The Last Call

          Rare Saint, based in the Indianapolis area and connected to well-known establishments like  St. Elmo Steak House ,  1933 Lounge , and  Harry & Izzy’s , has been steadily releasing sourced MGP whiskey over the past few years. After being underwhelmed by one of their previous rye releases, I admittedly stepped away for a bit. But I am a sucker for port cask finishes, and this one pulled me right back in.      The Trinity of Port is an ambitious concept: a blend of four MGP mash bills, each at least five years old, finished separately in ruby, tawny, and white port barrels before being blended back together. Limited to just 834 bottles, this release swings for the fences on paper. After blending and resting, the whiskey was divided and finished in ruby, tawny, and white port barrels. Those three components were then blended back together to create the final product.      The transparency here is apprec...

I received this spirit as a review sample from Silverthorn Reserve,  linked here . It is important to clarify this did not impact the ratings of this review.        Silverthorn Reserve is a new name hitting shelves in 2026, but they are coming out of the gate with confidence. Their model is built on thoughtful barrel selection, transparent sourcing, blending, and finishing techniques, and that transparency is front and center with this release.       The Finishing Art Port Finished Rye is a six-barrel batch built from well-aged Indiana rye stocks and blended. After blending, the whiskey is finished in port casks, though the exact finishing time is not disclosed. Typically, port finishes run a few months rather than a year or more, but we should know a bit more via the notes and taste. On paper, it checks every box I get excited about: age, proof, finishing, and full disclosure on what’s inside the bottle. For the full video review visit the l...

          Starlight Distillery continues to be one of the more most well known craft producers coming out of southern Indiana, handling everything in-house from distillation to aging and bottling. Their use of local grains and estate-grown winery products gives them a unique identity, especially when it comes to barrel finishing. My history with Starlight has been a mixed bag, with some releases hitting well and others feeling a bit young for the price point, so revisiting this Carl T. Huber Port Finished Bourbon felt like a fair second chance after several years away from it.      This release starts as Starlight’s Carl T. Huber bourbon, a blend of both a three-grain and four-grain mash bill, aged in new American oak for at least four years. After initial aging, the bourbon is finished for over eight months in Starlight’s own Knobstone Port barrels, made in-house from their winery program. For the full video review visit the link here: ...