The Last Call

 West Fork Whsky Co. Korean Barbecue  Finished Bourbon Review.      Every now and then, a whiskey comes along that breaks all the rules, and West Fork Whisky Company has made a habit of doing just that. In recent time they have been doing some creative finishes with their in house distilled, aged and bottled whiskey. West Fork has teamed up once again with the culinary wizard King Butter for a truly experimental release: a straight bourbon whiskey finished in a  Korean barbecue barrel . This limited release promises something wild, savory, and entirely new in the world of bourbon.      West Fork and King Butter (storefront   linked here )  have already made some great and unique finishes with their hot honey and Swoleracha hot sauce cask projects, but this one might take the cake, or rather, the steak. With only about 50ish bottles in existence, the concept alone had me intrigued: barrels that once held rich Korean barbecue sauce, n...

 13th Colony Distilleries Barrel Aged Gin Review.  I received this spirit as a review sample from 13th Colony Distilleries, linked here . It is important to clarify this did not impact the ratings of this review.     Over the past few years,  13th Colony Distilleries has truly been making a name for itself. Starting off with a solid Bourbon and Rye and most notably the Double Oaked Bourbon. They also been hitting the shelves with a lot of positive feedback on their Gin and Vodka. Being a Gin fan long before doing spirit reviews, the moment I was told this was being released I couldn't contain my excitement. I love Gin and even more so, barrel aged Gin.           After reading up on the release with a high proof point, the use of a Rye cask, plus a finishing time, that excitement grew.  This gin is aged for one year in rye whiskey barrels and bottled at a bolder ABV compared to most gins on the market. It’s an experimental spiri...

 West Fork Whsky Co. Honey Barrel Finished High Rye Bourbon Whiskey Review.      West Fork Whiskey Company, based in Westfield, Indiana, where they have two sides of distilling. Side one is their in house made West Fork Whisky Co. and Old Hamer/Hugh Hamer being the second side sourced from MGP.  Overall West Fork is transparent on what they are doing, aging times, disclosure on sourcing, and even finishing. This release is a partnership with a local Bee farm and Orchard, Mumbee's.      Essentially, West Fork gives a barrel to Mumbee's to fill with honey. Then after some time, they empty out the honey and return the barrel to West Fork to fill with bourbon. Personally, honey finishing can be hit or miss for me. Sometimes it can give just enough sweetness and "honey" notes, other times it can bring the "funk" and drown out the bourbon and go south. Prior to this honey release, I have reviewed West Fork's Hot Honey finished bourbons that were crazy u...

 West Fork Whsky Co. High Corn Bourbon Cherry Brandy finished.      Over the past couple of years I've been a fan of the West Fork Whsky Co. Based in Westfield, Indiana they are doing some great examples of craft whiskey in my eyes. Their "in house" brand is being distilled, aged, and bottled by them along with all the transparency on mash bills, age statements and all those deep details. This release is a bit unique. Essentially West Fork is taking a 100% corn mash bill ant then finishing it in a cherry brandy barrel.             Starting with a new American oak barrel aging for 4 years, this high-corn bourbon receives an extra 18 months in cherry brandy barrels. We don't see many distilleries use 100% corn let alone going with a bourbon vs a whiskey. The catch on this release is you are really using the barrel itself to do a lot of "heavy lifting" to bring flavors to the bourbon vs the barrel and a blend of grains. This was q...

 Five & 20 Spirits Deep Water 7 Year Old Rye Whiskey Review.      I received this spirit as a review sample from Five & 20 Spirits  link here . It is important to clarify this did not impact the ratings of this review.      Over the past year I've had the pleasure of reviewing several releases  from Five and 20 Spirits. Their standard rye is a great intro to craft rye whiskey, Even at the "younger" age, it really had potential. Seeing they offered a seven year bottling really hit well with me. Now Five & 20 is basically split into two sides, the brewery  and spirits. The great thing is all their grains are locally grown in  New York and they even list the farms on their website. On top of this, they are aging, distilling, bottling, everything on their own. Plus, when it comes to finishing they are using their own in house wine, sherry, and beer casks. Honestly, seeing this level of craft is amazing. It truly makes the pr...

 West Fork Whsky Co. Frenchy's French Toast Bourbon Whiskey Review.      West Fork Whiskey Company, based in Westfield, Indiana, where they have two sides of distilling. Side one is their in house made West Fork Whisky Co. and Old Hamer/Hugh Hamer being the second side sourced from MGP.  Overall West Fork is transparent on what they are doing, aging times, disclosure on sourcing, and even finishing. Now, for their two year anniversary of the Westfield location they decided to have some fun with a French Toast Bourbon.      Yes, you read that right, French toast. The base is a bourbon whiskey, enhanced with natural flavors to replicate the taste of French toast. Now, I am not against something flavored, but it's also not something I grab daily. They can be really great for a sweet tooth and open the door for people not big into whiskey. Now since they are creating this on their own, I knew I had to at least taste it! For the full video review ...