Columbia Creek Tennessee Whiskey

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

IMAGE: Columbia Creek Tennessee Whiskey bottle, 6-year, 95.6 proof, 47.8% ABV, 750ml, on an outdoor deck railing with bare trees and a red building in the background.

The sun is coming out here in Minnesota. The snow is melted, or at least it was. We are in that time of year where you don't know if you need to shovel the driveway or if you can sit on the deck in shorts. And no, I don't mean you folks from more southern climates. In Minnesota, it isn't unusual for folks to be in shorts as soon as the temp hits the 50s in the spring. And by "folks" I mean me. Of course, I tend to wear shorts all year long. I'm not going to let a little thing like the outside weather keep me from being comfortable in my house. That's what blankets are for. I'm stubborn like that.

Which leads me nicely to tonight's whiskey. Columbia Creek Tennessee Whiskey is a sourced whiskey out of Columbia, Tennessee, which the press release says is "where mules outnumber stoplights and pride runs as deep as the creeks." They also use the mule as a mascot on the bottle. The company that has released this particular Tennessee Whiskey is SNL Alcohol Beverage Group who, according to their website (SNLCapitol.com), specializes in buying ingredients, making new make whiskey, aging it, and then selling it to other producers at a profit. Not a bad idea as long as you can keep finding buyers. Here is what the press release has to say about the whiskey:

“Inspired by the legendary mule — Columbia’s enduring symbol of strength and persistence — Columbia Creek moves to its own tempo. Made with a classic Tennessee mash bill of 80% corn, 10% rye, and 10% malted barley, then distilled in a traditional column‑and‑doubler system, every drop balances purity with bold, full-bodied flavor.

Before barreling, the whiskey undergoes the slow, time-honored Lincoln County charcoal mellowing process, giving it a smooth, refined edge that separates Tennessee whiskey from bourbon pretenders. The spirit then rests — not rushed, not disturbed — in heavy-charred new American oak, soaking up six long Tennessee years of heat, cold, and honest change.”

Let’s see how they did, shall we?

Columbia Creek Tennessee Whiskey

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer at no cost for review purposes. It is available on the ColumbiaCreekWhiskey.com website for $49.95 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 47.8% ABV. 6 years old. Mash bill: 80% corn, 10% rye, 10% malted barley.

Nose: Delicate on the nose with notes of dried grains, apple, caramel, baking spice, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, bubblegum, vanilla, fruit, oak, and a mineral note.

Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Lingering notes of minerals, bubblegum, and cinnamon.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denoting that I liked the product

Thoughts: I wasn't expecting that kind of spice on the palate after such a delicate nose. Quite tasty, though. Good flavor on the mouth and finish. I can honestly say that I would have walked past this on the shelf, being a sourced Tennessee whiskey, but I like it. I will happily finish the bottle. If you see it and have an extra $50 in your pocket, it is worth trying.

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 Recollection Bourbon

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

IMAGE: Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Years, 110 proof, photographed on a snow-covered wooden railing with winter trees in the background and warm sunlight illuminating the amber bottle.

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.

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

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.

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.

Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Single Barrel Cask Strength

I’d like to thank Stoll & Wolfe and their PR partners for providing this sample bottle with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Stoll & Wolfe Distillery Pennsylvania Single Barrel Rye Whiskey, 100% Pure Rye, 107 proof, photographed on a snowy deck with warm amber whiskey glowing in winter light.

Hello my friends. Tonight we have a real treat for you. Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Single Barrel Cask Strength is described by the distillery as an interpretation on the historic Monongahela-style of Rye Whiskey that was once much more common than it is today. It was a rye whiskey developed along the Monongahela River, which flows through West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania before joining the Allegheny at Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River.

Now, being in Lititz, PA, Stoll & Wolfe aren’t necessarily very close to that Monongahela River Valley (being about as close to it as I am to the U.P. of Michigan from here in the Twin Cities of Minnesota), but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a lot of state pride in their regional whiskey style. I know I would.

But, to me as a history nut, the most intriguing thing about this whiskey is the guy who helped start the company—and has his name on the bottle. Dick Stoll was the last distiller at a (now) pretty famous Pennsylvania distillery. It went by many names over the years, but the two that are most well known these days are Bomberger’s Distillery and Michter’s Distillery (this was back before the current owners of the Michter’s name acquired the lapsed trademark and started making their own pretty darn tasty whiskeys under the name). Here is the brief synopsis quoted from the Stoll & Wolfe website:

Dick Stoll’s roots stretch back to his tenure at the historic Pennsylvania Michter’s Distillery. There, under the mentorship of Master distiller C. Everett Beam, Stoll honed his skills and mastered the particular style of Pennsylvania whiskey distillation.

Despite Pennsylvania Michter’s closure in the 1980s, Stoll’s passion for both whiskey and the region has endured. As a capstone to his career, he partnered with Avianna and Erik Wolfe to revive the historic legacy right here in Lititz, Pennsylvania.

I’ve been reading a lot about Mr. Stoll over the course of the last couple of days in preparation for this review. I’d do a hell of a lot worse than these legendary Whiskey writers so I’m just going to point you to them instead. Here is Lew Bryson’s remembrance of Dick Stoll upon the occasion of his death in 2020. And of course, the book that brought my attention to the history of the Pennsylvania Michter’s Distillery and those that worked there Chuck Cowdery’s The Best Bourbon You’ll Never Taste (I also reviewed said book shortly after it was released, in case you wonder what I thought of it back in 2012).

Now, before you go read all those links, let’s get into the reason we are all here. The actual whiskey. Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Single Barrel Cask Strength was made from a mash bill of 80% Rosen Rye and 20% malted rye. This rye strain was almost lost to history until local farmers worked with the distillery to recover it. The rye is made using a sweet mash process that doesn’t use any “setback” from previous runs to help maintain pH levels. It’s a trickier process, as without the proper pH levels the mash could get infected by undesirable non-yeast organisms. It’s a much older mashing process, but it was the one most often used in Monongahela-style rye. The whiskey is bottled at 107 proof and is available from the distillery website for $78.15 per 750 mL bottle. Now let’s see how it tastes.

Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Single Barrel Cask Strength

Purchase Info: This sample was provided to me at no cost for review purposes. This item is available for nationwide shipping on the distillery website for $78.15 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.21

Details: Barrel 1225. Aged 34 months. 53.5% ABV. Mashbill: 80% Rosen Rye, 20% malted Rye.

Nose: Butterscotch, cedar, almond, and a faint note of wintergreen.

Mouth: Spicy & hot in the mouth with notes of allspice, cedar, wintergreen, peppermint, and almond.

Finish: Medium in warmth and length. Notes of butterscotch, cherry, mint, and baking spice.

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

Thoughts: I'm really digging this one. The nose is super sweet, sweeter than most ryes. The mouth and finish bring more traditional rye notes to the party. Mouth is spicy and hot but the mint on the finish is almost cooling. It' is less than three years old, too young to be called whiskey in many countries, but is still a fully mature product. Young? Yes. Brash? At times. Delicious? Absolutely. 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.

High West Cask Strength Bourbon

I’d like to thank High West and their team of PR Professionals for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Close-up of a High West Cask Strength bourbon bottle on a snow-dusted wooden railing, showing the label with barrels illustration and amber whiskey, winter background softly blurred.

Hello friends! It’s been quite the month here in the BourbonGuy household, but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, so let’s dig right in on the latest thing that the Whiskey Fairy has brought me.

Tonight’s whiskey is a new release from High West Distillery. A blend of straight bourbon whiskeys bottled at cask strength, this release was cleverly named Cask Strength. It looks to have been officially released on January 12th. It is listed as “Bottled by High West Distillery,” but as usual with whiskey that High West has sourced, they are as transparent as can be about what is actually in the bottle. Here is the breakdown of the mash bills:

  • 60% Corn, 40% Malted Barley, sourced from a Kentucky distillery

  • 60% Corn, 40% Rye, sourced from a Kentucky distillery

  • 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley, sourced from a Indiana distillery

  • 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley, sourced from a Kentucky distillery

  • 84% Corn, 8% Rye, 8% Malted Barley, sourced from a Tennessee distillery

The product was bottled at 117 proof and will be available as a limited release nationwide at a suggested retail price of $69.99. Here is what Distilling Director Isaac Winter has to say about the release:

"This was a really fun blend to put together. Building on our high-rye blending philosophy, this Cask Strength expression uses our Bourye blending approach to precisely balance rye-driven spice with malted barley richness, resulting in layered complexity and a bold, lasting presence that keeps you coming back.”

Let’s dig in, shall we?

High West Cask Strength Bourbon

Purchase Info: This product was provided at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: Batch 25K14. A blend of seven straight bourbons from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. 58.5% ABV. Non-age stated.

Nose: Cinnamon, clove, caramel, almond, and oak.

Mouth: Drying in the mouth. Black tea, cinnamon and clove, stone fruits, almond, and oak.

Finish: Long and very warm. Notes of oak, almond, chocolate, and cinnamon.

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

Thoughts: I’m not the biggest fan of this one neat. It’s drier than I’d prefer, very hot, and the alcohol notes are a bit too prominent for me. However, add just the tiniest splash of water or ice and it goes from hot and dry to velvety. It becomes sweeter as the caramel and stone fruit notes start to show. The baking spice notes become more generic, but the oak steps forward a bit. All in all, this is a pour that benefits from a little water—which is how I usually enjoy my bourbon anyway. It’s also delicious in both a sour-style cocktail (I did a Gold Rush) and a spirits-forward cocktail (I did a Boulevardier). I really like it.

Before we finish, I want to apologize for ghosting everyone last week. Between both of my dogs being on hospice care, the assault on my adopted home state of Minnesota by the federal government (it’s been worse than what even the local news has reported), and a long-overdue discussion that led to a Festivus-style airing of grievances—one that nearly had me cutting ties with both of my parents over the holidays—I’m in the middle of quite the mental breakdown. Possibly my biggest in about 15 years.

I’m OK. I’m not a danger to myself or anything like that. But it was all a bit too much for me to try to be witty and creative for most of the month of January. I’m getting the help I need, but if you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available.

U.S.: Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — free, confidential support available 24/7. You can also visit 988lifeline.org for chat support and additional resources.

Outside the U.S.: Visit findahelpline.com to find local crisis hotlines by country.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, Fall 2025

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill and their entire PR team for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Fall 2025 Edition bourbon sample bottle on a wooden railing outdoors, snowy backyard and bare trees in the background, showing the minimalist white label and amber whiskey inside.

Merry Christmas my friends! I hope that the season is treating you better than it is the whiskey companies. Jim Beam isn’t the first, and sadly, based on things I’ve been noticing behind the scenes for the last year or so, I’m not sure they will be the last to make tough decisions in the near future. Maybe not as drastic as multi-national coporations pausing some operations, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see different product positioning, increased ad buys, and sadly the closure of even more small distilleries as companies try to combat falling demand. I mean, their senator already got the national “soft legalization” of THC repealed earlier this fall. Was it because the competition was hurting bourbon companies in the younger market? That wasn’t the stated reason, but the rumors behind the scenes are that it didn’t help the matter.

My opinion as to the main item that jump-started the “bourbon boom” a couple of decades ago was the low price of the product compared to its high quality. There were other factors to be sure, but at the end of the day if that wasn’t there, the rest may not have followed. These days, while there are still low-priced offerings, they’ve gotten comparatively worse over the last decade and a half as companies started diverting their best barrels from standard products to the single barrel and “ultra-premium” releases that they can charge much more for. So if consumers—especially younger consumers who could become customers for life—are spending their money on fewer of the “better,” higher-cost bottles, they necessarily can’t also buy large volumes of the low-cost bottles that are the bread and butter of most big distilleries. Toss in an uncertain economy and the current state of international politics, and that’s a recipe for hard decisions.

But that’s not why we’re here, is it? We’re here to discuss the latest release from Heaven Hill. One that, sadly, is more known for the fancy bottle it comes in than for the juice inside. And to be fair, it is a beautiful bottle. Even my wife, the accountant, wants one more for the bottle than for the bourbon—and she’s been the silent tasting partner for all of the last 13 years of posts. Even the press release dedicates about two-thirds of its text to the bottle rather than the whiskey. I get it: they aren’t just sending this to geeks like us, but also to lifestyle publications and the like. They’re relying on whiskey fans like you and me to tell people whether the juice is actually worth drinking. So before I get into my thoughts, let’s let the company have their say:

Bottled in an ornate decanter, the fall edition bares (sic) a black label, consistent across each of the brand's fall releases. This edition's tax strip, which has always been a signature of transparency on bottled-in-bond products, will disclose when the liquid was produced and bottled. The Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter Series Fall 2025 edition will be available in the 750ml size on an allocated basis. It meets the strict requirements of a bottled-in-bond: the product of a single distillery from a single distilling season, aged a minimum of four years, and bottled at 100 proof or 50% alcohol by volume. The edition is available at a suggested retail price of $159.99.

Ok, now that they’ve had a chance to speak, let’s dig in, shall we?

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond — Fall 2025

Purchase Info: This sample bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $159.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $10.67

Details: 50% ABV. 11 years old.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, cherry, nutmeg, oak.

Mouth: Warm and spicy with notes of cinnamon, oak, vanilla, caramel, nutmeg, and a hint of cherry.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and then cherry after the others fade a bit.

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

Thoughts: Another solid release from Heaven Hill. It’s very cinnamon-forward, which I like. For me, the oak is almost too much, though my wife claims I’m imagining that part. That said, she likes more oak than I do, so take that how you will. The cherry notes are a nice complement to the cinnamon. I like it.

Would I like it enough to spend $160 on it if it weren’t in a pretty bottle? Absolutely not. This is a solid “good, not great” release. That said, I also know my wife covets the bottle—mostly because she already owns one of the antique decanters the current bottles are based on. So if I saw one, it would likely come home with me for that reason, not for the bourbon inside. Which, as I said, is solid, but not amazing.

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.