Imagine tasting a single barrel so good that you try to convince the distillery to bottle it under a different label. That happened to us with a Rock Hill Farms barrel sample, and it became the spark for a wide-open conversation about how great whiskey actually gets made, picked, and shared.

We bring you into the room for private selections at Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, and Nashville Barrel Co., comparing barrel proof to bottled proof and exploring why some bourbons sing at 100–103 proof while others demand the full, fiery ride. We break down a standout two-year honey cask from Nashville, no added honey, just a Beam-made bourbon resting in a honey-seasoned barrel, delivering a fragrant, balanced sweetness that feels like “cheating at bourbon” without crossing into liqueur territory. Along the way, we tackle unicorn culture, blind tasting reality checks, and the very real logistics behind allocated drops, including how a historic flood slowed bottling lines and why the three-tier system can stretch timelines.

You’ll also hear how our club runs: fair lotteries for pick trips, open communication with a growing waitlist, and travel traditions that turn a selection into a story, charter hops into Frankfort and Bardstown, Nashville hoops weekends, and Guthrie picks capped with dinner over the OKC skyline. We preview a stacked lineup: Stagg, Four Roses private selection, 1792 rarities, Larceny Barrel Proof, EH Taylor Single Barrel, and a craft red wheat barrel proof, while returning to the core truth: single barrels have no friends to hide their flaws, which is exactly why the best ones feel unforgettable.

If you love bourbon for the flavor, the hunt, and the people you share it with, this one’s for you. Hit play, subscribe for more deep pours and real talk, and tell us: which bottle would you bring to a desert island?

If you’ve ever stared at a $6,000 unicorn behind glass and wondered how anyone actually tastes it, you’ll feel right at home here. We pull back the curtain on a thriving Bentonville bourbon scene where access comes from community, not luck, complete with a speakeasy barn, disciplined barrel selections, and a 100-member club designed to share costs, spread knowledge, and raise glasses together.

Mike Hodges walks us through building a space where bottle shares and curated tastings bring people together. He breaks down the math that turns a single $150 bar pour into an evening where twenty people sample multiple legendary bottles and enjoy dinner, all while learning their palates. Then JS Bull takes the baton, detailing how he structured a legally clean, no-profit bourbon club capped at 100 members so every barrel yields at least one bottle per person. Thanks to local relationships with major distilleries, the club’s first-year lineup includes Weller Full Proof, Nashville Barrel Company Honey Cask, Rock Hill Farms private selection, and an Elijah Craig Barrel Proof that snaps from cinnamon candy to elegant oak.

Along the way, we get practical: how real barrel picks differ from mailed vials, why you should smell everything before tasting barrel proof, how age and warehouse floors shape flavor, and what to do when a dusty cork disintegrates mid-pour. We also talk brand profile consistency versus single barrel uniqueness, how to avoid overpaying on the secondary market, and why the best bottles are often the ones you share.

Pour something you’re curious about and dive in with us. If this conversation sparks ideas or makes you rethink how you chase bottles, follow the show, share it with a bourbon-loving friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find it.

Borrowed coffee cups, a sherry-finished pour, and a market plot twist: we crack open Horse Neck’s Kentucky Bourbon and unpack why the bourbon world suddenly feels upside down. We’re joined by our resident spirits pro to translate tasting notes into plain English, orange marmalade, licorice, toasted oak, and that cherry-friendly finish, and to explain why this bottle works neat, with a splash, or in an old-fashioned.

From there, we zoom out. Shelves that were bare a year ago now show Buffalo Trace by the case. E.H. Taylor and other favorites are popping up at or near MSRP. Meanwhile, several distilleries have paused production because inventory on hand can meet demand in the near term. That’s the X-point: a glut from years of aggressive barreling meeting consumer downtrading in a wobbly economy. We talk through what that means for pricing, secondary markets, and why some bottles may sit longer in oak, potentially turning good whiskey into great whiskey over the next few years.

If you’re tired of the bourbon chase, you’re not alone. Reposado, Añejo, and extra Añejo tequilas, especially additive-free standouts, are winning over bourbon palates with ex-bourbon barrel character and clearer value. Rum is a dark horse too, with well-aged, ex-American oak releases offering caramel, spice, and depth without the bourbon premium. We share practical strategies: build relationships with independents, test “walk by” labels you’ve ignored for years, and follow a simple rule of thumb, hold treasured allocations, buy quality value now, and skip panic selling.

If you enjoyed this, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who still thinks everything good is only behind the counter. What bottle are you hunting, or rediscovering, this week?