Blade and Bow 22-Year-Old Bourbon Review

Blade and Bow 22-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey_Bottle shot

Blade and Bow is the newest bourbon brand from spirits giant Diageo.  In addition to a standard offering, a 22-year-old limited release of Blade and Bow hit the market.  It is a blend of whiskies from the George Stagg Distillery(now Buffalo Trace) and Bernheim Distillery, all aged at Diageo-owned Stitzel-Weller near Louisville.  This one-time release comes in the same shaped bottle as the standard offering and is bottled at 46% abv for an SRP of $150.

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My Adventures at Tales of the Cocktail 2015

Every big name in the spirits and cocktail industry comes down to the city I call home (okay, so I live 15 minutes away) to partake in a week-long event known as Tales of the Cocktail, a spirits & cocktail convention held yearly at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans.  There are tastings, seminars, private events, networking and a whole lot more.   Although all spirits are celebrated, Tales is a whiskey lover’s paradise.  A lot of whiskey brands, major players and craft distillers alike, are represented.  Besides tasting whiskey, the best part is meeting and talking to whiskey makers and/or brand ambassadors.  There were definitely some whiskey-geek moments during my time there.

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2015 Tales of the Cocktail: Beam Suntory Jul(e)p Hour

Suntory whisky lineup

The entire Beam Suntory world whisky portfolio was on display at a special event deemed “Jul(e)p Hour”.  As I walked into an old house on Royal Street in the French Quarter, I was met with the familiar sounds of New Orleans coming from a piano player in the corner.  In this room, Beam Suntory’s Master Mixologist was mixing up a world whisky julep, featuring Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch, Alberta Dark Rye Canadian Whisky, Jim Beam Bonded Bourbon, & Hibiki Harmony Japanese Blended Whisky.  You know what, it was pretty tasty.  This frankenstein concoction evolved nicely as the ice melted, bringing a level of complexity I don’t get in the standard bourbon mint julep.

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