The Last Call

     Larrikin Bourbon Company has officially made its way onto Indiana shelves in 2026, and not quietly. This single barrel, barrel proof High Wheat Rye selected by Handy Spot Liquor immediately stood out as something different. I had the chance to taste it on site alongside their bourbon pick, and it was one of those pours that makes you stop mid-sip and rethink what you thought you knew about mash bills.      Based in Kentucky, not far from  Wild Turkey , Larrikin has been transparent about sourcing while also working toward its own distillation. This particular release is sourced from Florida, which makes the profile even more intriguing with its unconventional mash bill to boot.      Larrikin, formerly known as Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company, went through a thoughtful rebrand to carve out a clearer identity. Founder Greg Keeley, originally from Australia and now based in Kentucky, is also a U.S. veteran, which adds a meaningful layer t...

     Larrikin Bourbon Company is one of those brands I had been watching from a distance, waiting for it to finally land here in Indiana. In 2026, we started seeing bottles hit shelves, along with a few store picks, including this single barrel selected by Handy Spot Liquor in Indiana. After tasting it in-store, I walked away… and then came back two days later to buy it. That alone should tell you something.      Transparency is a strong point for the brand, and on paper this nine-year, barrel proof single barrel looked promising. This is a single barrel Kentucky straight bourbon bottled at a hefty ABV and aged at least nine years. The mash bill is 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Larrikin standard releases use the same mash bill and are also single barrels, while select barrels like this one are chosen by individual stores or groups. While the distillery is not officially disclosed, the mash bill and Kentucky origin suggest a strong possibilit...

     Some bottles just sit on the shelf and stare at you. This one did that to me for nearly a year. Old Blue Single Barrel Cask Strength from Wood Hat Spirits was part of a group store pick here in Indiana, originally hovering near the $90–$100 mark before eventually dropping to half price. Once the price fell, curiosity finally won.      Information on this bottling is surprisingly limited. The label states that it is grown, aged, distilled, and bottled by Wood Hat, which is a huge plus in the craft world. As a straight corn whiskey, we know the mash bill is at least 80% corn, but the remaining 20% is undisclosed. There is no age statement, and barrel size is not specified. I reached out for clarification but never received a response. So we go in with what’s in the glass.      Being craft and potentially made with smaller barrels, there are a lot of variables at play. Smaller cooperage can accelerate oak influence, and with a high-corn mas...

     Backbone Bourbon Company has built a strong reputation out of Indianapolis by embracing transparency and leaning into creative sourcing. While many know them for their MGP-driven releases, they’ve never been shy about exploring whiskey from across North America and beyond. This particular bottle immediately stops you in your tracks because it challenges expectations before the cork even comes out.      This is an Irish whiskey, but the color tells a completely different story. Deep, dark, and bordering on mahogany, it looks far closer to a heavily aged double-oaked bourbon than anything traditionally associated with Ireland. That alone made this release impossible to pass up, especially knowing it came from a small, almost accidental single barrel that found its way to Holly’s Package Store.      The whiskey began its life in Ireland, aged as an Irish whiskey before being shipped to the United States. Once stateside, Backbone finished it...

     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 doesn’t hide behind filtration or dilution....

     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. Area of Distillation:  Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Appearance: ...

     Ampersand is one of those new labels that seemed to appear almost overnight at the start of 2026, and it immediately caught the attention of enthusiasts. Founded by legendary blender and distiller Chip Tate, this release feels like a statement piece rather than a tentative first step. Seeing his name attached to a 15-year Kentucky straight bourbon finished in Tokaji casks was enough to send me bottle hunting the moment it hit the radar.      Opimus is clearly positioned as the flagship of the lineup, and the transparency here is refreshing. From mash bill to finishing time, there’s a level of openness that builds confidence before the cork is even pulled. Add in the fact that this is cask strength and reasonably priced for its age, and expectations were already running high. The mash bill is disclosed at 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley, a combination that closely mirrors classic Kentucky profiles from decades past.       Wh...

Stranahan's Single Barrel Single Malt Whiskey Review.            Stranahan's is one of those names I’ve seen on shelves for years, but somehow never really sat down with until now. This bottle changed that in a big way. This is a Market District single barrel pick of Stranahan’s American single malt, bottled at a healthy 56.71% ABV and aged for five years and one month. It was my first experience with a Stranahan’s single barrel, and honestly, I went into it curious but cautious.      Part of the excitement here comes from the format. Single barrel, cask strength, American single malt, all from a distillery doing everything in-house. When you add in a sub-$50 price tag, expectations naturally start climbing. Before even pouring the glass, this already felt like a bottle worth spending some real time with.      Stranahan's distills, ages, and bottles their whiskey in Colorado, using 100% malted barley and new charred Americ...

          Peerless Distilling is a name most bourbon drinkers recognize instantly, largely thanks to that unmistakable bottle design. It’s bold, beefy, and looks fantastic on a shelf. I’ll admit right away, I’ve had a bit of a complicated relationship with Peerless releases over the years. Some of their offerings, like the Double Oak Bourbon and Double Oak Rye, have been standouts for me, while others have left me scratching my head. Until now, I’d never actually sat down and reviewed their standard Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and curiosity finally won out despite my ongoing hesitation with their pricing.       While there’s no age statement on the bottle, Peerless does confirm on their website that they adhere to a four-year minimum. I always wish that transparency made it onto the label, but it is what it is. What truly sets Peerless apart from many other Kentucky distilleries is their use of a sweet mash process rather than the more co...

       Journeyman Distillery has built a strong reputation in the craft whiskey world, operating out of Three Oaks, Michigan, with a newer presence in Indiana. Over the years, they’ve released some genuinely impressive bottles, even if a few have missed the mark. Their standard Featherbone Bourbon has been a consistent performer for me, so when a local Indiana chain store released a single barrel pick at cask strength, curiosity got the better of me.      Single barrels from Journeyman are not something we see every day. That exclusivity, combined with barrel proof presentation, certainly sets expectations a little higher. It’s aged in standard 53-gallon barrels and presented at cask strength. Like most of Journeyman’s lineup, it is also kosher certified, which is a significant undertaking in the production process. There is no official age statement, though this barrel was filled in 2018. For the full video review visit the link here:  https://yo...

     As 2025 winds down, Maker's Mark surprised everyone with what appears to be a limited-age-stated run of their beloved cask strength bourbon. I’ve always had a soft spot for Maker's Mark. It wasn’t a brand I fell in love with immediately, but somewhere along the way, it became a comfort bottle, a pour I reached for between bigger, flashier releases. Their lineup consistently offers strong value, and while I still haven’t tried the Cellar Aged, the rest are genuinely solid. Seeing this on the shelf at standard cask strength pricing made it an easy pickup.      This release is still their classic wheated bourbon, although Maker's Mark doesn’t publish the exact mash bill. The side label offers some intriguing production details: a 110-proof barrel entry, 378 hand-rotated and hand-selected casks, and the note that each batch is “aged to taste.” That wording alone hints at future variations. I wouldn’t be surprised if 6.5- to 8-year age statements start appe...

     West Fork Whiskey Company has been quietly building one of Indiana’s most respected whiskey programs through in-house distilling, aging, and bottling, and now they’re adding another layer with a brand-new label: Tailored Barrel. This release represents their vision of finding truly unique barrels outside of their core lineup and releasing them in their purest form. When I got the opportunity to attend the release event and pick up one of the very first bottles, saying no wasn’t an option.      This particular bottling immediately catches your eye with its elegant presentation and refreshingly honest label. Every detail is there, mash bill, age statement, proof, and source. Transparency like this is still scarse in whiskey, and it’s something I’ll always champion when a brand gets it right.      This bottle is sourced directly from MGP and uses their well-known 95% rye and 5% malted barley mash bill. What makes it exceptional, though, is ...

     Watershed Distillery, based out of Ohio, has quietly been building a strong reputation across several spirit categories, from gin and brandy to finished whiskeys and now straight bourbon.Batch No. 3 was one of the bottles I brought home after a trip to Ohio in early 2025, picked up with genuine excitement after having some excellent past experiences with Watershed releases. Between prior barrel picks and a maple cask-finished expression I really enjoyed, this felt like a safe purchase walking out of the store. For the full video review visit the link here:  https://youtu.be/uWqsQNQvJ3Q . Age Statement: 4 Years. (Batch 003). ABV: 61.1%. (Cask strength). Mash bill: N/A. Area of Distillation: Columbus, Ohio. Appearance: Light golden hue. On the nose:      The nose is surprisingly restrained for something north of 120 proof. Ethanol is the dominant player, followed by dusty corn and a light grain-forward note that leans raw rather than sweet. There’...

     Dark Arts Whiskey House  has built a strong reputation in the blending and finishing world, often sourcing well-aged stock and applying creative secondary maturation. This particular release is a straight rye whiskey, aged between 7 and 8½ years, then finished with toasted Amberana oak staves. It’s a bold move, because Amburana is one of the more divisive finishing woods in modern whiskey.      As someone who genuinely enjoys Amburana finishing, I went into this pour excited. I’ve had stunning examples of this wood treatment and others that felt overwhelming. After maturation, the whiskey is finished with toasted Amburana staves. Amburana is a dense South American hardwood known for delivering an explosive cinnamon-sugar character. The toasting process can mellow some of its sharper edges, but if left too long, it can easily dominate a whiskey. For the full video review visit the link here:  https://youtu.be/H3upewT3Eok . Age S...

     Angel’s Envy is one of those distilleries you instantly recognize, whether it’s the distinctive winged bottle or their reputation for unique cask finishes. For me, it was one of the first brands that pulled me deeper into the whiskey world, particularly their rum cask–finished rye. Over the years, I drifted away from their offerings, often finding more affordable finished whiskeys on the shelves. But this release caught my attention: their first-ever non-finished Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, bottled in bond, at cask strength. It’s a bold step from a distillery known for finishes, and I was curious to see how it would hold up.      Released in 2024, this bourbon is a blend of two bottled-in-bond bourbons: one distilled at a lower entry proof, and another at a higher proof, married together to land at exactly 50% ABV. That means it follows all the bottled-in-bond rules—aged at least four years in a government-bonded warehouse, produced in a single ...

     Peerless has never been shy about pushing bold, barrel proof whiskey with a style all their own. Their sweet mash process, eye-catching bottles, and dedication to non-chill filtration have earned them a loyal following, myself included. I’ve long been a fan of their Double Oak Bourbon and Rye, and when I heard a toasted version was hitting the shelves, I knew I had to track one down. Originally a distillery-only release, Batch 03 finally made its way to Indiana, and thanks to my buddy Rich over at Holly’s Package Store, one found its way into my hands.      Peerless takes the extra-labor route of sweet mash fermentation, fully emptying and cleaning the fermentation tanks between every batch. It’s a slower, more meticulous approach, but it allows each batch to develop its own unique fingerprint. This release takes their Kentucky Straight Bourbon and finishes it in toasted barrels, a technique that can coax out deeper vanilla, caramel, and spice tones....

     Old 55 Distillery is a small craft operation tucked away in Newtown, Indiana, just south of Lafayette, and they’ve built a name for themselves by doing something very few dare to try, making bourbon with 100% sweet corn. I’ve crossed paths with a few of their spirits before and have always respected the level of care they bring to the table: all distilling, aging, and bottling is done in-house, with a heavy emphasis on local grains. Their Bottled-in-Bond Sweet Corn Bourbon is the bottle most people around here know, but this release, a single barrel, cask strength version, was something I’d only ever seen at the Market District in Carmel, Indiana.       Sweet corn isn’t just a novelty for Old 55, it’s an expensive, labor-intensive choice. A bushel of the common yellow dent corn runs about $4 (2020 prices), but the sweet corn they use costs over $1,000 for roughly the same weight. Even more challenging, the yields are smaller. From a 2,000-pound ma...

     There’s something oddly charming about Old Hammer. It’s like the quiet cousin of West Fork Whiskey Company—same bloodline, just a little more rough around the edges, and a lot more likely to knock your socks off with cask strength heat. This particular bottle is a single barrel pick selected by the in-house whiskey club over at West Fork, and while I wasn’t lucky enough to be on the tasting panel for the pick, I  was  there on release day. One pour in, and I knew it deserved a closer look.      Here’s the deal: Old Hammer leans hard into the MGP pipeline, and this bottle is built on the classic 99% corn, 1% malted barley mash bill. That’s the sort of recipe that usually doesn't see much love, so to see it dressed up in an 8-year-old cask strength expression is great. Due to the mash bill you highly rely on the barrel, age, and proof to do the lifting scene there's really no other grains BUT corn to bring complexity. It felt like someone hande...

     Three Cord has been on my radar for a while now, they’ve put out some fun finished bourbons, and the toasted/honey combo they released before was downright phenomenal. So when I spotted this six-year, cask strength, single barrel double oak pick from Lake Liquors, I knew it was coming home with me. Double oaks are a personal weakness, and this one had that “buy it now or regret it later” kind of look. At $50, it was an easy decision.      This one’s sourced from Indiana, yep, we’re talking MGP. It was barreled January 18, 2016, and bottled May 22, 2023, then given the double oak treatment in a fresh new charred barrel for extra depth and sweetness. That six-year age puts it right in MGP’s sweet spot, where the bourbon still has some liveliness but has built up enough oak character to really shine. The proof sits at 55.4%, giving you all the richness you want without tipping into palate fatigue territory. For the full video review visit the link here: ...