December 2019 in Review

Welcome to the December 2019 recap. If you are looking for more ways to interact with me and share your love of bourbon, please tell everyone you know about the site and don't forget about the monthly Columbus Ohio Whiskey Society (COWS) meetups.

Also, be sure to sign up for emails on the front page. You'll get an email the day after anything is posted with the full article. No spam and the email address is not passed on to me in any way.

This month I posted 8 unique articles and the site saw over 7500 views... up over 475% from the 1307 views in December of 2018 and the second biggest traffic month ever for the site.

Me and Tobey at 2019 Christmas

Heaven Hill Announces Completion of Phase 1 of Visitor Center Upgrade

Heaven Hill has announced the completion of phase 1 of their visitor center upgrade resulting in new tasting rooms and immersive tour experiences at their Bardstown distillery as well as a brand new gift shop. Phase 2 will further expand the footprint of their Bourbon Heritage Center (BHC) nearly 3 times to 30,000 square feet.

2019 December Pictures From Woodford Distillery

Friend of the site Amy made a trip to Kentucky last week and captured some amazing photos. On the visit, she hit up Woodford and was gracious enough to let me display her photos. With that said, enjoy the pictures of the beautiful Woodford Distillery located in Versailles, Kentucky.

Bardstown Bourbon Company & The Prisoner Wine Announce New Bourbon Collaboration

Bardstown Bourbon Company has announced a new collaboration with The Prisoner Wine Company for a collaborative bourbon finished in The Prisoner red wine barrels scheduled for release in January of 2020. The new spirit is a 100-proof, nine-year-old Tennessee bourbon aged for 18 months in the same French Oak red wine barrels used to age The Prisoner's flagship product, The Prisoner. 

Reminder - Last Day to Enter the Ohio Bourbon Bottle Lottery

Today is the last day to enter the Ohio Bourbon Bottle Lottery. You can enter until 11:59pm on Friday, Dec. 13 (today!). If you haven't entered, do it now!

Enter Here!

In order to enter, you'll need the following:

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Jack Daniel's single barrel selections - Available December 21st

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced the availability of Jack Daniel's single barrel selections beginning at select locations (list below) on Saturday, December 21st at 9am. For this release, the state worked with Jack Daniel's Master Distiller Jeff Arnett to select 12 barrels available exclusively in Ohio.

Buffalo Trace Announces 21st Annual Lighting of the Trace - December 4th

In what is an annual tradition, Buffalo Trace will be kicking off the holiday season with their 21st annual Lighting of the Trace taking place on December 4th at their distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

The annual event is family friendly and includes refreshments, carols, Christmas stories read
by Santa’s elves, and of course a visit from Santa. The event kicks off at 5:30pm with a special candlelight tour of the Distillery featuring carolers along the tour route. Note, candlelight tours are offered on a first come, first serve basis and the capacity is limited.

2019 State of Ohio Whiskey and Bourbon Bottle Lottery is Live - Enter Now!

The 2019 Ohio Bottle Lottery is live. You can enter at the link below until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. I reached out to the state and they confirmed there are nearly 900 bottles available. The allocation by brand was not provided.

Enter Here!

In order to enter, you'll need the following:

Announcement: December Columbus Ohio Whiskey Society (COWS) Meeting

You won't want to miss our December Central Ohio Whiskey Society (COWS) meeting. As normal the $10 flight of whiskey tasted blind and will be the star of the show but we have some other special things in store. We will be having a raffle to raise money for the Central Ohio Food Bank where you can win some very sought after whiskey and some that can't even be bought in Ohio. There also will be some swag from donating distilleries. So bring cash to buy some tickets to get your chance. There will be many winners in this raffle. Please click the link and sign up so we have a head count as we are expecting a good crowd.


If you're planning on attending, please RSVP here so they can let the Buckeye Bourbon House know to properly prepare. Any questions, email eric@columbusbourbon.com. 

Date And Time And Location
Wed, December 11, 2019
Buckeye Bourbon House
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM EST
36 East Gay Street
Columbus, OH 43215

November 2019 in Review

Welcome to the November 2019 recap. If you are looking for more ways to interact with us and share your love of bourbon, please tell everyone you know.

Also, be sure to sign up for emails on the front page. You'll get an email the day after anything is posted with the full article. No spam and the email address is not passed on to us in any way.

This month I posted 15 unique articles and the site saw over 8400+ views... nearly doubling the previous all-time high of 4941 set last month.

For context, last November I had 404 page-views so this represents nearly a 2000% increase year-over-year!! This is the third consecutive month with record traffic. Thank you to everyone and remember, tell everybody!

Tobey dressed up as a panda for 2019 Halloween and rocking his new shoes... he was not having it! Finally, his 14th birthday at Pet People

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Maker's Mark OHLQ Holiday Barrel Program - Available December 6th

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced the availability of what they are calling the OHLQ Holiday release beginning at select locations (list below) at 9am on Friday, December 6th. This is the State's second Maker's Mark barrel selection release in 2019 following the ‘The Great 88 Select’, ‘Capital City Select’, ‘Queen City Select’, and ‘North Coast Select’ barrels released in April.

Angel's Envy Announces 2019 Cask Strength Bourbon Finished In Port Barrels

Angel's Envy has announced the release of 14,000 bottles of their 2019 Cask Strength Bourbon Finished In Port Barrels that hit select markets on November 1.

Michter's Announces Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey After 3-Year Hiatus

Michter's has announced the upcoming release in December of their Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey. This is the first release of the Sour Mash since 2016 and is a blend of whiskey taken from six carefully selected barrels.

Heaven Hill Releases 7 Year Bottled-In-Bond

Heaven Hill has announced the release of a 7 year Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. The original Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond debuted in 1939 and at one time, was the #1 selling bourbon in the state of Kentucky.

How Much Bourbon Evaporates Over Time?

One of the neat things about how bourbon works is that it's a very time intensive process. Once the bourbon is made, the liquid is poured in a wood barrel where it sits for years or even decades. One of the challenges is that over time, like the vast majority of liquids, evaporation happens. This is commonly referred to as the Angel's Share and often produces a black fungus known as Baudoinia (see photo below from a warehouse at the Wild Turkey Distillery).

2019 State of Ohio Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace Bottle Lotteries Announced

Like last year, the The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced the Pappy Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bottle lottery. This is an opportunity to enter a lottery to win the opportunity to purchase a hard to find bottle of select Buffalo Trace products at retail prices. The 2019 edition begins at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Dec. 2 and runs through 11:59 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13.

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Rossville Union Single Barrel - Available November 22nd

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced the availability of Rossville Union Single Barrel beginning at select locations (list below) at 9am on Friday, November 22nd. This is the State's first ever single barrel selection of Rossville Union.

Michter's Announces 20 Year Bourbon - Coming in November

Michter's has announced the 2019 release of Michter's 20 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon shipping to distributors and importers as early as November of this year and comes with a suggested retail price of $700.

Reminder: Central Ohio Whiskey Society (C.O.W.S.) November Meeting - Tomorrow, November 13th @5:30pm

Courtesy reminder that the Central Ohio Whiskey Society (C.O.W.S.) November Meeting is happening tomorrow, November 13th @5:30pm at the Buckeye Bourbon House located at 36 East Gay Street, Columbus, OH 43215. You can help them out by RSVP'ing using this link so they can let the bar know approximately how much bourbon they'll need. All are welcome!

Any questions, drop a note to Eric. 

Canadian Club Announces Release of Canadian Club® 42 Year Old AKA Issue No. 2: The Dock Man

Beam Suntory owned Canadian Club has announced the release of Canadian Club® 42 Year Old, also known as Issue No. 2: The Dock Man. Yes, you read that right... 42 years old! Based on math, this puts the whiskey barreled in or around the year 1977. This is the second release in the CC Chronicles premium release series and celebrates the dock worker who delivered quality whisky to bar owners and drinkers when counterfeit whisky ran rampant during the Prohibition era.

Central Ohio Whiskey Society (C.O.W.S.) November Meeting

Hope all is well and the bourbon is neat. 

We are having reservations for the November meeting come in and we have some new people that have reserved. I know there were many names talked about at the October meeting that haven't reserved a spot that are more than welcome. Help spread the link to anyone you may want to come to the meeting and if you haven't signed up, don't forget to do that. It helps ensure we have enough space reserved. November 13th will be here before you know it. Click here for the Eventbrite link. 

Click for a recap of the October meeting and the bourbons that were tasted.  

Until the next time

Eric

Maker's Mark Announces Custom Holiday Calligraphy Labels for Ohio

Because it's never too early to prepare for the holidays... Maker's Mark has announced the availability of calligraphy labels in Ohio. These make great personalized gifts and the best part is that they are free (no purchase required). It is as simple as going to one of the locations below during the time frames and providing the information. After that, you place it onto your new bottle and you're done.

As an added bonus, if you cannot make any of the dates and times below, you can request a label at https://makersmarkpersonalize.com/ and they will mail it free of charge.

The locations in Ohio are:

Dates: Nov. 16, Dec. 14, 1–3 p.m.
Location: Spirits of Madeira
6917 Miami Avenue
Madeira, OH 45243

Dates: Nov. 22, Dec. 13, 5–7 p.m.
Location: O’Bryan’s Wine & Spirits
8972 Columbia Road
Loveland, OH 45140

Dates: Nov. 23, Dec. 7, 3–5 p.m.
Location: Beckett Wine & State Liquor Agency
8211 Princeton Glendale Road
West Chester Township, OH 45069

Dates: Nov. 15, Dec. 6, 5–7 p.m.
Location: Chateau Wine & Spirits Dublin
6665 Sawmill Road
Dublin, OH 43017

Dates: Nov. 13, Dec. 18, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Location: Chateau Wine & Spirits Polaris
2131 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240

Dates: Nov. 16, Dec. 13, 1–3 p.m.
Location: Northwest Wine & Spirits
821 Bethel Road
Columbus, OH 43214

Dates: Nov. 15, Dec. 13, 5–7 p.m.
Location: Fishers Foods
5215 Fulton Drive NW
Canton, OH 44718

Dates: Nov. 22, Dec. 20, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Location: Portage Crossing Market District
2687 State Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223

Dates: Nov. 8, Dec. 6, 5–7 p.m.
Location: Brunswick Giant Eagle
3440 Center Road
Brunswick, OH 44212

Source: Maker's Mark

Buffalo Trace Announces Another Bourbon You Won't Be Able to Find or Afford - 1994 Vintage O.F.C.

Buffalo Trace has announced the latest edition of their O.F.C. Bourbon with their 1994 Vintage. This new vintage was barreled in 1994 (the year Friends debuted on television). The 1994 edition will be available in extremely limited quantities beginning in November of 2019 and carries a suggested price tag of $2500.

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces New Riff Single Barrel - Available November 8th (Updated)

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has followed up the announcement of the Four Roses 2019 Limited Edition Small Batch raffle occurring on November 6th and the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon raffle occurring November 14th with the announcement of select New Riff Single Barrels available beginning at 9am on Friday, November 8th at select locations across the state (list below).

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Raffles - November 14

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced raffles for  Old Forester Birthday Bourbon occurring on November 14th. The raffle will occur at four locations across the state (locations below) with entries accepted beginning at 6:00pm with the raffle occurring at 7:30pm and entrants must be present to win. The bottles will sell for $99.99 + tax for a 750ml bottle.

October 2019 in Review

Welcome to the October 2019 recap. If you are looking for more ways to interact with us and share your love of bourbon, please tell everyone you know and follow us on Instagram!

Also, be sure to sign up for emails on the front page. You'll get an email the day after anything is posted with the full article. No spam and the email address is not passed on to us in any way.

This month I posted 13 unique articles and the site saw 4650+ views, down from the all-time high of 4906 in September.

Mark in Northern Minnesota 

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Four Roses 2019 Limited Edition Small Batch Raffle - November 6

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced raffles for Four Roses 2019 Limited Edition Small Batch occurring on November 6th. The raffle will occur at four locations across the state (locations below) with entries accepted beginning at 6:00pm with the raffle occurring at 7:30pm and entrants must be present to win. The bottles will sell for $149.99 + tax for a 750ml bottle.

Buffalo Trace Announces Next Edition of Old Charter Oak Series with Canadian Oak

Buffalo Trace has announced the next edition of their Old Charter Oak Series with the addition of Canadian Oak. The Old Charter Oak Series  is Buffalo Trace's attempt to try barrels produced with various types and species of oak, with the intent to bring out unique flavors and taste profiles. This new version follows the June announcement of French Oak, and Mongolian Oak in December of 2018.

Woodford Announces Latest Master's Collection Called Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon

Woodford has announced their latest addition to their Master's Collection in the form of a new spirit called 'Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon.' This is the second release in 2019 of the Master's Collection joining 2019 Batch Proof that was announced in May.

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Joseph Magnus Single Barrels - Available 9am on October 26

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced a limited release of nine barrels of Joseph Magnus available exclusively to Ohio. The release will start on October 26th at 9am at select stores (list below) and will sell for $101.99 + tax for a 750ml bottle. The State Liquor Control worked with first time with Master Blender Nancy Fraley to choose the barrels for this release.

Buffalo Trace Announces 2019 Pappy Van Winkle Annual Release You'll Never Be Able to Buy

Buffalo Trace Distillery has announced the release of the 2019 Van Winkle Bourbon Collection. Van Winkle bourbons are aged longer than most bourbons and are the most sought out by bourbon connoisseurs... whether this is due to their scarcity or quality is a lingering debate.

Larceny Announces First Brand Extension with Larceny Barrel Proof

Heaven Hill brand Larceny has announces their first brand extension with a new spirit called Larceny Barrel Proof. This new edition will be released three times per year (January, May, and September), with the first shipment arriving in January of 2020.

Central Ohio Whiskey Society (COWS) Gets Its Start

On a beautiful early October evening several people made their way to downtown Columbus to The Buckeye Bourbon House (BBH) for the first meeting of the Central Ohio Whiskey Society. The anticipation of the group was in the meeting of new friends and old but the flight of 3 whiskeys, they were going to get to taste blind, was what brought them to BBH.

Baker's Reintroduces Itself As Single Barrel Bourbon

Beam Suntory brand Baker's has announced that it is transitioning itself to a single barrel bourbon while maintaining their 107 proof and minimum seven-year age statement. As part of the transition, Baker's has introduced a new bottle design that includes details about the individual barrel as well the warehouse in which it was aged and the date bottled.

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Jefferson's Reserve and Ocean - Available 9am on October 11 (updated)

10-09-2019 - This post has been updated to reflect that the Jefferson's Ocean is not barrell strength.

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced a limited release of two Jefferson's single barrel products. The release will start on October 11th at 9am at select stores (list below). The State Liquor Control worked with Master Blender Trey Zoeller to choose the selections of Jefferson's Reserve and Ocean Reserve 17 specifically for Ohio.

Announcement: Central Ohio Whiskey Society (COWS) First Meet-Up - October 9th

From time to time, we hear of events and announcements for bourbon and whiskey fans in Ohio. For anyone close to Columbus, this is a new whiskey group started by friends of the site (Eric). The first meeting will be Wednesday, October 9th at 5:30pm at the Buckeye Bourbon House at 36 East Gay Street, Columbus, OH 43215. The announcement and RSVP is below.

---------
Hello all!

We are a week away from our first meeting. I am using the name of Central Ohio Whiskey Society (COWS) until we vote on an official name at the meeting. I have set up an Eventbrite just so Buckeye Bourbon House will have a head count. Don't pay anything through the Eventbrite. Just bring your $10 on the 9th.

Also, be sure to pass this link around to others that you may think would be interested in joining in on the fun.

Thanks again and can't wait to taste some whiskey with old and new friends.

Eric

Eventbrite Link

Beam Suntory Announces Knob Creek Quarter Oak Bourbon

Knob Creek has announced the limited release of a new spirit titled Knob Creek Quarter Oak. This new bourbon uses a secondary finishing approach to bring out enhance the influence of oak (more on this later).

Hooray, We're 1 Years Old!

October 2nd marked the anniversary of the first post on ColumbusBourbon.com. It was a review of Basil Hayden's you can view here. Since that time, I've posted 185+ articles and conducted 25 bourbon and whiskey reviews. Additionally, the site has had over 25,500 page-views, been displayed 59,000+ times in Google searches, had over 3600 clicks from Google and over 1000 from Facebook. It's been an incredible year that has exceeded my expectations.

If you're looking for more ColumbusBourbon or ways to interact, follow us on Instagram or come to a bourbon meetup. Our first meetup is happening on October 9th at Buckeye Bourbon House in Columbus. As I reflect on the first year, I want to thank everyone for visiting and spreading the word. I'm excited for the future.

Thanks!

Mark

Lux Row Distillers Announces Double Barrel Bourbon

Lux Row Distillers (makers of our highest rated bourbon) has announced their newest spirit called Lux Row Distillers Double Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This new limited release bourbon is a 'thank you' to customers for supporting Lux Row Distillers during their first year in business.

September 2019 in Review

Welcome to the September 2019 recap. If you are looking for more ways to interact with us and share your love of bourbon, please tell everyone you know and follow us on Instagram!

Also, be sure to sign up for emails on the front page. You'll get an email the day after anything is posted with the full article. No spam and the email address is not passed on to us in any way.

This month I posted 12 unique articles and the site saw a new record with 4600+ views, up from 4205 in August.

Mark & Tobey at the 2019 CHA Dog Jog

Kentucky Owl Announces Bourbon Batch #9 Coming in October

Just in time to capitalize on the Ohio Division of Liqour Kentucky Owl Confiscated raffle on October 3, Kentucky Owl has announced the availability of their newest bourbon created by Master Distiller Dixon Dedman called Bourbon Batch #9. This is their highest-proof batch to-date coming in a whopping 127.6-proof (63.8% alcohol-by-volume) and will be available in select markets (list below) beginning in October.

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces Kentucky Owl Confiscated Raffle - October 3

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced an upcoming raffle for Kentucky Owl Confiscated occurring on October 3rd at four locations across the state (list below). The events start at 6 p.m. with entries collected until 7:30 p.m at which time the winners will be announced. Winners must be present to purchase.

Buffalo Trace Announces the Release of Bourbons You'll Never Be Able to Find or Buy

Buffalo Trace has announced the 2019 releases of their Antique Collection. The Antique Collection consists of five limited-release whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs. The five whiskeys are George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye, Eagle Rare 17 Year Old, and Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old. Suggested retail is $99 for each bottle (more on that later).

Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) Announces WhistlePig Barrel Series #2 of 4 - Available September 28

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced the availability of the second of four WhistlePig Single Barrel selections that will be offered in Ohio. The four releases are titled Spicy Pig, Smooth Pig, Rich Pig, and the Sweet Pig. All releases will be coming from 10-year-old, single barrel selections. This release is for the barrels called 'Smooth Pig' and will be available on Saturday, September 28th at 9am at select stores (list below).

Four Roses Announces 2019 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon

Four Roses has announced the release of their 2019 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon. This new bourbon is a mix of four of their recipes selected by Master Distiller Brent Elliott to create this release.

Chicken Cock Whiskey Announces Namesake Anchor Expression (Update)

Note: This post was updated on 11/2/19 after hearing from

Grain & Barrel Spirits brand Chicken Cock has announced the creation of their signature Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This new spirit is distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky and produced at Bardstown Bourbon Company.