Awesome Bourbon

Bananas and bourbon might not be the first flavor combination that pops into your mind, but it works surprisingly well. Made with 80-proof Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, Howler Head’s “Monkey Spirit” is infused with a natural banana flavor, and delicious mixed with Coke, espresso and coffee liquor, Bailey’s, or even served in an Old Fashioned.

To commemorate 2024’s total solar eclipse, Hopkinsville, Kentucky-based Casey Jones Distillery introduces four-grain Total Eclipse Kentucky Straight Bourbon and releases a new batch of its Total Eclipse Moonshine, first created in 2017 when it was named the “Official Spirit of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse” on the Kentucky Senate floor.

Barrell Craft Spirits’ new Foundation Bourbon is more nuanced than its 5-year label might lead you to believe. This sippable spirit is a balanced 100-proof blend of whiskeys from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Maryland. It kicks off with a sweet and honeyed fragrance, complemented by a spicy mix of cinnamon and dark chocolate as it hits your tongue.

Bourbon and chocolate are a brilliant taste pairing, so Woodford Reserve’s Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall paired up with Compartés chocolatier Jonathan Grahn to create a limited-edition of four truffle flavors to complement a 750 ml Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon: butterscotch chocolate, oak-smoked salt caramel, pear nutmeg, and maple pecan.

Add this secret ingredient to your arsenal for elevated cocktails, baked goodies, and meals. Osmo infused clay-based red sea salt with Four Roses small batch bourbon for a seasoning that combines bourbon spice with sweet notes of vanilla. Rim a Bloody Mary glass or add just a pinch to nearly any savory dish.

While tasting their latest barrels, Frey Ranch’s farmer-distillers came across a firecracker with their highest proof yet. The 140.18-proof Hazmat Single Barrel yielded only 126 bottles of dark mahogany bourbon, rich with notes of orange peel and oak. Drops 10.8.22 only at Frey Ranch Tasting Room in Fallon, Nevada.

Puncher’s Chance Bourbon is a knockout, a one-two punch of 5- and 6-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons made from a mash of 75% Corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley. The 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition gold medal winner won a 95-point review from The Tasting Panel. We give it two boxing-gloved thumbs up.

We love summertime Bourbon Sours and Old Fashioneds, so it’s no surprise that we’re in-Spire-d by the sweet-and-sour Spire cocktail created by Woodward Reserve Bourbon Whiskey. It’s a cinch when made with William Sonoma’s Spire mixer, a blend of tart cranberry and lemon juice, sweetened with simple syrup.

These tasty meats from Booze Dogs are made from premium proteins, blended with savory spices and marinated in bourbon. The burgers come raw and ready to cook, while the brats and hot dogs are smoked with hickory wood and ready to thaw and reheat. Choose from a 3 lb. or 5 lb. variety pack.

Four Roses’ Kentucky distillery combines two mash-bills with five proprietary yeast strains to create 10 distinct bourbon recipes. Once they’ve matured, they blend four of these for gold-medal-winning Four Roses Small Batch, a mellow 90-proof spirit to serve straight-up, on the rocks, or in a flavorful cocktail like The Sweet & Spicy.

Named for the Bourbon Trail waterway on which Lexington, Kentucky was founded, Town Branch Bourbon was introduced in 2012 as the first spirit from the first new distillery in downtown Lexington in 100 years. This award-winning, 90-proof spirit – 72% corn mash, 15% malted barley, 13% rye – is aged in charred white oak barrels.

If you’re going to sip whiskey at home, you should have coasters to keep your tabletops in tip-top shape. We can think of none more perfect than Urban Industrial’s coasters, made in Kentucky from reclaimed bourbon barrel staves. Also available in a dark, charred finish. Sold in sets of two or four.

Cardinal Spirits adds a blend of bourbon and cream soda to its line of yummy canned cocktails. The 12oz. cans blend straight bourbon whiskey with a fizzy soda flavored with Madagascar vanilla beans. Its 8.5% ABV offers a nice kick without the burn. Check Cardinal’s Spirit Finder for your local retailer.

After maturing eight years in Kentucky, Jefferson’s Ocean bourbon is aged another 5-10 months at sea on an Ocearch shark-tagging ship, crossing the equator four times, and visiting ports on five continents. Sounds gimmicky, but the salt air, temperature shifts, and the rocking of the ship is your passport to complex flavors.

A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16-Year-Old has been called “the best American bourbon ever produced.” So where does a great distiller go from there? Back to fundamentals, with selected whiskey expressions like The Horizon Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a balanced 92-proof blend of two straight bourbons, perfect neat or on the rocks.

Gold-medal winning Woodford Reserve straight bourbon whisky is full of flavor, with hints of sweet aromatics, spice, fruit, flowers, grains and wood. Just the ticket for refreshing bourbon cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Mint Julep, and the summery Porch Swing cocktail, characterized by its use of lemon, honey and peach tea.

We love a good sippin’ bourbon as much as the next guy, but whiskey also goes great with mixers. Amy Zavatto’s colorful book is filled with 100 great drink recipes, including the perfect versions of classic cocktails, and drinks grouped by sweet, savory, spicy, sour, and other flavor profiles to suit every taste.

Washington state’s Bad Dog Distillery crafts this bright and flavorful 90-proof bourbon whiskey, which offers up a light and spicy body, toasty oak notes, and a fragrant aroma reminiscent of a good añejo tequila. Good for sipping or cocktails. Available from BigFish.

Made in Washington state using locally-sourced corn, Nightside Distillery’s 90-proof bourbon is developed and smooth, despite no age statement. It’s got lots of desirable caramel and vanilla notes, and is an easy whiskey for casual sippers looking for something a little bolder than the big name brands. Available from BigFish.

On our recent trip to Kentucky, we enjoyed a mix of horses, horsepower, baseball, and bourbon. We also visited Toyota’s largest factory in the world. Georgetown’s TMMK plant makes about 2,000 cars a day, and serves as a living monument to our global economy, where Japanese and American ingenuity and skill come together.

Check out the latest limited edition release from Stillhouse Spirits – the first ever bourbon rested and mellowed in roasted small batch coffee beans, with soft notes of caramel and coffee. A little nip added to our morning joe sounds like a perfectly smooth start to the day.

Duke Cannon adds Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey to their Big American Bourbon Soap and the result is pure genius. It’s a hefty 10 oz, made with ground corn bits to exfoliate rough patches and a rich scent that’ll send you over the edge to whisky heaven.

Happy National Coffee Day, folks. Since we want to be a part of the movement, we think a coffee cocktail is in order. Fortunately Bulleit and Revelator Coffee have whipped up a recipe just in the nick of time to wave goodbye to National Bourbon Heritage month.