Buy some of my creations at BourbonGuyGifts.com

For a few years now, BourbonGuy.com has been supported in two ways. One is by generous one-time gifts through Ko-Fi, Venmo, or PayPal. These are amazingly gratifying to receive because when I get them, I know that someone did it just because they want to support my writing.

But the other way that the site is supported is through my Etsy store: BourbonGuyGifts.com. I make a lot of fun bourbon-themed items. A lot of these, like stickers, came about because I felt the need to flex my creativity in a way that was unconstrained by clients. (I love to be creative. I just get burned out doing it to promote other people’s companies.) But others came about because I wanted something for my own home and realized that it was just as easy to have multiple produced at the same time.

So if you’d like to support the ongoing mission of BourbonGuy.com to share the love of bourbon and show that you can be frugal while doing it, keep reading and see if you find something that you can’t live without. This is only a selection of the items I’ve made for sale, but they are my favorites.

The first item that I want to show off is the thing that got me interested in making an online store in the first place. My wife needed a tasting journal in which to keep the copious notes that we make in preparation for each week’s publishing schedule. She decided that she wanted something that laid flat, but was more fun than the spiral bound school notebooks that she’d been using and tasked me with creating just such a thing. Enter the wood-bound BourbonGuy tasting journal. Initially these were entirely printed on my home laser printer. But these days, I have the wood covers pre-printed from by the wood supplier. It makes for a more consistent product. It has consistently been the biggest seller on the store and I still love it. It measures 8.5” x 5.5” and is available for $14.

I informally call this piece the Kentucky Skyline. I made this as test of my laser engraving machine and loved how it looks. The frame and bottles are birch plywood and the black background is glossy black acrylic. The front nameplate is customizable with up to 35 characters. The one hanging on my wall just says “Kentucky Bourbon” on it. It measures 11.8” x 5.9” and is available for $59

At Christmas, I designed a line of Bourbon-themed ornaments. It’s not Christmas now, but I am getting a ton of “Christmas in July” emails right now so what the heck. At this point there are three designs, each cut from birch plywood and hung from ribbon. They are all about 3 inches across and are available for $14.50 for the set of three.

For something a little more timely, I have a couple of Pride-themed items as well. Both are statements of support for the LGTBQ+ community. I have the sticker above for $5 (includes free-shipping) and the 9” heart shaped engraved wooden wall-hanging (below) for $44. Both feature the phrase: “I like my Bourbon straight but my friends can go either way.”

If you want something small and fun, get a bourbon-themed sticker pack. Each of these were digital “doodles” that I did because of a sale at the printer I use for stickers. All are about 3 inches across and you can either buy them individually for $5 each or get all four as a set for $10. Stickers come with free shipping.

I’ve also made a couple of posters. One is a list of the cocktails that I like to make on the regular, including one of my own creation. The other is of the original Bottled-in Bond Act of 1897. The cocktail poster is 20” x 30” and is available for $25 plus shipping, and the Bottled in bond poster is 24” x 36” and is available for $40 with free shipping.

Of course, that is just a handful of the items I’ve made that I sell to help support the site. I’ve also got keychains, coasters, pins, and a sticker of a Penis-shaped super hero that my 30-year-old daughter drew on my whiteboard one day (I made the stickers for her, and she gets the money from those). Of course, there is one last thing to promote. This isn’t explicitly bourbon-themed, but I stick a label version on every package I send out because I really do hope that you all have an amazing day!

Did you enjoy this post? If you want to support the work going on here at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch (tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com.

Bib & Tucker Double Char Bourbon

I’d like to thank Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits and their PR team for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Poor air quality is becoming a fixture of life this summer, isn’t it? Alexa gave me another air quality alert today. Luckily for me, we have it pretty good compared to the folks just a little to the east and south of us. Being as we are only in the “moderate air quality” range here in the southern Twin Cities Metro, I can actually go outside without breathing becoming hard to do. But according to the maps, many of you will smell smoke when you step outside.

Which sucks. Because though you might want smoke on your food or your whiskey, you probably do not want it in your lungs. So stay safe, folks.

But speaking of smoke and whiskey, let’s take a look at Bib & Tucker Double Char. This Tennessee bourbon was aged for six years in standard 53-gallon charred White Oak barrels before being finished in a second heavily charred barrel for an additional 5-plus months. Now, as this is Tennessee bourbon, it does go through the Lincoln County process of being filtered through sugar maple charcoal prior to aging.

And according to the company:

For Double Char, to pay homage to the Lincoln County process, the second barrel is smoked with sugar maple before being filled with our 6 year aged bourbon. The perfect amount of time in the barrels, the char, and the sugar maple barrel smoking process delivers a bourbon with an inviting savory white smoke flavor not found in any other whiskey on the market.

I tasted this prior to reading the press release, and I personally didn’t detect any smoke, which is a good thing, as I tend to dislike smoky notes in my whiskey. But there was a subtle note that I could be convinced was smoke now that I’ve read it. It’s one of those interesting notes that is subtle enough that it only comes into focus once someone else points it out.

So let’s see how it tastes.

Bib & Tucker Double Char Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was provided free of charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $54.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.66

Details: 6 years old. 44% ABV. Batch 01. Bottle 29090. Distilled in Tennessee.

Nose: Mint, vanilla, cinnamon, fresh lumber, (seasoned) oak, and a touch of cherry.

Mouth: Sweet caramel and vanilla, vibrant cinnamon, and sharp oak.

Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Notes of cherry, cinnamon, minerals, and vanilla.

Thoughts: I'm a bit shocked at how complex the flavor is, considering it's low proof. I'm a fan. If you like the usual suspects when it comes to supplying sourced bourbon from Tennessee, you'll probably like this too. Has a bit of a Dickel vibe to it.

Now you might ask how it compares to the standard Bib & Tucker 6-year-old. And since they were nice enough to send me a sample of that for comparison’s sake, let’s take a look. The noses are similar, but Double Char is sweeter on the nose. The mouths have similar notes, but Double Char is sweeter and spicier. Standard 6 has a longer finish, but Double Char compensates for that by having more complexity on the finish. Overall, if you like one, you'll probably like the other.

Did you enjoy this post? If you want to support the work going on here at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch (tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com.

Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream, now at 33 proof

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Lux Row for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Last Christmas, we took a look at four different bourbon cream liqueurs. Since that time, one of them—Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream—has been reformulated in order to give it a pretty hefty proof bump from 25° proof to 33° proof. Now, at first, I thought that it was an odd time of year to be releasing a bourbon cream. I usually think of it as a drink to have during the holidays.

But then, I remembered ice cream. Something that I usually do not keep in the house. Mostly because the bourbon is making me fat enough. But, if I was going to give a bottle of bourbon cream a fair shake in the summer, I needed it in a milkshake.

Do you see the sacrifices I make for you?

Anyway, before we talk about how delicious a boozy milkshake made with Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream is, let’s see what the company has to say about their new release:

Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream is still made using all-natural cream and Kentucky Straight Bourbon but is now bottled at 33 proof – one of the highest proof levels of any offering in the Bourbon Cream category. Tasting notes include cinnamon, nutmeg and caramel with hints of vanilla and sweet pecan on the nose and buttery caramel, sweet toffee and a smooth, warm finish on the palate. Like its other elevated namesakes, Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream now is offered in upscale packaging – in this case, with a prominent “33” callout and Lux Row Distillers embossing on the bottle’s shoulder.

Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream, 33 proof

Purchase Info: This was provided but the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $21.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.47

Details: 16.5% ABV

Nose: Creamy with caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and a "boozy" note beneath it all.

Mouth: Nice thick mouthfeel. Follows the nose with notes of vanilla, caramel, and chocolate.

Finish: Sweet and creamy with notes of vibrant vanilla along with caramel and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is delicious. It's like dipping a delicious cookie in milk. It is sweet and creamy. And that powerful vanilla note on the finish makes the wholes thing a pleasure to sip.

Ok. So since this bottle arrived, I’ve eaten almost an entire quart of ice cream in milkshake form. This stuff pairs so well with it that you can go as simple as just ice cream and bourbon cream in a blender. Of course a splash of chocolate is also quite delicious. You can even toss in some malt power to make a boozy chocolate malt. Every single milkshake recipe I’ve tried has been amazing. I’m a big fan…might be time for bigger pants.

Did you enjoy this post? If you want to support the work going on here at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch (tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com.

From the BourbonGuy Archives: WHAT TO TRY WHEN YOU HAVEN'T TRIED MUCH YET.

Never fear, folks. I am on the mend. But as recently as yesterday, I still had some majorly F’d-up taste buds. And so we take another stroll through the last decade of articles and reviews to find something interesting and informative that you might not have read before. If you were around in 2017, rest assured knowing that new content is coming Thursday. Provided that nothing weird happens in the meantime.

It's not unusual for people to send me an email me with questions about how they can get started on their bourbon journey. Often, they've dabbled, but are looking to get more serious. 

With Bourbon, there are a surprisingly significant number of flavor profiles on the shelf. It's weird. Almost all bourbon is made with the same three or four ingredients: corn, barley, and rye or wheat. And yet, the flavors produced range from floral and fruity to spicy and dry with an entire library of flavors in between.

I'd say that the quickest way to find out what you like is to try different things. But don't jump straight to the top shelf and only buy barrel-strength bourbons with age statements in the double digits. Don't get me wrong. These are probably very fine bourbons. But I wouldn't start there. First, they are expensive. And if the goal is to try as many as you can, it is helpful if you don't have to miss a mortgage payment to do so. Secondly, if you were to take a big swig of George T Stagg unknowingly, you are probably going to sputter and choke and possibly decide that bourbon is not for you.

So, what to do? Well since bourbon has so many flavor profiles, I think that the best idea is to run to the store or your local bar and try some of the delicious, yet affordable offerings out there that show off these distinct flavor profiles. And yes, I've compiled you a shopping list.

Maker's Mark

Due to being owned by one of the largest bourbon producers in the country, this red-headed darling is available at almost every liquor store and bar you'll come across. Made with wheat as its flavoring grain, Maker's Mark is a sweet and soft bourbon. It shows caramel, custard, fruit, and baking spice. It's inexpensive, ubiquitous, and very tasty. This is a great bourbon for trying to decide if you like sweeter bourbon flavors.

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

Produced by the Barton 1792 distillery in Bardstown, KY, this bourbon is a great example of a dry bourbon. Dry bourbon is a little different than dry wine, but it follows some of the same ideas. Namely, that sweetness is not the major flavor component. All bourbon is sweet, to an extent, but I find this bourbon brings a lot more peppery heat to the party. It feels like it evaporates in the back of your throat. This is a good one to see if you like drier bourbons and peppery spiciness. 

Buffalo Trace

When speaking of bourbon, spice can mean two different things. It can mean spicy like the heat of a red pepper or it can mean spicy like the ground spices you put in cookies. In the case of Buffalo Trace, we are talking about the latter. Buffalo Trace bourbon leads with cinnamon and nutmeg flavors before adding in maple and custard flavors. Buffalo Trace is the perfect bourbon to see if you like bourbons that feature baking spice as their main flavor component.

Four Roses Small Batch

Most of the time, floral flavors are a by-product of the yeast used for fermentation. Along with carbon dioxide and ethanol, these little guys create flavor compounds that, if treated nicely, survive through distillation and maturation. Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a perfect example of a floral bourbon. Floral and fruity notes start at the nose, mix with sweetness and spice in the mouth and hang around into the finish. If you want to know if you like floral and fruity bourbons, try Four Roses Small Batch.

Wild Turkey 101

At six to eight years old, Wild Turkey 101 is a good example of what some extra time spent in the barrel can bring you. It is filled with the flavors of sweet caramel, ginger, and oak. Think you don't like the taste of oak? Remember that 100 percent of the color and more than 50 percent of the flavor of a bourbon come from the oak barrel it is stored in. Wild Turkey is a complex, yet inexpensive bourbon, and it is a good choice to see if you like oakier bourbons. 

So there you have it. Five bourbons to get you on your way. After you identify what you like and what you don't like about each bourbon, then you can start expanding your horizons. And of course, it goes without saying that you should be taking notes along the way. After you've been at it for a while go back and revisit some of the ones you tried early on to see how your palate has changed. I think you'll be surprised to find out that you now like some of the ones you didn't previously or that you don't care for some of those you thought were favorites. 

Did you enjoy this post? If you want to support the work going on here at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch (tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com.