The Mash Up

Stagg (Jr.) bourbon debuted in 2013. Since then, there have been 31 different batches released, including the one that we taste and review in this weeks episode. While the "junior" was dropped from the name a couple years ago, some other things have changed as well. Once a steady semi-annual release, the past two years have included 4 batches (one per quarter). While the availability has increased, some have said that the quality has declined. When batch 25D was released, many were singing it's praises, but not uniformly. In this episode, Kenny blinds batch 25D against some other Stagg products and Anthony just makes a bunch of brilliant comments! Lol. But two for reals, tune in this week to get our honest take on Stagg 25D. Is it the best in years or should we continue to wait for these batches to return to their former brilliance? --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Old Forester has released many different whiskeys under the 117 series label. Admittedly, we are playing catch up on these. For this short, we taste and review two bottles from the 117 series (both released in 2025): Bottled-In-Bond Rye and Still Proof. The BIB rye is an age stated and bonded version of the Old Forester Rye which we have reviewed favorably in the past. The other bottle we review is the Prohibition Era Still Proof which is a four year old high proof whiskey (130 proof). How will this short of these exclusive 375ml bottles turn out? With many many laughs and some good whiskey commentary as well. Enjoy the short. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Maker's Mark Cask Strength Bourbon debuted all the back in 2014. More than ten years after the fact, this offering got an upgrade of sorts from the iconic brand. At the beginning of 2026, Maker's Cask started appearing on the shelves with an age statement. This is a permanent change for the brand and every batch of Maker's Cask Strength Bourbon will carry an age statement that will be between 7-8 years old and proof will vary from 107-114. The bottle we taste and review for this episode is 7 years, 2 months old and comes in at 112.6proof. Even though we love a good age statement, we are always more concerned with how the whiskey tastes. Join us this week as we give our honest thoughts on this updated offering. We also compare it to it's non-age stated counterpart for the ultimate test. The results will surprise you. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

You've heard us discuss our love of Jack Daniel's Barrel Proof Rye. Furthermore, you've heard us talk about how fortunate we are to have had the opportunity to visit the distillery and participate in multiple picks. On our most recent trip to the distillery, we picked two excellent ryes. These picks were recently bottled and delivered to the store (Bluegrass Liquor Box in Georgetown, KY). In this episode, we taste and review our picks and there are some surprises as well. Call us biased if you want, but these picks are absolutely delicious and we can't wait for our community to get their hands on them.--------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

A Midwinter Night's Dram is a whiskey that has been historically sought after. Once a combination of well aged rye from from Barton and MGP, this whiskey is now a combination of High West's own distillate and MGP. How does it taste? You'll have to listen to find out. In this episode, we wax poetically about MWND in the past and we have high hopes for the future. During the tasting, we got a bit sidetracked by the return of our co-host Steven and by large shipping lables. After all is said and done, we give you our honest and candid assessment of this bottle from last year.--------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

We've been fortunate to pick at Buffalo Trace multiple times. In this short, we taste and review an OWA pick that we helped select about six months ago. Big thanks to Nick and Ryan for letting us take part and including us on the pick. We still think OWA is one of the best whiskeys for the price. But, what about single barrel selections? Are they worth the premium that they command? Give us a listen to find out.--------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

We've talked about EverNorth Spirits in previous episodes of the podcast. EverNorth was founded by The Bourbon Junkies and they have been putting out some excellent whiskey over the past few years. In this episode, we dive into tasting and reviewing some of the newest releases from EverNorth. The 6th batch of Spirit Walker is known as "Kentucky Cobbler" and it is a dessert-ish whiskey that is finished in an array of different barrels. In addition to the Cobbler, we taste and review Crimson Hollow which is a blend of well-aged bourbon and light whiskey finished in Kelvin barrels. So, where to begin? Give us a listen and let us know what you think about these two new bottles from EverNorth spirits. In addition, you also get to hear some great conversation and may even some singing. Cheers.--------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

In this episode, we sip and chat with Jarrod Record who is the co-founder of Barrel King and Alec Balas who is the co-founder of Whiskeyland TV. You've heard us mention a bit about Jarrod in past episodes when we've reviewed Barrel King products. However, having him in the basement to answer questions gave us a whole new perspective and appreciation for his bourbon journey and brand. Alec is essentially a bourbon filmmaker and he brings unique perspectives about the spirit through his ability to visualize and tell stories about everyone connected to the industry. Individually, both Jarrod and Alec have fascinating stories, but their upcoming collaboration is something you'll definitely want to check out. Together, they are launching a YouTube based whiskey series known as "Mixx Tank" which promises to bring whiskey collaborations and exceptional content with the hopes of enhancing the bourbon community. This new collaboration is a small part of a larger conversation filled with laughs and perspectives you could only get from people that are ingrained in the industry. Flanked once again by guest co-host Ryan Alves, we feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to sit down with Jarrod and Alec for this enlightening and fun conversation. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Over the past few years, you've heard us say many positive and negative things about Elijah Craig's barrel program. For this episode, we taste and review two different Elijah Craig barrel picks and one Larceny Barrel Proof pick that were selected by one member and many friends of the podcast for Bros Liquor in Davis, California. Will we pass, try, or buy? You might think you know the outcome, but it may surprise you. As per the usual, there will be blinds and all kinds of other fun stuff (like a recap of the Brewzle event at Dark Arts). Cheers. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

For the second time in the history of the podcast, we welcome back our friends from River Roots Barrel Company. The last time we had them on the podcast, River Roots had been in existence for just over a year. Since that time, the brand has continued to flourish and they are getting ready to move into a brand new (and larger) building in downtown Cleveland. In this episode, you get hear about all the exciting things that are in the works for River Roots and the best part is that you'll get to hear it directly from Ryan Lintz (Co-Founder) and Christine Schmittgen (Single Barrel Program Manager). River Roots has become a destination for whiskey enthusiasts across the nation and even in South Korea. So, join us this week as Kenny solo hosts this long form conversation with the good folks from River Roots and shares some absolutely epic pours in the process. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Green River is the "Whiskey Without Regrets." In this episode, we welcome back our friend Jason to the podcast and he brought the brand new Green River Wheated Full Proof Bourbon as well as a Green River Wheated Single Barrel Store pick from Liquor Barn. In addition to tasting and reviewing these two bottles, we also incorporated some surprise blinds from the basement and from our community. Green River has been putting out some tremendous stuff so you will definitely want to hear our take on these new wheated offerings. Spoiler alert - this was a the last episode we recorded on a very busy evening so things got a little spirited. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Single Oak Project (SOP) is the ultimate in bourbon exploration. Consisting of different mashbills, wood, and a host of other unique variables, this grand experiment boasts 192 unique bourbons with 1,396 different flavor combinations. With this experimentation, Buffalo trace aims to have it's consumers isolate and compare every variable that shapes what ends up in the bottle. Our good friend Jason brought bottle of SOP for us to taste and review. Mistakenly, we thought this was a rye when it was really bourbon with rye as the predominant flavoring grain. At any rate, we had a a lot of fun with it and would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that facts are indeed optional when it comes to bourbon. Enjoy the short! --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

When Brown-Forman announced they would be releasing a new small batch version of King of Kentucky, we were excited and also had many questions. Instead of more single barrels, this remixed version of the "King" comes in the form of three batches with a brand new mashbill. For the first time, King of Kentucky has released a three-batch series, each bottled at  a distinct proof to showcase the complexity of its aging process: Batch 1: 105 proof; Batch 2: 107.5 proof; Batch 3: 110 proof. For this episode, our friend Jason was able to secure Batch 2 and we supplied some blinds to make sure that the very first time we tasted this whiskey would be blind. How did things end up? Is this new version of the king really the "King?" You'll have to listen to find out. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

In 2025, Willett quietly released a blended bourbon called "Speakeasy." Coming off our best of blinds where Willett was well represented, we thought it would be good to taste and review a shelf product that's available in most markets. Our friend Jason joins us as a guest co-host and the conversation ranges from high class seafood to amusement park lines. As always, we give you our honest take on this relatively new offering from the Willett Distillery. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Bruce Russell is the Associate Master Blender for Wild Turkey. Over the past few years, he has been responsible for making some of the most epic Turkey releases and is making a name for himself by pushing the boundaries of what Wild Turkey can be. We've had the chance to talk to Bruce before, but it's never been like this. In this episode, we have a long form conversation and taste through some of the most revered Wild Turkey offerings in history as well as some new things that Bruce is working on. We are joined by guest co-host Ryan Alves from Bourbonoutfitter.com who also happens to be one of Bruce's closest friends. This episode really needs no description. It's 2 plus hours of Bruce sharing his vision, wisdom, and intimate stories that you've never heard before. Cheers and be on the lookout for all the goodness that is on the horizon from Wild Turkey. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

It's been a minute since we did back-to-back blind episodes, but our community keeps sending in a lot of goodness for us to taste. Our listener and long time supporter (Pu Bear) sent us a couple of blinds. Spoiler alert - we didn't do nearly as good as last episode, but we did have quite a bit of fun in the process. In this short, we talk about our upcoming episode with Bruce Russell and give an update on some upcoming events. But, most of the time is spent on the blinds. The whiskey that we liked best out of the four blind samples is a brand that you might have heard of recently : ) --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

For this Friday episode, we decided to dig into our backlog of blinds that have been sent by our community. Our listener and friend (Ryan from NC) sent us some blinds that drummed up some serious nostalgia. He also sent us some holiday gifts and those gifts cause quite a bit of clamor and laughter. We've been doing this podcast for nearly 5 years and this set of blinds was surprising and meaningful. Why is that the case? You'll have to listen to find out. Those of you who have been with us since the beginning will understand. It's been a minute since we've done one of these episodes, but it was really fun. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Coming off our "best of" episode, we decided to celebrate Fat Tuesday a little early. Twice previously on the podcast, we tasted Smooth Ambler Founders' Cask Strength Bourbon (at 6 years and 8 years old). We'd like to thank a great listener (Patrick) for sending us the 9yr version of this of this bourbon. For this weeks short, we taste this new bottle against the 8yr version and the results are kind of shocking. We also taste a blind sample and stuff our faces with some King Cake courtesy of Caleb C. Another culinary focused episode from your favorite facts optional bourbon podcast. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Finally - The Mash Up Podcast has crowned it's best whiskey of 2025! Annually, we have a "Best of Blinds" event which consists of an esteemed panel of friends tasting through some of the best whiskeys of the year. We had 67 total bottles in the field. After multiple preliminary rounds, we came up with our top 12. These "top" whiskeys were then blinded again in a championship round. Who made the top 12? Who won the whole dang competition? You'll have to listen to find out. With special guest host Ryan Alves from bourbonoutfitter.com, this conversation is an important and spirited one. While this episode is a little long, we promise that it's worth it. This blinds event is one of the funnest things we do all year and we're happy to share it with you. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

We have two upcoming barrel picks from Dark Arts Whiskey House in Lexington, Kentucky. We selected a 12 year Armagnac finished bourbon and an 11 year straight bourbon whiskey (both MGP). You've heard us discuss about Dark Arts before, but you'll have to listen to hear about how these barrels were selected and how they taste. We welcome Steven back the podcast. Also making a special appearance is our friend Ryan Alves who discusses a number of things including Bourbon Outfitters new "insider" program. Be on the lookout for these upcoming picks which will be exclusively available from bourbonoutfitter.com--------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!