13th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The Championships

Welcome back, folks! We are now at the end of the 2026 contest. Eight whiskeys entered the arena. Four have fallen by the wayside. There have been some delicious treats, with not a single stinker in the bunch. Let’s see how it all ends and if we’ve learned anything along the way. First, we have the Round Two matchups.

Division 2: Crooked Meteor (Maker’s 46) vs. Wobbly Parachute (Benchmark Single Barrel)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: On the mouth Wobbly Parachute is giving me a little more cherry and baking spice. Crooked Meteor also gives some fruit and baking spice, but tosses a little bubblegum in there too. Crooked Meteor has a softer mouthfeel, being almost velvety by comparison. Wobbly Parachute is sweeter on the nose showing more toffee-This is so close that I'm going to hazard a guess that the winner here goes on to take the whole thing. I like Crooked Meteor's nose better. Wobbly Parachute has a nicer finish. At the end of the day though the mouthfeel of Crooked Meteor gives this just the slightest edge.

Winner: Crooked Meteor (Maker’s 46) moves on to the Championship Round on the strength of the wonderful, softer mouthfeel.

Division 1: Gilded Thunder (Redemption) vs. Marble Iguana (1792)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Gilded Thunder has a nicer nose. In a head-to-head comparison there is something a little bitter on Marble Iguana's nose that Gilded Thunder doesn't have. Marble Iguana has a nicer finish. There is more oak, more warmth and even a hint of smoke on it. Gilded Thunder is more gentle and has less complexity to it. The mouth is where this will be decided though. Unfortunately both of the mouth's are fairly gentle and unassuming. All things considered Marble Iguana has a bit more complexity on the mouth and since both are tasty, that will be enough to take the contest.

Winner: Marble Iguana (1792) moves on to the Championship Round on the basis the added complexity of the palate.

Championship Round: Crooked Meteor (Maker’s 46) vs. Marble Iguana (1792)

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: The noses of these two are fairly similar with Marble Iguana being a little more "perfumy" than Crooked Meteor. Crooked Meteor has a nicer finish showing more baking spices. Crooked Meteor is sweet, fruity, floral, and spicy on the mouth. Marble Iguana is showing more mint, oak, and baking spice. This is really hard. Both of these are delicious bourbons.

Winner: Crooked Meteor (Maker’s 46)

Congrats to Maker’s 46, the 2026 BourbonGuy.com Bracket Champion!

So, what did I learn about each of these?

Well, starting with the winner? It was no surprise to me that Maker’s 46 took the contest. My wife and I did a draft before hand to see who would win. She went first, I won’t tell her pick to win yet, but mine was Maker’s 46. It was the first one I drafted for my “team.” Even though wheated bourbons are known for being softer (and as such don’t always fair well in the head to head format of a bracket), to me, it had the best shot because it has a full and rich flavor and enough spice to stand up the bourbons made with rye as a flavoring grain, while maintaining the soft mouthfeel that wheated bourbons are known for.

Moving over to the other finalist, 1792 was my wife’s first draft pick to win it all. And it nearly did. We had a very difficult time picking the winner this year. It came down to mouthfeel and that’s where 1792 fell behind. Both are delicious bourbons and I’d be happy to have either of them on my shelf (and lucky me, I have both).

I’m going to talk about Early Times Bottled-in-Bond and Redemption together here. Sometimes you end up with a matchup that you just kinda know isn’t going to matter in the final results. And that was this one. While I liked both of them, I knew going in that the last time I’d had Early Times Bottled in Bond, I wasn’t impressed. I felt that it had gone downhill from previous times I’d purchased it. And honestly with Redemption, at only 88 proof and two years old, I didn’t expect that it would even make it out of the first round. As I mentioned in the competition post that featured them, these are both brands in transition though. One to a new owner, and the other to a new proof level. So whatever we learned here won’t make much difference to the future.

Let’s finish off Division 1 by talking about Yellowstone Select. This was my number two draft pick. I honestly thought it might have a chance to at least leave the first round, but I chose it before the seeding matchups were finalized so I had no idea who it would be going against. In this case, it was a good bourbon going up against a great one.

Moving over to Division 2, we start with Benchmark Single Barrel and Four Roses Small Batch. This was one that I really didn’t know what to think. And in the end, Benchmark beat Four Roses Small Batch, the Four Roses expression that used to be my favorite of their core lineup. In the end, it was the proof that held Four Roses back since both are delightful bourbons.

And finally we get to Woodford Reserve. This was a dark horse pick for me, knowing that it would depend on the seeding matchups to see if it would make it to the second round. Like all of the bourbons in the competition, it is delicious (I love it when that happens in a bracket). It just didn’t have the complexity to top the eventual winner.

Now that we are done, it’s time to turn the page to the future. Next week, we will start to look at the samples that have been stacking up while the contest was going on. As much fun as this was, it’s fun to try new bourbons too.

Once again, congrats to Maker’s 46 on their 2026 Championship!

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13th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1b: 1792 vs. Yellowstone Select

And we’re back with the second of our Round 1 Competitions. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2026 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 1’s Number 3 seed, Yellowstone Select taking on Number 2 seed, 1792 Bourbon.

Yellowstone Select is the flagship product of the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, KY. This is the first time that a Yellowstone release has been in the contest. Prior to the brand, coming home to Limestone Branch, it certainly would have qualified. But then it got better and was priced out of range. And now because inflation is weird, it fits again. This bottle was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN for $29.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $2.00 per pour.

Their opponent is a bourbon that I have consumed more than my fair share of as we used to get a lot of barrel pick versions of it down at my local corner liquor store. 1792 Bourbon is produced by Sazerac at their aptly named Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, KY. This bottle was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN for $25.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.73 per pour.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind, and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all recorded before we knew which bourbon was which. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were tasted side by side and will have influenced the perception of one another.

Marble Iguana (1792)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.73

Details: 46.85% ABV

Nose: Dusty oak, vanilla, baking spice, and caramel.

Mouth: Oak, allspice, citrus zest, cinnamon

Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium length. Notes of oak, cocoa nibs, and stewed apple.

Feral Teacup (Yellowstone Select)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $2.00

Details: 46.5% ABV

Nose: Almond, vanilla, oak, and a hint of baking spice.

Mouth: Bitter almond, oak, dried grain, and baking spice.

Finish: Slightly medicinal and of medium length. Notes of mint, dried grains, and almond.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Feral Teacup is showing a lot more grain in the mouth. Marble Iguana is spicier and shows more fruit. Both are decent pours, but I’m getting an odd finish on Feral Teacup, probably due to the influence of tasting head-to-head in a single sitting, but that’s the name of this game. I like Marble Iguana better due to the nicer experience on the finish and the abundance of dried grain notes on Feral Teacup.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: As always, it is fun to see how the bourbons compare in a head-to-head setting. I was a bit shocked that I was as hard on Yellowstone Select as I was, considering how much I like its limited edition brethren. Though as I say over and over, this is not intended to be a normal tasting. I’ve enjoyed many a Yellowstone pour over the years without thinking of dried grains or medicinal finishes and I expect I will again in the future. However, I do really enjoy 1792, so the outcome itself doesn’t really surprise me.

Winner: 1792 is advancing to round 2.

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13th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The “inflation is Weird” edition.

You know what time it is! The NCAA basketball and hockey tournaments are getting started here soon, which means everyone is in bracket mode. It really is a wonderful time of year. Up here in the northernmost state in the contiguous U.S., the snow is still trying to fall—we got over a foot at my house this weekend. Though, thankfully, the end is in sight. Gardeners have started their seeds, there are days when the windows can be opened, and, of course, there are brackets to be filled out—and busted.

No, not those silly basketball or hockey brackets. We’re talking bourbon brackets. And let me tell you, this really is my favorite time of year. In fact, I enjoy it so much that next year, when I may decide to hang up the ol’ keyboard, I already know what my last series of posts will be: brackets. But don’t worry—that’ll be 2027 at the earliest, since I want to make it to 15 years of publishing before I make a decision.

I’m calling this round the “The Inflation Is Weird” edition. Mostly because I had to raise the price requirements yet again. As I mentioned last year, it was getting really hard to find enough entrants that haven’t been here over and over for under $25. Well, this year, I decided to take actual inflation numbers into account.

As an aside, inflation is super weird to me. Based on things that I don’t even want to try to understand, things just cost more than they used to. And if it’s a little bit, that’s somehow a good thing, but if it’s a lot (or, oddly, if it goes down), then that’s really bad. And it doesn’t hit everything the same, which my pattern-seeking mind finds overwhelming. And then the president always gets blamed for it, which is also weird since the last president to try directly setting price controls was Nixon. And while it had a bit of short-term success, Smart People™ seem to agree that it was a seriously bad idea. Probably why no one has tried it since. It’s just all-around weird, and I am glad that (under normal circumstances) people much smarter than I am are in charge of handling it.

So, like I said before I got sidetracked, I started this site in 2012. So I went to my favorite inflation calculator—the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator—to look at what the original bracket upper limit of $20 would be in 2026 money. I was a bit shocked to find out that it was almost $29. So I rounded up and made the upper limit $30 just to keep things nice and easy.

One thing I noticed while doing the research is that while it feels like the bourbon market has gotten more expensive, and in many ways it has, the reality is a bit more nuanced. I went back through every whiskey featured in this series over the last 13 years, and most of the true bottom-shelf brands have disappeared from shelves, at least near me. And the ones that remain haven’t increased in price as quickly as inflation. In terms of purchasing power, many have effectively gotten cheaper. That’s how bottles like Maker’s 46, Four Roses Small Batch, and Woodford Reserve ended up in this year’s competition when they were far out of range for those original Bottom-Shelf Brackets. Of course with newer, higher-priced labels hitting the shelves, the category as a whole feels more expensive when you’re standing in the bourbon aisle, even though individual bourbons are effectively cheaper now. Like I said— inflation is weird.

Let’s get into the actual contest, though.

The Selection Rules

This year’s selection process was simple:

• It had to be bourbon.

• The bottle size had to be at least 750 mL.

• It had to cost under $30.

That’s it!

For seeding, I usually start by sorting by proof first, followed by stated age (if applicable), and then use price as the final tiebreaker. But this year, every entrant had a different proof, so we just went down the line, with the highest proof being the number one seed and the lowest proof being the lowest seed. The idea being that, often with inexpensive bourbons, proof will beat age in a head-to-head competition—or so it has played out over the previous 12 editions. To avoid stacking the deck against the second division, I alternated which division received the higher seed. So Division 1 got the overall number one, but Division 2 got the higher-proof of the number two seeds. Here’s what that got us:

Division 1

• Seed 1: Early Times Bottled-in-Bond

  • The only 100 proof bottle in this competition. It is also the least expensive per 50 mL pour. The brand is currently owned by Sazerac, though the distillery of distillation on the label is still the old Brown-Forman DSP-KY-354. Barton 1792 (DSP-KY-12) is also listed as a production site, likely for bottling.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $23.99 for a one-liter bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Velvet Turnip

• Seed 2: 1792

  • Flagship product of Sazerac’s Barton 1792 distillery in Bardstown, KY, bottled at 93.7 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $25.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Marble Iguana

• Seed 3: Yellowstone Select

  • The base entry for the historic Yellowstone bourbon brand, bottled at 93 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $29.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Feral Teacup

• Seed 4: Redemption Bourbon

  • Sourced MGP bourbon bottled at 88 proof and age-stated at 2 years old. This was the lowest proof and, as such, the lowest seed in the contest.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $21.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Gilded Thunder

Division 2

• Seed 1: Benchmark Single Barrel

  • A product of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, bottled at 95 proof.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $23.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Wobbly Parachute

• Seed 2: Maker’s Mark 46

  • The only wheated bourbon, bottled at 94 proof.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $29.97 for a 750 mL bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Crooked Meteor

• Seed 3: Woodford Reserve

  • A product of Brown-Forman, bottled at 90.4 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $29.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Jittery Compass

• Seed 4: Four Roses Small Batch

  • One of four core products in the Four Roses lineup. It was long my favorite of the bunch before its lower proof made their single barrel offering my go-to from them. It is bottled at 90 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $26.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

  • Nonsense name: Drowsy Lantern

Keeping It Blind: The Setup

Of course, that list doesn’t eliminate inherent bias, does it? So, as usual, we took a few extra steps to keep the tasting blind—while still keeping track of what advanced.

Here’s how we set it up (it’s an oh-so-simple process):

1. I seeded the whiskey in the bracket as listed above.

2. I poured 200 mL bottles of each bourbon and labeled them with their nonsense names.

3. I made a separate bracket using only the nonsense names and handed it, along with the bottles, to my wife.

From there, she takes over.

• She doesn’t know what’s in each bottle (thanks to the nonsense names).

• She pours and keeps track of the winners.

• All I have to do is taste, write, and pick my favorite. It’s a pretty slick system.

The empty bracket is below, and as usual, there were plenty of surprises along the way. But that’s for the future. In the meantime, who you got? Let us know down in the comments!

Fun fact, using that same BLS Inflation Calculator, I checked on the state of the Federal Excise Tax on distilled spirits. If you want to make a bourbon producer mad, mention that if the excise tax, which was last adjusted in 1991 to $13.50 per proof gallon, had kept up with inflation, it would currently be at $32.78. In fact the opposite happened and we are currently in a tiered system where the first so many proof gallons are severely discounted. This was what funded much of the Federal Government prior to the income tax so it is fun to look at. Though I am seriously not advocating for higher bourbon prices…

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Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon

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

Yellowstone bourbon is one of those brands that is near and dear to my heart. First off, Stephen Beam is a great guy. I’ve had the opportunity to hang out with him and a few other distillers for an “off-the-record” talk and enjoyed every minute of it (though with the amount of alcohol we had that night, I’m not quite sure I remember any of it…). I love the family connection that Stephen Beam has with the brand through multiple family lines. I love that he, along with his partners at Luxco, brought the brand back from where it had been languishing on the bottom shelf for many years. I love that they love the history of the brand and maintain a connection to the national park that originally inspired the name by supporting various organizations that protect the park and its ecosystem.

And when I was offered a sample of what used to be a Limestone Branch Distillery-exclusive bottle, I jumped at the chance. Especially when I knew that I wouldn’t be getting to Lebanon, Kentucky any time soon. So what is this newly more broadly available product, and why should you care about it?

Well first off, just look at it. I don’t usually spend a lot of time talking about the bottle a bourbon comes in, but as both a history nerd and a guy with a degree in graphic design, I really like this one. The bottle was inspired by the bar-back bottles the brand would have used in the late 1800s. And with the painted and embossed front, it succeeds in evoking exactly that. But if you’re more interested in what’s inside the bottle, you’ll have reason for excitement there as well. Eight years old and 110 proof? Yes, please. And at a suggested retail price of just under $70, it comes in at a fairly reasonable price. Before we see how it tastes, let’s let the producer speak for themselves:

Non-chill filtered and bottled at 110 proof, Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon is crafted by seventh-generation Master Distiller Stephen Beam and aged eight years to deliver a bold yet balanced liquid. Drawing from the brand’s earliest visual identity, the bourbon is presented in an ornate decanter that pays homage to Yellowstone’s once hand-painted bottles. Featuring the iconic Yellowstone Lower Falls and classic embossing, the design reflects the brand’s roots as the “Greatest American Whiskey” named for the national park, while celebrating the dedication to craftsmanship that has sustained the distillery for centuries.

“When I brought Yellowstone to Limestone Branch in 2015, it wasn’t just about reviving a name, it was about honoring the people who gave this bourbon its meaning, ” said Stephen Beam, Master Distiller at Limestone Branch Distillery. “Our bottles have always drawn inspiration from the spirit and natural beauty of Yellowstone National Park, and when you hold this bottle, I hope it captures the sense of history, craftsmanship, and awe that makes both the park and this bourbon so special. ”

Ok, now for the fun part. Let’s dig in.

Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99 for a 700 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 8 years old. 55% ABV.

Nose: Leather, oak, vanilla, allspice, mint, and caramel.

Mouth: Spicy and hot. Notes of cinnamon red hots, cocoa, mint, caramel, vanilla, leather, and oak.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of oak, mint, chocolate, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This one is really delicious. It really showcases the age, with lots of oak derived notes throughout. Leather, cocoa, and oak. There is a nice warm spiciness in the mouth and finish. Water tames the heat some, but still leaves it vibrant. What’s inside the bottle really is just as fun as the outside. I like it a lot.

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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.

Yellowstone Limited Edition, 2025

I’d like to thank the folks at Limestone Branch, Lux Row, Ross & Squibb, and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

It truly is fall in Minnesota. Last night we had our first frost of the season. Meaning, of course, that there were plants in the garden that had every bit of produce plucked from them, herbs on the deck that were brought into the house, and a sheet covering a planter too large to move on my deck—all in the name of eking a little more life out of them. I love fall, which is weird because I hate winter. Like, I finally understand why snowbirds leave for warmer locations. Not that I would do that myself. I may hate winter in Minnesota, but I love Minnesota more than I hate winter.

But for all that I hate the winter, I love the crisp, cool mornings of fall. Standing on the deck, watching the dogs play with a steaming cup of coffee in my hands, is just the best way to start the day. And the inverse of that is that a hearty glass of bourbon out there in the evening, watching the sun set beyond the neighbor’s trees, is the perfect end to the day.

And honestly, the annual Yellowstone Limited Edition release is one of those bourbons that I tend to enjoy on a cool fall evening. Not only are they usually very good, but they’re all unique. Previous releases have had various barrel-finished bourbons incorporated into the blend. This year, for the 10th Anniversary release, they stuck with just plain old bourbon for the blend—but they did it with the help of their corporate cousins at Ross & Squibb (MGP for us old folks who’ve been around a while). Here’s what Founder and Master Distiller Steve Beam had to say:

"We've done something different with this special annual release every year since 2015," said Beam. "This year's 10-year anniversary Limited Edition represents my natural progression of experimenting with blending, using three unique mash bills to create a remarkable product. In partnership with the Ross & Squibb team, we pushed the boundaries of innovation by creating our first blend featuring barrels from the Indiana and Kentucky distilleries - without compromising on our commitment to quality that has kept the Yellowstone Bourbon brand on shelf for more than 150 years."

So let’s see how it tastes.

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2025

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.67

Details: 10 years old. 52.5% ABV.

Nose: Oak, caramel, mixed berries, vanilla

Mouth: Cinnamon spice, Caramel, vanilla, mixed berries, oak

Finish: On the longer end of medium and warms. Notes of caramel, vanilla, oak, and just a hint of red fruit.

Thoughts: This is absolutely delicious. It’s rich with those stereotypical bourbon notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak. And I adore the lovely additional note of mixed berries or red fruit (depending on when you’re examining it). I don’t think there’s been a bad Yellowstone Limited Edition yet, but even so, this one stands out. I really like it. $100 is a lot for a single bottle of whiskey—especially in this economy—but at least the price has held steady since 2019. That’s something, at least.

Revisited: Rebel Bourbon Single Barrel, 10-Years-Old

I’d like to thank Lux Row Distillery and their PR team for providing this sample with no strings attached.

Hey folks! It’s bonus post time!

This one would have warranted its own main post, but this is one of those times that my aging memory got the best of me. See, I just revisited this just over a year ago. And I really don’t have much to say beyond what I said then. However, they were nice enough to send it over when I asked so I figured I should at least give it the proper tasting treatment. So here are 2025’s tasting notes for Rebel 10-year-old Single Barrel.

Rebel Bourbon Single Barrel, 10-Years-Old

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer at no cost. The suggested retail price is $99.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.67

Nose: Oak, cinnamon candies, caramel, vanilla, menthol/mint, and just a hint of cherry under it all.

Mouth: Nice spice, but not too hot. Notes of Cinnamon, mint, oak, and cherry.

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

Thoughts: This is one of the more reliable bottles that I've picked up over the years. And yes, I do pick it up whenever I see it on the shelf. Just finished a bottle from our May trip to Kentucky. It is always delicious, and this sample is no exception. Thick and rich in the mouth with nice spice but not so much heat that you need to add water or ice. A finish that hangs around long enough to think about without fading to unpleasantness. A year later, and I still really like this.

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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.

12th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1: Rebel 100 vs Jim Beam Black

Welcome to the second matchup of Round One for the 2025 BourbonGuy.com Brackets. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. Tonight, Division 1’s Number 3 seed, Jim Beam Black, takes on Number 2 seed, Rebel 100.

Jim Beam Black is the extra-aged and higher-proof version of their flagship White Label bourbon. It is a product of the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, KY. Beam Black recently regained an age statement of seven years. It was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN, for $20.99 per bottle or $1.40 per pour.

Their opponent is the first wheated bourbon in the competition. Rebel 100 is produced by Lux Row Distillery in Bardstown, KY. This bottle was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN, for $17.09 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.14 per pour, making it the least expensive of the contestants in this year’s competition.

All of the competitions this year were tasted blind, and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all recorded before we knew which bourbon was which. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were tasted side by side and will have influenced the perception of one another.

Wobbly Cactus (Jim Beam Black)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.40

Details: 45% ABV

Nose: Cedar, circus peanuts, and oak.

Mouth: Juicy Fruit gum, baking spice, cedar, and oak.

Finish: On the shorter side of medium and follows the mouth with notes of fruit and baking spice.

Grumpy Cloud (Rebel 100)

Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.14

Details: 50% ABV

Nose: Milk chocolate and cinnamon candies.

Mouth: Milk chocolate, cinnamon, and black tea.

Finish: Shorter side of medium, with notes of milk chocolate, oak, and cinnamon.

Thoughts:

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Both noses are great. The mouths are good alone, but do not play nice with each other (not that they should, but still). I like both of these, but in a squeaker, Wobbly Cactus advances.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: I’m both surprised by this result and not surprised at all. I buy Rebel 100 a lot more often than I do Beam Black, so I thought I liked that one more. But I’m not surprised that the one with the age statement won. Age statements describe the youngest bourbon in the bottle, so the youngest bourbon in Jim Beam Black is possibly older than the oldest in Rebel 100. But proof has been proven in previous years to beat age (within reason) most of the time.

And then there’s the wheated versus rye bourbon aspect of the contest. But I usually prefer rye bourbons over wheated bourbons, so that part isn’t surprising.

Winner: Jim Beam Black is advancing to round 2.

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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.

12th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The “Man, It’s Getting Hard to Find Things Under $25” Edition

You know what time it is! The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has already started, which means everyone is in Bracket Mode. It really is a wonderful time of year. Up here in the northernmost state in the contiguous U.S., the snow is still trying to fall, though the end is in sight. Gardeners have started their seeds, there are days when the windows can be opened, and, of course, there are brackets to be filled out—and busted.

No, not those silly basketball or hockey brackets. We’re talking Bourbon Brackets. And let me tell you, this really is my favorite time of year. In fact, I enjoy it so much that whenever I decide to hang up the ol’ keyboard, I already know what my last series of posts will be: brackets. But don’t worry—that’s a ways off yet. I’d like to make it to at least 15 years of publishing first.

And let me tell you, this year’s competition is a good one. Of the seven major bourbon producers that existed when I started this site (Beam/Maker’s, Buffalo Trace/Barton, MGP (now including Lux Row), Heaven Hill, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and Brown-Forman), five are represented this year. The other two have been featured often enough that I used their spots for some newer faces.

The Selection Rules

This year’s selection process was simple:

• The bourbon had to be in a 750 mL bottle

• It had to cost under $25

That’s it!

For seeding, I sorted by proof first, followed by stated age (if applicable), and then used price as the final tiebreaker. Here’s what that got us:

Division 1

• Seed 1: Benchmark Bonded

  • A reader suggestion from last year. It's not available in Minnesota (that I’ve seen), so I grabbed it at Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago for $19.99 back in September of 2024. 100 proof.

  • Nonsense name: Baffled Toaster

• Seed 2: Rebel 100

  • The first of three wheated bourbons in the competition—and the cheapest of the three 100-proof bottles.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $17.09.

  • Nonsense name: Grumpy Cloud

• Seed 3: Jim Beam Black

  • The newly age-stated 7-year-old version, bottled at 90 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $20.99.

  • Nonsense name: Wobbly Cactus

• Seed 4: Old Bardstown

  • The only true craft whiskey in the contest, distilled by Willett in Bardstown, KY, and bottled at 90 proof.

  • Purchased at South Lyndale Liquor (Minneapolis, MN) for $21.99.

  • Nonsense name: Rusty Marshmallow

Division 2

• Seed 1: Jeppson’s 100 Proof

  • A sourced bourbon from the folks in Chicago who make Malört.

  • Purchased at South Lyndale Liquor (Minneapolis, MN) for $19.99.

  • Nonsense name: Gleaming Pancake

• Seed 2: Larceny Bourbon

  • The second of three wheated bourbons, coming in at 92 proof.

  • Purchased at Total Wine (Burnsville, MN) for $22.99.

  • Nonsense name: Soggy Parrot

• Seed 3: Maker’s Mark Bourbon

  • The final wheated bourbon in the contest—also the lowest proof (90 proof) and highest price of the three.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $24.97.

  • Nonsense name: Lumpy Telescope

• Seed 4: Old Forester 86 Proof

  • The lowest proof of the contest, making it the lowest seed.

  • Purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel (Prior Lake, MN) for $22.49.

  • Nonsense name: Zesty Doorknob

Keeping It Blind: The Setup

Of course, that list doesn’t eliminate inherent bias, does it? So, as usual, we took a few extra steps to keep the tasting blind—while still keeping track of what advanced.

Here’s how we set it up (it’s an oh-so-simple process):

1. I seeded the whiskey in the bracket as listed above.

2. I poured 200 mL bottles of each bourbon and labeled them with their nonsense names.

3. I made a separate bracket using only the nonsense names and handed it, along with the bottles, to my wife.

From there, she takes over.

• She doesn’t know what’s in each bottle (thanks to the nonsense names).

• She pours and keeps track of the winners.

• All I have to do is taste, write, and pick my favorite. It’s a pretty slick system.

The empty bracket is below, and as usual, there were plenty of storylines and surprises along the way—wheated matchups, high proof vs. low proof, price battles, and more. But that’s for the future. In the meantime, who you got? Let us know down in the comments!

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