The Last Call

     Santa Teresa 1796 is one of those bottles that holds a special place in my rum collection. It was one of the first rums that really made me stop and think about what rum could be. I remember trying it and basically thinking, "Wait a minute. What am I drinking?" It was that much of a departure from some of the lighter, simpler rums I had encountered before.      I've also gifted quite a few bottles of the standard Santa Teresa 1796 over the years, and it's actually helped turn a few people into rum drinkers. So when Santa Teresa comes out with something different, I'm usually pretty interested in checking it out. And they've done quite a few interesting things with 1796 and their other releases. We've seen coffee barrel finishes, Scotch barrel finishes and other experiments with different casks. This time around, Santa Teresa decided to take their solera-aged rum and give it a 10-month finish in Teeling Irish whiskey barrels.      That im...

     K. Luke is one of those whiskey brands that I've been seeing more and more of lately, and for good reason. The brand has been expanding into more states and becoming easier to find both on shelves and online, while some of its more interesting barrel-strength and finished releases have started getting people’s attention. Their core lineup is particularly interesting because the company has been experimenting with some pretty unique finishes. I've had the opportunity to try several of them, including the Oloroso Sherry, Toasted, and Armagnac finishes, and they've generally been very impressive. The Oloroso Sherry has actually been my favorite of the bunch so far. This particular bottle takes a different approach.      The Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey is bottled at 100 proof and carries a minimum age of 7 years. Rather than being another barrel-strength or heavily finished release, this is meant to be a more approachable expression of what they are d...

     Penelope has built a reputation for producing creative, transparent, and consistently enjoyable whiskeys. Their Cooper Series continues that trend by experimenting with unique finishing casks, and Riviera Lumière looked like one of the most exciting releases yet. Taking the original Riviera concept and bottling it at a much higher proof sounded like a recipe for success. Unfortunately, higher proof doesn't always mean a better whiskey.      Riviera Lumière starts with a blend of 8-year American Light Whiskey and Straight Bourbon sourced from MGP before being finished in rosé wine casks from Spain. Unlike Penelope's standard Rosé Cask Finish, which uses French rosé barrels, Riviera Lumière uses Spanish rosé casks. This Total Wine exclusive is bottled at 60% ABV (120 Proof) and listed as cask strength.      On paper, everything about this release sounds like it should work. The question is whether the proof elevates the blend or ...

     Cream of Kentucky has always been one of those bottles I've walked past more times than I can count. Every time I'd pick it up, the same questions would come to mind. Why is it priced where it is? Where is it actually sourced from? How old is it? For a bottle sitting around the $100 mark, there's surprisingly little information available. That said, I'm also a sucker for supporting local businesses.      This particular bottle is an Indiana Liquor Group store pick, and what really caught my attention was the unique mash bill. Instead of the standard recipe often associated with Cream of Kentucky, this single barrel comes with quite a different one, A quick search doesn't reveal much, which only made me more curious. Whether it's sourced from Barton or somewhere else is still anyone's guess, but single barrels often have the opportunity to stand apart from standard releases. I wanted to find out if this one justified the premium price. For the full vide...

     When I saw that New Holland Brewing had released another Dragon’s Milk bourbon expression, I was immediately interested. Dragon’s Milk stout has been one of those beers that has always stood out to me. It was one of the first craft stouts I really enjoyed, and over the years I’ve watched New Holland continue to experiment and expand that lineup in some really creative ways.      What makes this release especially interesting is that it takes something already unique, a bourbon finished in Dragon’s Milk stout barrels, and adds another layer by moving it into a freshly toasted barrel afterward. Beer barrel finished whiskey is still a smaller category compared to the explosion of wine, sherry, and other secondary finishes we see today. Seeing a craft producer lean into stout barrels, especially their own stout barrels, is something I always enjoy because it creates a direct connection between their brewing and distilling sides.      The q...

     When you hear the name Three Floyds, chances are your mind immediately goes to beer. Zombie Dust has become one of Indiana's most recognizable craft beers, and while I'm not the biggest IPA drinker, it's one I'll happily grab from time to time. What a lot of people may not realize is that over the last several years, Three Floyds has quietly been building an impressive distilling program alongside the brewery.      They've released bourbons, rye whiskeys, malt whiskey, and now we're taking a look at one of their rums. Tonight's pour is their Blanq Reavers Rum, an unaged rum distilled from 100% evaporated cane juice.      Unaged rum can sometimes be a bit intimidating. They often lean into grassy, funky, earthy characteristics that aren't always everyone's favorite, especially if you're coming from whiskey. But when they're done well, they can be incredibly rewarding. Going into this bottle, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I w...

     Larrikin Bourbon Company continues to be one of those names I’ve been paying close attention to in 2026, especially as they’ve finally started landing more consistently in Indiana. This release immediately stands out not just because it’s a single barrel pick, but because it’s also the first nationwide release of their rosewater bourbon at a higher proof. This particular barrel was selected by Handy Spot Liquor, and it pushes things in a direction you don’t typically see in American bourbon, floral augmentation via in-house distilled rosewater layered onto a 9-year Kentucky straight bourbon base. What makes this release interesting is how it’s built: sourced 9-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon that is then proofed with Larrikin's own distilled rosewater. Rosewater is one of those ingredients that can go wrong fast. It’s extremely potent, and even a slight overuse can turn a whiskey into something perfumed and unbalanced. Here, though, it’s being used as a structural...