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>> Announcer: On the next episode of Sip, suds and smokes. >> Brent: Here's the whiskies we're going to be sipping today. So we have the a Overholt straight rye whiskey from Penelope. We have the Penelope straight rye Tokai cask finish. The Penelope Rio honey and amber on a cast finish. We have the Penelope 4 grain cast strength bourbon batch 17. We have the Ezra Brooks 99 port cask finish Kentucky stray bourbon, the new Riff 8 year Kentucky straight bourbon from

hidden Barn. We have the Hidden Barn Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey seven year. And for the last one, we have Booker's Springfield batch 2024. 01. Yeah, I know. We're doing batch 01 of 2024 and it's already 2025. >> Maury: Better late than never. >> Announcer: We'll be right back after this break. Brought to you almost live from the dude in the basement studios. Why? Because that's where the good stuff is. It sips suds and smokes with your smoke and host the good old boys.

And now it's sipping time. >> Brent: Hey. Yes. It's sippin time again. Welcome to this sips episode where everything good in life is worth discuss. As always, we are the best thing on at 2:00am no argument. Uh, no argument from the peanut crown. >> Bob: Yeah, they moved Hee Haw. >> Maury: Huh? >> Bob: So, yeah, we're the best. >> Brent: I loved heho. Huh? >> Bob: Yeah. >> Brent: Elvis's girlfriend was in Hee Haw.

>> Bob: Yeah. >> Brent: And Kenny Rogers wife was in Hee Haw. >> Bob: Uh, all the talent was in Hee Haw. >> Brent: Your husband was in Hee Haw. >> Bob: Uh, yes. >> Brent: He was junior samples. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. I miss he. >> Bob: Yeah. >> Brent: Yeah. Well, what are you gonna do? Hey, man, I was like 12 years old. That was the most exciting thing on TV at the time. >> Bob: They've got to be playing it somewhere.

>> Brent: Oh, yeah. Uh, man, I see m commercials. They sell like box sets of it. >> Bob: Yeah. >> Maury: Hey, boys. >> Brent: Oh, please. You were watching it too, New York boy, I don't want to hear it from you. >> Bob: Oh, uh, those Daisy Dukes. >> Brent: Oh, yeah. That's as country as he was getting. Yeah. Well, this is made man Bob. And joining me today, we've got a small cast. So we've got made man Maury.

>> Maury: Good morning, Bob. Excited to be here in the damp, dank basement today. >> Brent: We've got a beautiful lineup and good old boy Justin. >> Bob: Always a pleasure to be here, Bob in the basement. Great lineup today. I'm excited to get into it. >> Brent: Yeah, I can tell. Put your pants back on. Well, our sip segments are all about wine and distilled spirits and tea and coffee and pretty much anything Else you can sip.

And here's the whiskeys we're going to be sipping today. So we have the A Overholt straight rye whiskey from Penelope. We have the Penelope straight rye Tokai cask finish. The Penelope Rio honey and Amber Ana cask finish. We have the Penelope 4 grain cast strength bourbon batch 17. We have the Ezra Brooks 99 port cast finish Kentucky straight bourbon, the new Riff 8 year Kentucky straight Bourbon from Hidden Barn. We have the Hidden Barn Kentucky straight Bourbon whiskey

seven year. And for the last one, we have Booker's Springfield batch 2024. 01. Yeah, I know. We're. We're doing batch 01 of 2024 and it's already 2025. Sometimes we get behind. What can we do? >> Maury: So better late than never. >> Brent: I'll drink Bookers in the. I might. It's like a Dr. Seuss book. I will drink it here or there. I will drink it anywhere. I will drink it in a box. I will drink it with a fox in a tree. In a tree. Yes. You'll see. I will drink Bookers with anyone

you see. Yeah, well, you know, we've had a zombie and he's crawled out of the grave and he wants to eat your brain, but he wants to have some Bookers with you before. Okay. Yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah, we can do that. >> Bob: Yeah. >> Brent: So let's get to our Simps ratings and we're gonna have Justin, against our better judgment, tell us about those. >> Brent: All right, let's go ahead and make our day. One sip. Give me a glass of water to wash out my mouth.

Two sips. Nice. But what else do you have? >> Brent: Well, isn't that, uh, nice? >> Brent: Three sips. It's interesting. What was this again? >> Brent: You're a doctor. Shouldn't he be like on oxygen with that? >> Maury: Yeah, I think he needs a little. >> Brent: Sounds a little winded. >> Brent: Interesting. >> Brent: I think he needs some nitrous oxide. >> Brent: Always, uh, need nitrous. >> Brent: Make him a little more interesting.

>> Brent: Yeah, that could work. Four sips. Let's keep this secret to ourselves. Pour me another. >> Brent: That's classified. >> Brent: That's what he used to say to the kids at the school, you know? Mhm. >> Brent: My doctor said plead the fifth. Five sips. Oh my. I was unaware anything could be this good. >> Brent: Oh my goodness. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not his worst, I'll give him that. It's not his worst. I mean, we heard his worst,

so. Yeah, that's. That's. Yeah, it could be a lot worse. We're going to go to our first whiskey and we're Going to have Maury tell us all about that one. >> Maury: Why, thank you, Bob. Overholt is one of the longest standing u. S. Whiskey brands in American

history. Originally created in West Overton, Pennsylvania and established in 1810 by its namesake, Abraham Overholt. Today the brand is produced by Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Master Distiller of the Fred B. No distillery in Claremont, Kentucky. Their newest release, a Overholt mongahela mash, is a Pennsylvania style classic

rye. In a nod to their historic roots, reintroducing consumers to one of the first styles of American whiskey, a Overholt uses the same mash Bill Overholt founder Abraham overholt used in 1810. It's 80% rye grain and 20% soft malted barley. >> Brent: So a proper rye, not a, um, barely legal rye. >> Maury: Correct. Thank you, Bob. A overhauled straight rye whiskey is 47.5% ABV or 95 proof in is aged four years. It's got a delightful burnished copper color

on the nose. There's caramel, subtle layers of sandalwood and caraway. The palette is viscous. It's luscious. There's some brown butter, a little bit of clove, some seasoned oak. It's mouth coating, and then it's just got this really incredibly long finish with lots of tobacco and oak with a little hint of cocoa. I thought this was delicious. And clearly a step up from what most of us have had with regard to old Overholt rye. This reintroduction of their classic, uh,

style. Getting back to their roots, in my opinion, they've knocked it out of the park. I think they did a beautiful job with this. They've really brought back their old traditional roots. And, um, I'm thrilled. I think if you see it on the shelf, I don't know how easy it will be to find, but I would say if you see it, buy it. You won't regret it. >> Brent: Yeah, this is, this is definitely a completely different animal from the standard old

overhaul. Um, and hell, for 20 bucks old overhaul, it's pretty good pour. But this one is completely different whiskey. Um, really, really well done, I thought. I mean, for the money, I honestly can't think of anything we're doing today that for the money is better. Um, you know, this is not an expensive whiskey. I want to say 40ish bucks, 40 to 45. Um, but a completely different animal. It's, it's got a great nose. I mean, that was the first thing I noticed about it, was the nose.

Justin and I were going through it and I just Kept saying the same thing. What a pretty nose. >> Bob: Yeah, right. >> Brent: Just fruity. It's just. There's caramel, there's. The sandalwood is absolutely there, but there's a little bit of a floral characteristic to it. It's just. It's so nice. And on the palette, it. It follows through. Um, you know, there's definitely some clove. There's definitely oak. There's. For me, there's. There's

a bit of. A little bit of a. Like a dark caramel toffee kind of note to it. There's a little bit of a mocha on the back of the palate. On the finish, you definitely get the cocoa and the tobacco notes. Um, it's got a little bit of a spice to it on the back, like a little hint of white pepper. Um, you know, really well done. I mean, really well done. And. And again, a really historic distillery, which is the cool thing, you know. You know who used to own this at one point? No. Henry Clay Frick.

>> Bob: Who's that? >> Brent: He was one of. He was. He worked for, uh, Andrew Carnegie. >> Bob: Oh, wow. >> Brent: And, like, he was the guy who, like, when they had the homestead strike and they sent in guys and it turned into, like, a whole massacre and everything, you know, he was. He was the hitman for Carnegie. >> Bob: Oh, wow. >> Brent: And they had some. There was some club in, like, rural Pennsylvania for, like, trillionaires, and they all

belonged to it. And, uh, they had a big lake. And I remember watching on a history channel, it was raining and raining as bad storm came, and they said, oh, this dam's gonna fail. And he's like, ah, the dam failed and washed down and like, you know, basically drowned in an entire town. He. He's not a nice guy, but he actually owned this. It was one of. He was an ancestor of Overhaul, so I'm surprised. >> Bob: Not on the billboard. >> Brent: Yeah, exactly.

>> Maury: But when did, uh, Beam acquire them? >> Brent: Oh, years ago. I think that was. I think it was. I think it was when Beam. I think when National Distillers dissolved, I think Beam plucked a few brands from them, and I think this was one of the ones they got. Like, Old Granddad was National Distillers. And I believe this was also. I think this was also National Distillers. I could be wrong. I'm. I'm sure if I'm wrong that we'll get

a hundred emails about it now. How you suck and you don't know what you're doing, so. Because that's how it happens. What do you think, Justin? >> Bob: So on the nose, it was like, uh, running me a juicy fruit and tangerines. A little bit of toffee on the palate. I got animal crackers and honey bunches. >> Brent: Of oats I gotta give him. He's right. There is a bit of a juicy fruity to it. There's a little jackfruit in there. >> Bob: Yeah.

>> Brent: Good for you. Look at you, you little overachiever, you. >> Bob: And this doesn't drink like 95 proof to me. It drinks like an 80 proof. Um, I don't know, I could probably go on the porch with this, but I probably won't get out of the porch for a long time. >> Brent: The thing that surprises me is how good it is. It's only four years old. >> Bob: Yeah, I agree.

>> Maury: It's surprisingly mature for a four year old. The other thing I would say is that Old Overhaul's a nice cocktail rye. It brings a little spice and heat to a cocktail. I'm not sure I will put this in a cocktail as quick as I. >> Brent: Would just sit this one all day. No, regular Old Overhaul is a great base for a cocktail, really. I mean, a solid whiskey and has been for many years. But this one. No, don't. No, please don't.

>> Bob: Pair this with Maduro cigars if you're a cigar smoker. >> Brent: Pair this with a rack of ribs if you're. Oh, yeah, well, anything if you're a human. >> Maury: Anything. >> Bob: Yeah, we don't support vegans, so. >> Maury: Yeah, I'm really digging the channel and I, I think for the price, this is going to be an excellent value. >> Brent: Yeah.

>> Maury: But it's a delicious whiskey at any price. I think they did a really nice job overhauling this brand and, uh, I loved it. >> Brent: Yeah, a fantastic whiskey. So we're going to be giving the a Overholt straight rye whiskey. A well, well deserved four sips. >> Brent: That's classified. >> Brent: I mean, just again, for the money, this is one of the best deals I've seen all year. So we'll be back. Hey, and we're back and we just finished talking about the A

Overholt straight rye whiskey. Uh, we gave that a well deserved four sips. If you see that on a shelf, definitely grab one. For the money, you're not going to get a better bourbon for sure. So we're going to move on to our next whiskey. Um, and this is from the folks at Penelope. So Penelope was founded in 2018 by Mike Paladini and Danny Police.

They were friends and neighbors who wanted to create an approachable bourbon for folks to enjoy and share. And the brand was Named after Mike's, uh, newly born daughter. Um, so the first one that we have from them, because we have a couple, is the Penelope straight rye Tokai cask finish. It's 53% ABV, 106 proof, 8 years old. It's a 95.5 Rye. And this is, this is the second release of the Penelope Bourbon Tokai finish. This year's release was distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana

at mgp. MGP is now the owner of the brand. They, they basically, uh, purchased Penelope. So now it's owned by them, which, you know, it's a growing brand and they're sourcing it from you. Why not? So this one is aged for a full eight years as opposed to six years on the original lease. Uh, the Tokai is a late harvest wine from Hungary. If you've never had it, it was once dubbed the king of wines by King, uh, Louis XIV or Wine of Kings. Wine of Kings.

And this release is part of Penelope's Cooper series, uh, which also includes the rose cast finish, Valencia and Rio. So let's take a sip and see what we think. So the color, it's, it's got a slight reddish, almost like a, like a burnt reddish copper color to it. On the nose. If you dig deep, you can abs. You can actually, you can absolutely pick out the Tokai. There's that raisiny sweetness to it. A little bit of, uh, a little bit of almond, but it's, uh, a little bit of brioche too.

And on the palate, let's see. M. On the palate, there's a little bit of a orangey note to it. A little bit orange zest, light caramel. It's not, not cloyingly sweet, which was what I had expected since it had been in Tokai cask. Um, which tells me that they were paying attention. They didn't overdo it. Usually when folks just throw something into a cask and just let it sit for months and months without checking, that's when you run into

problems like Ambarana. That's one, that's, that's the wood of the day right now. And so many people overdo it. Um, but this one, they, they got the flavor, but they didn't get the sticky out of it, which I, which I kind of, I'm happy about. Um, on the finish, there's a little bit of, a little bit of a cigar box, tobacco barn kind of to it. And you can absolutely. I mean, the wine notes are there. I mean you're, you're getting the wine Notes, it's just not cloyingly sticky sweet. So I think

this one's very well done. I think they, they, they. You know, it's so, so many folks will cask finish to differentiate themselves, but they just pour it in a cask and then pour it out of a cast. They don't. It's not that hard. Just go back and check it once in a while. You know, when it starts, when it's getting to the point where it's, oh, that's getting to be too much. You might want to take it out. And they don't seem to do that. So I think the

guys, Penelope, are doing a good job. What you think, Maury? >> Maury: Yeah, I would agree with you. I, uh, think in some, uh, I think you nailed it. Uh, very nicely done. Um, you know, essentially a lot of their stuff is, uh, finesse and finishing. So if you want some flavor and some enhancement to the whiskey without dumping in flavor man packets, you know, we all know that cast strength finishing has been a beautiful, natural way to add dimension to the whiskey.

And as we all know, sometimes those things can steal the show and become the dominant star and you lose the whiskey as the star. I think the Penelope's done a nice job creating a quote unquote flavored whiskey, meaning they're flavoring with wood and cask, but in a balanced way. So the whiskey is still the star. And I agree with you, it comes out with a nice little hint of sweetness, little hint of a lot of orange zest and, um, little black cherry and tobacco. It's very pleasant. It's

very easy drinking. It's, ah, it's a beautiful place to start your whiskey journey. It, uh, could be an aperitif, it could be a digestive. Uh, I think it's a very nice whiskey. It's well made and, uh, it's not traditional. It's not a traditional 10 year bourbon. Cast strength bookers. But for what it is, I think it's very well done with finesse and style and balance. >> Brent: Yeah. And it's again and again. It's like we've said it a thousand times on the show for the last 10 or 12 years.

It's, you know, it's Swiss cheese. You're filling the holes. You're not trying to cover the wall with paint, you're trying to fill in the holes. And I think they've done a good job. And that's. It seems so easy, it seems so logical, but so many people don't do it. So many people overdo it on cast Finishing. So, you know, I don't have a Rick house with a bunch of cast sitting, so I can't tell you. I can't tell you

from personal experience if it's easier. It's hard, but I mean, logically it seems like it's not that damn hard to go in and check it every couple of days, you know, or once a week or something. >> Bob: Especially if you're thirsty. >> Brent: I'm always thirsty. >> Bob: I know. >> Maury: We're born thirsty. >> Brent: If it wasn't for the whiskey, those voices in my head would just. Never mind what you think, Justin.

>> Bob: Well, I'm, uh, going to do this show till I get the second career of checking those casks, um, for them. Because, you know, I'm a giver. >> Brent: I got, like, said that before. You're. You're definitely a giver. They said that about you, uh, during COVID You were a giver. >> Bob: Yeah, I gave a lot of. >> Maury: Yeah, I always thought you were a receiver. >> Brent: Yeah. And then that. That venereal disease clinic said you were giving. Never mind.

>> Bob: Yeah, so this kind of reminded me of like, chocolate, a little chocolate liqueur, things, you know, in. With a little liquor in the middle before I got to graduate and just have the liquor without the chocolate in it. And I also got amaretto and cognac on the nose, uh, on the palate. It reminded me of, like that first hit of Swisher Sweets when you smoke, you know, a cigar when you're, uh, you know, on the younger side smoking cigars. And I also got Mexican Fanta.

>> Brent: Which one? >> Bob: There's more than one? The orange. >> Brent: Orange, okay. The orange. Okay. >> Bob: Oh, I didn't know there was more than one. >> Brent: No, they got grape and all the different flavors. >> Maury: I didn't get any Mexican. >> Brent: Yeah. >> Bob: Oh, okay. I had no idea. All right, I'm excited now. Anyway, back to the whiskey and on the finish, I got, like, bright red cocktail cherries. And it was. I enjoyed it.

>> Brent: Yeah, I definitely. The cherry is definitely there. Yeah, this one was nice. I think they did a good job. So we're going to be, uh, giving the Penelope straight ride toy cast finish. A well deserved three sips. >> Brent: Interesting. >> Brent: So that's going to take us to our next one

and we're going to have Justin tell us all about that one. >> Bob: So I get to talk about Penelope Rio honey and Ambarana cask finish straight bourbon whiskey. It's 49% alcohol by volume or 98 proof. It's made of 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley. Um, the color of this is kind of like a light, uh, brown, dark copper color. It's the honey hits you like right off the bat. And it does remind me of the cinnamon rolls. You get like a Holiday Inn before you start your day.

Um, I also got like, ah, brioche bun. >> Brent: Allspice. M. >> Bob: It was very rich, sweet, syrupy experience. And the finish on it, it's very sweet and it lasts for a lot longer than you think it would. And then the sweetness finally fades off and then you get wood, and then it's over. What'd you think, Maury? You got wood? >> Brent: I'm glad you're sitting over there. Wow. >> Bob: Right? >> Maury: Thank God he's wearing pants today.

>> Bob: Nothing you haven't seen before, Doc. >> Maury: No. Uh, you know, this is just smaller. This is, ah, I think this could be a polarizing whiskey. Uh, it's delightful. It's delicious for what it is. Let's judge it for what's in the glass. I agree with you on the color. The nose is definitely a lot of sweetness. Honey, cinnamon rolls, etc. Etc. Palette, I would agree. Gingerbread, honey, baking spice, brioche. Um, it's, it's a very sweet whiskey.

Uh, I enjoyed it. But in the right settings, this would be a beautiful nightcap as your dessert. Or with a subtle dessert that's not too sweet, such as a sour, uh, cream cake or butter cake. This would go nicely. Or a very dark 90 and cocoa. Bittersweet chocolate. >> Brent: Yeah. >> Maury: Uh, I think it's definitely not an all day sipper. It shows how extreme you can go with finishing whiskeys without putting in added flavors. This is purely done with, uh,

casks and wood. Cooking with wood, as we say. And they've done really some interesting stuff, but it's out there. It's at one extreme. And that doesn't make it bad. It just means that it's not going to be traditional. It's not going to be for everybody. But for what it is and what it was meant to be. They did a beautiful job. >> Brent: Yeah, I agree. It's, it's. This isn't the one I'm going to be drinking by the pool. Um, but wow. For after dinner, it's neat to have on your

shelf. It's initially or for dessert. I think this is fantastic. They, they nailed it on the ambarana. Most people overdo amber on, and it's real easy to overdo on piranha. Um, they got just enough to where you're really getting it, but it's not hitting you over the head. Yeah, Usually with Ambron I get it's like that blinding cinnamon roll. But this one, because I don't know if it's because of the honey barrel that they also use. But this one, this one.

The first tasting note I got is gingerbread man. I mean this thing is. It just whacks you in the face with gingerbread, which is not something, which is not something you get in your typical average bourbon. So that in and of itself I'm already happy about. Um, but it's. Yeah. I mean the nose, there's a little bit of the cinnamon pastry in there. Not real heavy. Like uh, a lot of overly done ambarana is. It's more pastry than cinnamon.

A, um, little bit of dark honey. But that gingerbread, hold on. >> Maury: Mhm. >> Brent: That gingerbread is just right there, right up front, which I dig. I love gingerbread. There's, you know, there's the baking spice in it. It's mostly, for me, it's mostly front palate, um, back palette, not as front palette, mainly mid palate, back palette, not as much. But I think this is a really, really good experiment. I think, I think that this one worked out really well.

And when I saw it I went, I don't know how that's going to go. Um, again, it's not. Also not, it's not sticky sweet. The sweetness is absolutely there but it's not cloying. Like you know, somebody handed me this and I wasn't having a nice dessert. I'd still enjoy it. Whereas a lot of dessert ish whiskeys are just too sticky. This one, I think they did a really good job. >> Bob: It would have been so easy to overdo it. >> Brent: Yeah. >> Bob: And they didn't.

>> Brent: Yeah. I mean this job guys. Yeah, this one was very good. So we're going to be giving the Penelope Rio, uh, honey and Amber Anish straight bourbon whiskey a uh, well deserved. Three sips. >> Brent: Interesting. >> Brent: So that's going to take us to our last one from Penelope and we're going to have Maury tell us about that one. >> Maury: Why thank you, Bob. Our last Penelope whiskey is the Penelope 4 grain cask strength

bourbon batch 17. It comes in at 58% ABV or 116 proof. It is non age stated. It is 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye and 3% malted barley. It is non chill filtered. This expression is a blend of three different bourbons comprised of four grains, corn, wheat and rye and malted barley. The whiskeys are aged four to six years in barrels with a number four char and number Two charred barrel heads. So this whiskey is a very similar color to the others. A nice light burnished copper on the nose.

There's lots of really sweet caramel, hints of maple syrups, and just a sort of candied sweetness. The nose is definitely much sweeter than you'd, um, than the palate. And so the palate is a little bit contrasty to what you get on the nose. The nose promises this just syrupy sweet nectar. And then you drink it down and you get syrupy. Nice mouthfeel with some brown sugar, some caramel, a little bit of barrel char, butterscotch, creme brulee,

cinnamon, and just a hint of maple syrup. So not nearly as sweet on the palate as the nose promised, but it is mouth coating. The finish is definitely cinnamony, a hint of spice. It lingers. Um, there's even a little bit of heat on the finish. It kind of heats up on the very back end. There's just a little bit of smoke and fire that kind of persists. So medium to long finish. I like this. I thought this whiskey was a step up from the other two. It's a little bit more traditional than what

you'd expect from a classic bourbon. Than the cask finish with the Tokai, um, or the Ambarana. I liked it very much. I thought it was balanced, beautifully made, go in the right direction. I'd love to see what else they have in the future, but this is. I'm happy with this for today. Justin. What? >> Brent: Is it true that we have to bring our own water? >> Maury: We got a little rule back home. If it's brown, drink it down. >> Brent: Mm, mhm.

>> Bob: So this was a fun spirit. I definitely got like that great kerosene lamp burning smell that I like. >> Maury: Um, I'm glad you like it because I find that smell obnoxious. >> Bob: I love that smell. >> Brent: He's huffing brake cleaner out of a paper bag. Look at him. >> Bob: Yeah, well, you know, grow up. Plantation. What do you want? >> Maury: So you grew up on a plantation? >> Bob: Implantation. >> Brent: Yeah, same thing.

>> Bob: Same thing. There was like, I, uh, think we. >> Maury: Should change the name of your town. It's offensive. >> Bob: Yeah, they tried that. Didn't go anywhere. >> Brent: Attitude, sir. >> Bob: Didn't go anywhere. So it's just a really nice balance of sweet and wood. And the finish was balanced. It's pretty cool. They took four different bourbons or three different bourbons, all these different ingredients, and they didn't chill filter it.

And wow. I don't know, they. They killed it. >> Brent: Chill filtration is the devil. >> Bob: It is. And I'm glad they just left it. Let it be. >> Brent: Yeah. >> Bob: I just let you do the better. >> Brent: I, and I know there are people out there who do like targeted filtration, chill filtration, you know, to take little things, not just bulk. But I just, I just don't like chill filtration. Leave the fatty acids in there. They're

in there for a reason. God wanted them there. >> Bob: I think it's healthier. >> Brent: Yeah, I'll go with that. It's healthier. >> Bob: Less processed. >> Brent: Well, it's healthier for everybody else because when I drink a good whiskey I'm less hostile. So yeah, this one's, this one's lovely. It's just maple syrup and like sweet sticky pastry on the nose. On the palate. Mhm. Brown sugar. On the exhale, the barrel char really comes out.

>> Bob: Yeah. >> Brent: You know, you don't get it on the swallow, but on the exhale that barrel char just leaps out. There's butterscotch in there. There's um, the baking spices definitely leap forward and it's got, it's got a good mouthfeel to it. It's coating. Mhm. You know, top and bottom of the palate, sides of the mouth, under the tongue, you know, gives you that viscosity that you know, a lighter whiskey or an overly filtered whiskey would uh, not have.

So I think they did a good job on this one. Really enjoyed that one. So what do you guys think? I think we're going to be giving the Penelope four grain cast strength bourbon batch number 17, a well deserved four sips. >> Brent: That's classified. >> Brent: So that leads us on into our next whiskey. We're getting ready to run out of time, but I'll start reading about it. So this is the Ezra Brooks 99 port cast finish Kentucky straight bourbon.

49. 49.5% ABV 99 proof, 78 corn, 10% rye and 12% malt. This is the latest addition to the Ezra Brooks brand family. The port wine cast finish was finished in port cast for six months. So colors of uh, sort of a dark to mid to dark straw. I would expected a little bit more color from the portcast. But we'll be back. Hey. And we're back and we were just starting to discuss the Ezra Brooks 99 portcast finish. So again, 49.49.5% ABV 99 proof, 78 corn, 10

rye and 12 malt. So a lighter color than I would expected from a port cast finish whiskey. But it also, I don't know what type of port it was. I don't know if it's ruby port. Yeah. So we'll see. But on the nose, definitely get a nice caramel note. I can just get a hint of the sort of the grapeiness of the wine. Get a little bit of, a little bit of barrel char and a very, uh, a very, very clean, like, fresh sawn oak. But that's very, very, very deep. You've got to really get in there to dig it

out. And on the palate, let's see on the palette, lighter than I expected. I was expecting a little bit more heavy with the port cast, but, yeah, a very, very light, um, a light caramel with a little bit of barrel char coming through. Almost like a, like the brulee on the top of a creme brulee. A little bit of vanilla, slight bit of butterscotch. Not getting a lot of the port cask influence on the palate. I got it more on the nose. What'd you think, Justin?

>> Bob: So this would be the bourbon, I would imagine, Agent 99 from Get Smart Drinking. It's, like, light, approachable on the nose. >> Brent: Should we get in the cone of silence to discuss? >> Bob: On the nose, I got, like, caramel brown sugar, you know, like cream of Wheat on the palette. It was sweet, woody. The finish was malty. I don't think the port was readily isolatable or identifiable, but I think it infused the whole thing.

>> Brent: I think you're right about the malt. The malt, definitely. I, I, I miss that now. I'm still tasting it. I mean, it's got a pretty good finish on it. Um, the malt leaps forward. >> Bob: But yeah, I mean, it's a good dessert cordial. Or if you have a beautiful person come over and they don't drink a lot of bourbon, start them off with. >> Brent: A beautiful person here. >> Bob: Well, that's never if one came over. In theory, the only way a beautiful.

>> Brent: Person is coming down here is if Brent kidnaps them, rolls them up on a carpet, and drags them down the stairs to the basement. Yeah, yeah, yeah, not so much. >> Bob: I don't think he's got that kind of ambition. >> Brent: Nah, I don't think so either. >> Bob: Yeah, yeah, we score a good bottle. >> Brent: But what you think? >> Maury: Well, I generally like the stuff coming out of there, but, uh, honestly, this one was a little bit of a

disappointment for me. My, my first impression was just, meh, it's just there. Um, I, I think it's, there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but there's nothing inherently great about it. Um, I just was a little bit underwhelmed. I think they've done better stuff. I, uh, didn't add any water. What did you think when you added water? Did you find any improvement?

>> Brent: It didn't raise it. You know, it. The palette didn't come forward, but it, to me, it sort of blended it out a little bit more evenly. >> Bob: What is this water that you speak of? >> Brent: It's a thing that fish fornicate in. >> Bob: Oh, that. >> Brent: Yeah. >> Maury: Okay. I got a hint of young corn on it, and I really didn't like the youngness to it. Uh, I just felt like it was underdeveloped. And it just. I'm

sorry to say, it just. Just didn't hit me. Well today. >> Brent: Well, not all of them are 100%, you know, hit out of the park, so what can you do? It's, uh, again, nothing wrong with it, but it was well made. Yeah. Not hit. Not hitting everybody, you know, on all four cylinders. So we're going to give the Ezra Brooks 99 port cask finish Kentucky straight bourbon, uh, three sips. >> Maury: I think I wanted to add one little thing about port cask

finishing. You know, we're really big about talking about the types of sherry casks, and we're interested in talking about Madeira casks occasionally and similar. But the reality of it is, uh, there are at least five types of Madeira and there's at least a handful of types of port. And so, as Bob pointed out, is it. Was it a ruby port? Was it a vintage port? Was it a tawny port? >> Bob: Uh, is it a white port? >> Brent: Right.

>> Maury: Uh, I think we. One of the things that I'm hopeful will be more transparent in the future is what type of port cask. Because saying a port cask is akin to saying it was a whiskey cask. We finished our honey in it. >> Brent: I don't think they're hiding it. I just. I just didn't have the information. I'm sure if. I know. >> Maury: I don't think they're hiding it. I just think that it would be nice to. As consumers become more educated

about. Oh, yeah, a cask finishing. Well, they're like a really finish. >> Brent: Never enough information. Honestly, every bottle should come in a little box or a tube with a, uh, the data sheet in it. QR code. And sometimes we. Sometimes I ask, you know, hey, if you have data sheets on the products you're sending us to try on the show, please send them. I'm not telling you I'm going to read everything that's on that sheet. But the more information we have, the

better, you know, And I Don't care how geeky it gets. I don't care. If you tell me the corn came from this farm on this street, I send it to us. Ah, you know, I, we, we always want as much as we can get, so. Right. >> Maury: But, and that's my point is that it would enable the consumer to hone in on, you know, I really like tawny port finished whiskey as opposed to a ruby port finish whiskey, which is completely different. >> Brent: You make a more informed decision.

>> Bob: Of course, maybe they use more than one kind of pork cast too, and blended them together. >> Maury: For example, we all know that a PX or Pedro Jimenez is the sweetest, most cloying type of sherry. Dramatically different from Fino and Amontillado sherry. Completely different. And so I think that as people become more sophisticated, they'll be interested in fine tuning their palate to whiskies that are finished in and woods and cast they like.

>> Brent: Well, let's go to our next whiskey. So we're gonna have Justin tell us about that one. >> Bob: So we're gonna talk about new riff 8 year Kentucky straight bourbon. It's 50% alcohol by volume or 100 proof. This 8 year old whiskey is New Rift distilling's oldest bourbon yet released. The whiskey is non chill filtered and hasn't met. Yeah, I know. And has a mashable 65% corn, 30% rye and 5% malted barley. So it's a high rye rye.

While known for their commitment to bottled and bond standards, New Riff made the difficult but necessary decision to waive the status for this release to be able to focus on a wider release despite meeting all the other requirements of a bonded whiskey. Due to the comparatively small production from the earliest years of New Riff, this release blends bourbons from two distilling seasons and aged a minimum of eight years. So the nose on this

one was like, ah, lovely. I got like brioche, I got new car smell and marshmallow on the palette was woody caramel, more marshmallow. The finish was nicely balanced and the note that popped out at me was cedar. How about you, Maury? What'd you think? >> Maury: Well, I, uh, would like to say that this whiskey improved with time, patience and oxygen. When I first poured this whiskey,

I was pretty underwhelmed. It's definitely matured and developed quite a bit in the glass and I think oxygen and patience have done it well and will reward you. Um, I agree with pretty much all the tasting notes that you said. I thought it had a beautiful mouthfeel. I love the Viscosity to it. To me that was its greatest asset more than any of the flavors was the viscosity. And the mouthfeel felt really nice. Um, I think it's a beautiful effort. I think new rifts is coming has come a long way.

I think they're continuing to go in the right direction, um, by inner technicality that they couldn't call it bonded even though it's 100 proof. Uh, but the fact is that it's, the proof is right. It's well made, it's going the right direction. I think you're going to only see better and better things coming out of New Riff moving forward as their stocks continue to mature. Bob, what do you think?

>> Brent: I, uh, thought it was delicious. I mean on the nose I get toffee brown butter and I, I got the cedar chest that you got on the nose. That's definitely there, your grandmother's cedar chest full of, you know, linens and things and, and on the palate it's um, dark, burnt, dark burnt toffee. To me. Um, it's got a great peppery spiciness to it on the tongue, um, a little bit of char on the exhale. But again, what Maury said, great mouthfeel, really great mouthfeel. And

that's, you know, that, that's hard to do. I mean that, that shows you that, you know, you got somebody running the still that knows what they're doing. >> Bob: It's non chill filtering for you. They'll take that mouthfeel right out. >> Brent: Takes all that fat out. So yeah, I mean extremely, I think extremely well done. Um, you know, definitely a good whiskey. So we're going to be giving the new Riff Kentucky straight bourbon eight year, uh, well deserved. Three sips.

>> Brent: Interesting. >> Brent: So that's going to take us to the next one which is Hidden Barn Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, 7 years old, 54.7% ABV 109.4 proof. So Hidden Barn owned by the Neely family and blended in partnership with master blender Jackie Zan. Uh, this is the 7 year old expression age 5 years in 24 month open air season barrels and then barreled a new charred French oak barrels for an additional two years and I definitely get the char I I the French oak

leaps out. That's 100% the nose on this. I don't know if it's limousine or trunk a I I don't know what, where the French oak came from but it's definitely there's, you know, you're definitely getting that French oak effect on it on the palate. Hold on. Mhm. On the palette, there's dark caramel, burnt toffee. A lot of um, it's not as, it's not so much the spice. Is that that darkness of the black pepper. It's not that burning spice, but it's that, that darkness of the black pepper.

I think it was probably the best thing I've had from Hidden Barn so far. I think this one was well done. What'd you think, Justin? >> Bob: I wish I could get the barrel that they made this in, take it apart and grill salmon on it or throw it in my fire pit because it's just got the most gorgeous wood smell I've smelt in two years. And I also got like cinnamon, ah, candle wax on the nose.

Um, on the palette, it was sweet, kind of like, um, the middle of an atomic fireball kind of texture to it, um, where the heat's worn off. And on the finish I got like sweet in the center and wood on the sides of my palette. And I, I like this a lot, but I really want the barrel. So if you go send the barrel to me, that would be great. Guys. >> Brent: What'd you think, Mark? >> Maury: Another one that I thought was well made. Going the right

direction. Uh, it's um, shocking that it's, ah, seven years old because it still tastes a little bit young to me. Um, I get a lot of wood. To me, it's been almost a little over oaked. It's a little off balance. >> Brent: To me it's that second, that second barrel. So you know, you're, you've got five years in one barrel and then you're putting it into a new barrel. >> Maury: Right. And so it's, it's, it's very oak forward. Uh, the French oak definitely adds a nice

dimension. But I, uh, in my opinion they, they've gone just a little bit too far with the over oak and perhaps backing it off a little bit on the front end on the American oak or a little bit on the back end with the French oak. A nice whiskey. Nothing inherently wrong, no flaws, balanced. Um, but to me, just slightly too much oak. >> Brent: Yeah. Palates vary. What you going to do? We're going to give the hidden bar and Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey seven year, three sips.

>> Brent: Interesting. >> Brent: So that brings us to our last one. We're going to have Maury tell us about that one. >> Maury: Okay, so, uh, the last whiskey. Thank you, Bob. Is the, uh, Booker's Springfield batch 24 1. 20241 62.25% ABV or 124.5 proof. The first Booker's batch of 2020 of 2024 is called the Springfield batch to honor my Booker knows hometown of Springfield, Kentucky. He worked on many farms when he was

young and growing up. From the hay ah fields to the tobacco patches, this batch is made up of five production dates stored in four different aging warehouses. The age is seven years, seven months and eight days. Breakdown of barrel storage for Booker Springfield batch is as follows. 17% came from the 5th floor of 9 story warehouse G. 7% came from the 4th floor of 9 story warehouse Hill. 31% came from the 5th floor Of 7 story warehouse Z and 45% came from the 4th floor Of 7 story warehouse 3.

The color is a deep, dark burnished copper. This whiskey's got a beautiful nose. With all the classic creme brulee and toffee spices on the palette. It's beautiful. It's mouth coating, it's viscous, it's got a very long finish. This whiskey is fantastic. It's delicious, it's wonderful. But it is completely different than any bookers I've had in the last several years. It is a complete new direction for Bookers, but nonetheless, comparing it to itself within the glass, it's

fantastic. Comparing it to previous vintages of Booker's, it's going to be slightly different. To me, this one has a very special spot in my heart. I grew up in Springfield, New Jersey. Almost every state in the country has a Springfield. But when I saw Springfield batch I needed to have it and I knew that it would need it to be great. And as it turns out, uh, I believe whiskey advocates given it number, uh, three or four whiskey of the year this year.

So this whiskey has been, uh, highly touted and rated by lots of people and we are privileged to try it today. Justin, what did you think? >> Bob: So on the nose it was kind of grassy, corny, caramel mint on the palate, minty and sweet. I got kind of a cheese grits thing in the middle and the finish was pleasant and minty, but I really enjoyed it. What a different Booker's, uh, bookers is. >> Brent: Usually that baseball bat to the head, you know that it just whacks the hell out

of you like a George D. Stagg. This one is different. This one is more subtle. I mean the flavor is huge. The pallet is huge, the nose is. >> Maury: And it's gotten better with air. It's just blowing just. >> Brent: It just continues to evolve. There's so many layers to it, but it's not that brute that it normally is. So much more finesse. >> Bob: Yeah. >> Brent: This one is just fantastic. Hold on. >> Maury: Uh. >> Brent: Mhm. God, this is good. Absolutely

fantastic. So five, we're gonna give the Booker Springfield batch 2024 Dash 1A. Ah, well deserved. Five sips. Oh my goodness. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lord, it's just. It, it's, it's still big. That's the funny thing. It's still big, but it's not, it's not hitting you over the booker's big. It's not, it's not that brood. Yeah, that's fantastic. So that's all the time we have for today. Want to thank everybody for joining us. Thank you, Maury.

>> Maury: Thank you, Bob. It's been a delicious morning in the basement. >> Brent: And thank you, Justin. >> Bob: Thank you. What a way to start the year, guys. >> Brent: Yeah. This doesn't suck, does it? >> Bob: Yes. >> Maury: Happy 25. >> Brent: Well for sip says and smokes, this made man. Bob, thank you for joining us. Remember, life is too short to drink bad whiskey. Unfortunately, today that's not something we had to do so especially with this

bookers. So good. So different, but so good. >> Maury: Lovely. >> Brent: Ah. Uh, just wish they'd send a 750. >> Maury: Yeah, right. >> Announcer: We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you're listening to us online, do yourself a favor and tap, just tap it in the subscribe button. >> Brent: You've been a little tappy. Tap, tap, taparoo. >> Announcer: The easiest way to listen to our show is to ask Siri, Alexa, Google, Uncle Larry or whoever it is that

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