With this year’s Midwinter Night’s Dram from @drinkhighwest arriving today, a side by side is in order. Left to right, 2024, 2025, 2026. Which one wins?

Looking forward to the arrival of this year’s @drinkhighwest’s Midwinter Night’s Dram on Tuesday. While we wait, revisiting last year’s release.

Thanks to @clydesidewhisky for the great tour, tasting flights, and the bottle your own whisky experience.

This might be my new sub-$40 pour. $36 at Kroger. Obviously 101 proof. Complex with a bit of heat on the finish.

The original bowling pin bottle @JimBeam is one of my favorite dusty pours ever. This is the 230th anniversary distillery-only release 8 year bourbon in the bowling pin bottle. For 86.8 proof, I’m surprised at the spice I’m getting. Probably not going to win any awards but it’s a solid pour.

But wait…there’s more. Incredible bartender encouraging me to try more and more Swedish liquor at the Spirits Museum. Quickly falling in love with Swedish whiskey. The chestnut-finished rum isn’t bad either.

Taking full advantage of the Swedish spirits at this museum bar…a Swedish whiskey tasting.

Walking this morning in Stockholm, I stumbled up the Spirit Museum. As the name suggests, it is the museum of Swedish spirits with a focus on @AbsolutUS and prohibition in Sweden. Fascinating displays and a tasting of Swedish liquor. Highly recommend!

This is the Pharmarium (Swedish for pharmacy) Old Fashioned in Stockholm. Made with @MakersMark bourbon and @Angels_Envy rye, refined sugar, and house made bitters, this is my first old fashioned in Sweden. This is fantastic. Smoked and nicely balanced, the house bitters add a nice herbaceous kick to the cocktail. At the similarly named Pharmarium.

If you haven’t tried @ShortBBourbon, why not? These guys are releasing some really great stuff at reasonable prices. Found this single-barrel Bee’s Knees at my local @kroger. In today’s bourbon market there are a number of honey-finished bourbons and ryes out there but this is a bit unique in that it is a double barrel toasted bourbon finished in honey barrels. A complex whiskey with a nice balance of sweet and drier astringent notes from the oak. For $100, I’ll be grabbing another before they run out!

For a casino bar rye old fashioned made with @BulleitUSA, they did pretty well the ice isn’t right but it’s a casino bar.

8+ weeks of no taste or smell from COVID. Finally, both beginning to come back so cracked this one to celebrate. This is a cherry bomb. I have a 6-year Willett with a similar profile but otherwise can’t remember a bourbon with a profile quite like this. There is an interesting and nice creaminess to this 1924. Reminds me of the soft creaminess of lavender without the flavor. For a 10 proof bourbon, there is a decent astringent profile that gives it a relatively oaky, dry finish.

It’s #ThirstyThursday and this @eaglerarelife 12-year is incredible. The banana note on the nose and palate is uncharacteristic for @BuffaloTrace (more commonly found in @oldforester and @JackDaniels_US products). Long finish of oak and caramel. We will be happy when this does actually become more easily found on shelves everywhere. Have you had this, yet? Let us know in comments.

First time at Repeal Steakhouse in Louisville located in the historic first bourbon bottling facility. This is their signature old fashioned made with @knobcreek.

Finished Nearly Dry January. First new bottle crack of February. This is an interesting expression from @PenelopeBourbon and @liquorbarn. A single barrel from their Project X series. Bourbon finished in a sherry cask. Nose: soft. Some vanilla and caramel notes balanced against floral elements. Smells sweet. Palate: first impressions are the sherry notes with some delicate nuttiness. There are some really wonderful mid-palate flavors of dried fruits like apricot. Finish: dry. Astringent-like finish with some residual heat mostly full of pepper and oak. Overall. Definitely on the sweeter side but nicely balanced. The sherry notes se to steal the show, so to speak. Would like to see the bourbon flavor punch through a bit more. Would give this one a solid B+.

Not bourbon but this Seville orange cask finished 8 year rum from @BACARDI makes a fantastic old fashioned. Thanks to my new friend and mixologist, Luis, in the Bat Cave at Casa Bacardi in San Juan for introducing me to this one. Salud!

In case anyone needs more reasons to visit @BuffaloTrace in January. (h/t @ohiowhiskey )