The Last Call

Big Game 6 Year Old Canadian Whiskey Review.      Big Game Canadian Whiskey wasn’t something I went hunting for, but sometimes the shelf finds you instead. While poking around Big Red Liquor in the Indianapolis area, this bottle caught my eye sitting in a box at a dirt-cheap price. I’m a sucker for unique finishes and interesting artwork, and seeing a Canadian whiskey finished in Belgian style double ale casks was enough to pull the trigger.      Canadian whiskey gets a mixed reputation, but there are some genuinely solid examples out there. Add in a local Indiana connection with the finishing barrels coming from Taxman Brewing Company, and I went into this one with an open mind and cautious optimism. This release is bottled by The Whiskey Ring, an independent bottler closely tied to Big Red Liquor and responsible for several interesting store picks and finishes.       The whiskey itself started as a three-year-old Canadian whiskey aged ...

Still Austin Cask Strength Rye Whiskey Review.      Still Austin has been one of those Texas distilleries that quietly keeps earning my trust bottle after bottle. Based out of Austin, Texas, they’ve been doing some genuinely impressive work in the craft space, and once their standard rye finally started showing up here in Indiana, it didn’t take long for me to become a fan. When I saw the cask strength version hit shelves, it was an instant buy, no hesitation. Texas whiskey can be polarizing, and I get why. But I’ve personally had great experiences with Still Austin, Balcones, Garrison Brothers, and others, so I was genuinely excited to see how they’d handle a barrel-proof rye.      It’s distilled, aged, and bottled in Texas, which matters because the climate plays a massive role in how these whiskeys mature. The heat accelerates interaction with the barrel, and Still Austin leans into that rather than trying to mask it. Kept at cask strength, this whiskey ...

 High West Bottled in Bond Straight Rye Whiskey.      High West is one of those brands that pulled me in early on, and I’ve stuck around ever since. From Campfire being one of my first love-at-first-sip bottles to always keeping Double Rye picks on hand, they’ve earned a lot of goodwill with me over the years. That said, I’ve also been vocal about their pricing creeping up while some releases haven’t quite hit the same highs as earlier versions. So when I saw a bottled-in-bond rye made entirely from High West’s own distillate, I was curious… and cautiously optimistic.      This release feels like a statement bottle. No sourcing, no blending gymnastics — just 100% High West rye, bottled in bond, and ready to stand on its own. This Straight Rye Whiskey is bottled in bond at 50% ABV and aged a minimum of four years, meeting all the classic Bottled-in-Bond requirements. While four years isn’t a headline-grabbing age, this whiskey makes it clear that age st...

 Journeyman Corsets, Whips, and Honey Whiskey Review.      Journeyman Distillery continues to prove why they’re one of the most exciting craft producers in the Midwest. Corsets, Whips, and Honey is a brand-new, distillery-exclusive release built on their 100% wheat whiskey and infused with real Michigan honey. Originally rooted in Michigan and now expanding into Valparaiso, Indiana, Journeyman handles everything in-house, and that commitment to transparency and local collaboration shows up immediately with this bottle.      This is not a honey-finished whiskey or a flavored gimmick. Real honey from Great Lakes Bee Company is blended directly into Journeyman’s Corsets, Whips, and Wheat whiskey. It’s Michigan through and through, and that local focus adds a lot of character before the glass is even poured. For the full video review visit the link here:  https://youtu.be/P3EM0ps7nC4 . Age Statement: N/A. ABV: 35%. Mash bill: 100% Michigan wheat. Are...

Kirkland Signature Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Review.      Tonight, we’re diving into something a bit different, Kirkland Signature Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This one hits the shelves at Costco for an unbelievably low price, making it one of those “budget-friendly” bottles that sparks curiosity. It’s not a powerhouse, but it certainly catches your eye with its clean, official-looking bottle design. Most of what we know about this whiskey is that it’s sourced from Barton 1792, a well-known name in bourbon circles. It’s a liter bottle, priced around $18.99, which makes it one of the most accessible Kentucky straight bourbons on the market.      Kirkland Signature doesn’t give us many details beyond the source, so we assume these barrels are secondary picks from Barton 1792. It’s likely younger whiskey, which aligns with the light color and approachable profile. Kirkland also offers a Bottled-in-Bond and a Cask Strength version, but today...

Hugh Hamer Grape Brandy Finished Bourbon Whiskey Review.       West Fork Whiskey Company out of Westfield, Indiana continues to be one of the most interesting producers in the state, especially when it comes to creative finishes. This Hugh Hamer Street Bourbon is part of their sourced Old Hamer/Hugh Hamer lineup, pulling from MGP and finished with intention rather than gimmick. This particular bottle was a single barrel pick for the Brownsburg Bourbon Society, finished in grape brandy barrels.      Grape brandy finishes are not something you see often in bourbon, and that alone made this bottle intriguing. After tasting it at the distillery, revisiting it later with a fresh palate felt like the right way to really see if that grape brandy influence held up. For the full video review visit the link here:  https://youtu.be/dtLtdu2OnQg . Age Statement: +7 years. (Single barrel). ABV: 61.81% (Cask strength). Mash bill: 99% corn, 1% malted barley. Ar...