The Last Call

      K.Luke Whiskey Company is one of those brands that has been gaining momentum in the whiskey world, and based on what I’ve tasted so far, the growing attention makes sense. Based in Mississippi, K Luke is a husband-and-wife operation named after their two children. There’s something special about building a whiskey company around your family, and it gives the brand a personal touch before you even get to the bottle.     What really interests me about K.Luke, though, is the approach to blending. Rather than distilling everything themselves, the company sources whiskey from Kentucky and Indiana, then brings those barrels to Bardstown Bourbon Company for storage and blending. Founder Jonathan draws on his background in the wine industry to approach whiskey blending much like a chef approaches a dish: finding the right ingredients and bringing them together into something greater than the individual parts.     I’ve already reviewed K.Lu...

     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...