting, but really isn’t aligning with my palate at least not neat. A little water does bring down the heat level and allows more of the flavors of the mouth to come through. There is a little more sweetness and some mint. But it is still quite nutty. I like it a lot better with a little water, but I’m still going to give this one a neutral rating. It’s interesting and it isn’t like I want to spit it out, but I probably wouldn’t drink it for pleasure either. Not sure I can recommend this one unless you are a whiskey geek like I am and want to taste a different whiskey with some of the same DNA as Maker’s Mark without it being bourbon and don’t mind spending over seven dollars per pour to do so.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Taking time off

Hey folks, I just wanted to let everyone know that we had a death in the family this past weekend and am taking the week off to grieve and get my mind in order. Regular posts return next week. Thank you for your understanding.

Eric

Koopers Family Barrel Reserve Rye

I’d like to thank the Texas Whiskey Festival, Koopers Whiskey, and their PR partners for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Kooper Family Barrel Reserve Rye whiskey standing on a weathered wooden deck railing. The white label features a leopard illustration, with a green, leafy backyard softly blurred in the background.

Bonus post time again! We’ll probably be having these for a while as I work through a massive sample backlog. Tonight’s is another winner from the Texas Whiskey Festival, this time the winner of the Rye — Must-Try Bottles category.

Koopers Family Barrel Reserve Rye is a mixture of four- and seven-year-old rye whiskeys that are then put into used bourbon barrels for finishing. Before bottling, toasted oak staves are added to those barrels as a final step. It is bottled at barrel proof and is available on the Koopers Whiskey website for $65 per bottle.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Koopers Family Barrel Reserve Rye

Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no charge for review purposes. It is available on the Kooper's Whiskey website for $65 per bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Nose: Sweet berries, mint, vanilla, cedar, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy, with notes of cedar, mint, cinnamon, and vanilla sugar.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of cinnamon, cedar, caramel, and mint.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face indicating that I like this one.

Thoughts: Long-time readers will know that my wife, and tasting partner, is not a fan of rye whiskey outside of a cocktail. The first words out of her mouth with this were, "Oh, I like this!" So honestly, that sums things up. This is a delicious rye. It is dangerously drinkable neat. Normally, when you get over 110 proof, you're going to want a bit of dilution, but this doesn't need it. In fact, a splash of water actually makes it less enjoyable. All in all, I have to agree with my wife. I really like this one. It’s a delicious rye and well worth the splurge if you’re in the market.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon, 2025

I’d like to thank the Texas Whiskey Festival, Garrison Brothers, and their PR partners for providing this sample with no strings attached.

When you think of great bourbon, who do you think of first? The obvious answer is Kentucky, right? So much so that there are still folks out there who think that it’s the only place that bourbon can be made. But there are folks all over the country these days who are lining up to prove that other states have what it takes as well.

For example, I recently received a couple of samples through the Texas Whiskey Festival. They were promoting the winners of their “Best Texas Whiskey of 2026” competition. I ended up with samples of two of their category winners. We’ll talk about the bourbon today and then hit the rye in a bonus post on Friday, so keep an eye out for that. But before we get into the winner, let’s let the Festival speak for themselves about their contest:

The 2026 Texas Whiskey Festival brought together distilleries from across the state for a night built on discovery, conversation, and shared pours. Through a blind tasting process—removing labels, reputations, and expectations—we set out to identify the bottles that truly stand out in the glass. The goal isn’t just to name the “best,” but to create a clear guide to the must-try Texas whiskeys right now—the ones worth seeking out, sharing with friends, and revisiting long after the festival ends.

So let’s get started with the winner of the category, Bourbon — Must-Try Bottles. The 2025 edition of Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon is a monster at 146.4 proof. It has been aged for six years in the Texas heat and is for sale at the Garrison Brothers website for $249.99. If that name sounds familiar, we last discussed the 2023 edition shortly after it came out, and I enjoyed it, even if it was way too hot to drink neat. This one, being even higher proof, made me excited to take a look at the 2025 edition as well. Let’s see how this one tastes.

Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon, 2025

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no charge by the PR team for review purposes. As of the time of writing, it is available at the Garrison Brothers website for $249.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $16.67

Details: 73.2% ABV. Six years old.

Nose: Caramel, wintergreen, maple, and oak.

Mouth: Holy fuckballs, this is hot! If you get past the proof while still being able to taste anything, you will find notes of dried grain, leather, wintergreen, caramel, maple, and cinnamon.

Finish: Warm and long with notes of dried grain, maple, caramel, and cinnamon.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn neutral face denoting that it isn’t for me, but that others will possiblylove it.

Thoughts: I don't usually comment on the color of a bourbon I write about, but this one is gorgeous. Deep, rich mahogany color. The nose initially had a lot of ethanol notes, but they evaporated off after a few minutes. After that, you started to get sweet notes like maple and caramel, with some oak along for the ride.

The mouth? Dude. A small sip started to numb the tongue. Under the heat it is quite sweet. I wasn't expecting the dried grain notes on something this old. If you like a grain-forward bourbon, this is the one for you. Personally, I don't mind them, but don't seek them out either.

The big story on this one, though, is not the flavor but the proof. And it is as hot as you’d expect at over 140 proof. So I added a bit of water to try to tame it. Oddly, the water seemed to accentuate both the heat and the graininess. This bourbon isn't for me—I'm not a fan of overproof or grain-forward bourbons. You get over 110 proof and I start needing to dilute it too much before I can enjoy it. And if the water doesn’t help, as in this case, I tend to move on. But that is a me problem not a problem with the bourbon.

So, at the end of the day, this doesn't align with my palate but it isn't objectively bad either (as evidenced by the awards it wins), so I'm giving it a neutral rating. It is certainly worth trying a pour if you get the opportunity though at $250, a full bottle is certainly outside my price range these days.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned

I’d like to thanks the folks at Penelope Bourbon and their PR team for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned ready-to-pour cocktail beside a rocks glass filled with the drink over ice and garnished with fresh mint. Photographed outdoors on a wooden deck in warm afternoon sunlight.

Hello my friends! It is time for a bonus post. I was planning to do this yesterday. I always do bonus posts on Friday, but I just plum forgot.

Tonight’s subject is actually something I didn’t plan to review. It was sent along to me by mistake as I had already turned down the sample thinking that you folks might find it a bit outside the norm for the focus of the site. But when it landed on my doorstep, I figured what the heck? I mean I’m not going to force y’all to read this, you are grown adults and can make that decision on your own.

So what is it? Well, it is a premade, bottled, cocktail. You open it up and pour it over ice. And while I know that an Old Fashioned is basically the easiest cocktail to make outside of two ounces of whiskey in a glass, they put a nice spin on it by adding blackberry to the mix. But before we get into the review, let’s let the producer talk about this one since they were nice enough to go through the effort of writing the press release. And since it is Saturday and I want to get back to relaxing.

Crafted for easy enjoyment, from backyard gatherings to relaxed evenings with friends, Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned features a blend of straight bourbon and rye whiskey, orange bitters, and blackberry simple syrup for a vibrant, fruit-forward take on the classic cocktail.

So let’ss ee how this tastes.

Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no cost by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail cost is $29.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.00

Details: 38% SBV

Nose: Strong blackberry with a nice sweetness.

Mouth: Thick and viscous with notes of blackberry syrup, baking spice, and a floral sweetness.

Finish: Strong blackberry

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face that denoted I like the product.

Thoughts: For the tasting notes above, I initially tasted this chilled from the fridge and undiluted as that was one of the ways the bottle mentioned serving it. But because I wanted to make the photo pretty, I also made one with a large chunk of ice and a mint garnish. When neat, I found the Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned to be way too sweet for my tastes. But take that with a grain of salt. Due to my lack of sweet tooth, I tend to use much less than the amount of sweetener that a cocktail recipe recommends. Basically I find every cocktail to be too sweet if I’m not the one making it. In this case, it almost reminded me of Grape Kool-Aid, if it were thicker and had a bit of a kick to it. Now, the pretty version over ice with a garnish was much better. The ice knocked down the sweetness and the mint sprig garnish added freshness to the nose which really enhanced the experience. Even with the added dilution, I still think it was too sweet for me but, if I went to a bar and was served something that tasted just like this, I'd be happy with it. So yeah, I like it. Now, since it is Saturday, I'm going to go enjoy the rest of this drink out on the deck.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.