I can’t believe this is my first post of the year, dear reader. Where have I been? What have I been doing? What bourbon am I loving? Well, I’ll tell you all about it.

Should we start with the bourbon?

Bardstown Bourbon Company Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish

That’s certainly a mouthful for the name of a whiskey, but after tasting it, I want more and more mouthfuls of it. Heyo! This is one of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Distillery Reserve releases, meaning you can only get it at the distillery or tasting room in Louisville, and it’s $100 for 375ml.

This new release is a blend of 9- and 10-year bourbons from Indiana and Kentucky that was then finished for 10 months in Garryana oak barrels made by Oregon Barrel Works. What’s so special about the wood? Well, apparently Garryana oak, also known as Oregon White Oak, is known for its strength and scarcity, and it has a dense grain that slows oxidation and evaporation. In fact, its influence on the whiskey produces notes closer to French Oak than American Oak.

Also worth noting, you can’t just go and cut these trees down. They can be used for barrels only if they fell or were sanctioned for harvest. On top of all of this, the staves were also toasted for three hours to unlock additional flavors. And once BBCo put the bourbon blend into the special barrels, they placed them at the top of a rick house (sixth floor) in the summer, which forced that bourbon further into the barrel with all that heat and humidity.

This whiskey is special. It’s spicy like cloves on a ham, velvety and creamy like vanilla custard, and rich and oaky like a well-aged Kentucky bourbon. It’s got similarities to a cigar finish, but it’s not as intense — settling in a nice, decadent middle ground of toffee, brown sugar, honey and cherry cobbler. The finish is as long as this whiskey’s name, presenting flashes of warming baking spices and butterscotch.

Maker’s Mark adds an age statement to its Cask Strength

Despite all the negative headlines you see these days about the bourbon industry, there’s a silver lining. Age statements are returning to labels, and that’s a great thing, in my opinion. Case in point, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Maker’s has typically shied away from putting ages on their bottles, but that’s all changing now with their Cask Strength line.

Starting this year, you’ll see the age and proof on every bottle of Maker’s Cask Strength, and that will range between 7-8 years old and 107-114 proof. I got to taste a bottle that was 7 years and 2 months old, and it’s lovely. It packs a punch, but it’s also packed with notes of chocolate, caramel and cookies — a liquid Twix bar!

Maker’s is near and dear to my heart because it was my first pour and first distillery visit, and I’ve always preferred the Cask Strength version to any other line they have — except for the Cellar Collection that comes out once a year. And best of all, although its bottle received a premium upgrade and there’s now an age statement, the cost is still a reasonable $50.

Elijah Craig 15 Year debuts!

Speaking of age statements, how about a whopping 15 Year for Elijah Craig? The news broke this week that Heaven Hill had something up their sleeves, and this beautiful bottle was birthed from the EC brand. I haven’t gotten to try it yet, but I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for a bottle. Hopefully I’ll have some luck at the distillery. The bourbon is also a single barrel and is bottled at 108 proof.

“We were looking for exceptional depth and character in our first 15-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon, and it delivers at a proof that enhances its natural complexity,” says Conor O’Driscoll, master distiller at Heaven Hill, in a news release. “The result is a bold yet refined whiskey that is approachable enough to be an all-evening sipper.”

The cost on one of these is $149.99.

A whiskey trip to London & Portugal

In late January, I snuck out of the country (as fast as I could) to travel to London, England and Porto, Portugal. I was beckoned to London to judge the World Whiskies Awards again this year, and my travel buddies (fellow industry mates Lisa and Sherrie) decided to add an extra few days to the trip to learn all about port wine, cork production and all things Portugal (seafood, cheese and more cheese) in Porto.

It was a one-of-a-kind experience judging the London leg of the whiskey awards, and I was humbled to be asked to do it. Also, I’m never going to turn an opportunity like that down! At my judging table, I sat and sipped with distillers from Italy, Scotland and England, and the room was abuzz with international whiskey folks. We judged some amazing whiskeys, but I couldn’t tell you what they were because it was completely blind. We only knew the whiskey category, and that’s about it.

While in London, we also hung out with the welcoming folks from the British Bourbon Society. We each brought them a bottle or two that they likely couldn’t find in the UK, and they were appreciative.

Then it was on to Porto, home of port wine, beautiful tiled buildings and cork. We spent our time there visiting two cork factories — JC Ribeiro and Amorim; the amazing port house of Taylor wines; the beautiful Douro Valley in northern Portugal, which is where the country’s wine grapes are grown and harvested; and many local eateries, shops and wineries.

We even managed to find Portugal’s only whiskey bar, Eddie’s Klub, but you’ll have to wait to hear more about that in Bourbon+ Magazine.

I came out of the trip with a big respect and newfound thirst for port wine. Yes, some of it is sweet, but it’s not all that way. I was fortunate to try a Taylor’s Reserve Port from 1976, my birth year. It was fabulous.

Texas two-step

A few weeks after my trip across the pond, I was sent to San Antonio, Texas, for a client event with CaskX. I was to help lead a bourbon tasting for a group of investors in a supped up barn just outside of town. A cowboy hat and boots were mandatory attire, or so I thought, so I borrowed my girlfriend’s boots and bought a $20 hat shortly after landing.

I had some time to explore the San Antonio Riverwalk and found it to be a time capsule of the 1990s. I stumbled upon a Hardrock Cafe, a Rainforest Cafe, Fat Tuesdays, and a strange place called Dicks. I also visited a Texas cigar bar, where I tried my best to smoke a vanilla-flavored one but found more comfort just sipping on a $15 Weller Single Barrel (yes, the elusive orange label).

The event, which was casino-themed, was a big success, and we ended the night toasting with a pour of Pappy 10. Texas is a different place indeed, but I found everyone to be friendly, open and thirsty for whiskey. Oh, and I may have gone to Whataburger at least two times.

Snooki & Chapstick in Nashville

Believe it or not, I was supposed to travel to Puerto Vallarta a few weeks after Texas (I’m not a great planner as you can see, since everything has been in the first part of the year), but due to recent tensions down there, we rescheduled the trip to this fall. But some friends and I still felt the urge to get out of town, so we headed south to Nashville for the weekend.

I can’t say I’m a big fan of Nashville these days, ever since bachelorette parties and Walmart country invaded the downtown, but we managed to have a great time nonetheless. And we counted at least 15 bachelorette parties during our two days there.

The first item on my Nashville agenda was to visit The Snooki Shop, a souvenir-type spot and clothing store opened by Snooki from “Jersey Shore.” I’ve been a fan all these years and still watch it to this day, so I had to see what it was all about. Well, let’s just say it was interesting and a little pricy. I ended up getting Snooki’d into buying a $15 koozie that reads “Where’s the beach?” — a famous line she said in the first season before getting arrested.

I was hoping for something that said, “Party’s here,” but I really didn’t see much with that on it. (That was the first line she said on the show when she walked into the Shore house.) I’m guessing someone else has it trademarked or something. Anyway, it is what it is, and if you’re a big fan, you’ll need about 5 minutes to thoroughly explore it.

The highlight of our weekend was eating, drinking and watching some basketball at Chapstick, a new women sports-focused sports bar that is connected to the famous lesbian bar Lipstick Lounge. We managed to hit it during happy hour, so our beers were cheap. The vibe was super cool and chill, and it was a great place to watch the games and do a quick karaoke next door.

On our final night, we saw comedian Michelle Buteau at the Ryman Auditorium. I do love that space, and the last time I was there — right before Covid — I was fortunate to catch Brandi Carlile. And while I was getting a drink during her performance, I met the one, the only Amy Grant! Nothing can really top that.

It’s been a whirlwind of a year and it’s only mid-March. This past week, I attended the James B. Beam Institute Conference in Lexington, where I learned all kinds of nerdy things about bourbon. And I also have a new puppy in my life, so balancing that with all this travel has been crazy.

Luckily I have a patient and understanding girlfriend and a handful of friends and neighbors who have helped out. I want to say things are settling down for a moment, but I just found out I have to go to L.A. next month for work.

Onward and upward.