Aussie Bourbon Lovers

This week we're finally cracking a bottle that's been sitting unopened on our shelf for far too long: Heaven’s Door Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the expression now known as Revival. We find spice, nutmeg, apricot, caramel and a lovely syrupy mouthfeel before disappearing down a few fascinating whiskey rabbit holes. We talk about Bob Dylan and the story behind Heaven’s Door, the distinctive design of the bottle, and Dave tries to untangle the difference between Tennessee Whiskey and Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Then we head back to Louisville and The Last Refuge - the spectacular former church that's been transformed into a Heaven’s Door whiskey bar - and why sitting at a great bar, talking to strangers and trying unfamiliar whiskey can be one of the best parts of exploring bourbon.

Sometimes you need to stop choosing your own bourbon and let someone else put something in your glass. That's how we discovered 2XO Sneakerhead Blend at Evergreen Liquors in Louisville. We told an incredibly knowledgeable bartender what we liked, asked him to pour us something we hadn't tried—and ended up liking his recommendation enough to bring a bottle all the way back to Australia. This week we're revisiting that bottle and finding buttery hazelnuts, candied orange, chocolate, oak and even some popping candy. We also get into Dixon Dedman and the story behind 2XO, what "Two Times Oak" actually means, why this expression has a sneaker on the label, and why a high-rye bourbon can still surprise someone who doesn't normally go looking for high-rye whiskey. The moral of this one is pretty simple: try new things.

This week we're opening our first bottle of Pinhook—and Helen was sold before we'd even tasted it because it came dipped in purple wax. It's a Pinhook Single Barrel Cask Strength selected by Whiskey Hunt Australia: five years old, 115 proof and packed with fresh fruit, green apple, caramel and some rather unexpected fairy-floss vibes. But the story behind Pinhook might be even more interesting than the whiskey. We discover why its bottles deliberately resemble wine bottles, why Pinhook doesn't necessarily want every year's whiskey to taste identical, how thoroughbred racing inspired the brand, and what the term "pinhooking" actually means. We also get into sourced whiskey, single-barrel selections and why supporting Australian groups doing barrel picks ultimately means more interesting bourbon making its way to Australia.

This week we're opening a particularly special bottle: a 2025 Michter’s 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon that Dave's friends gave him for his 40th birthday. And it's an absolute cracker. We find currants, dark chocolate, baked fruit, caramel and sweet oak before getting into some of the things that make Michter’s whiskey so distinctive. We work our way through six production choices Michter’s makes differently, including its 103 barrel-entry proof, extended wood seasoning, toasted barrels, small batch sizes, custom filtration and heat cycling its warehouses. We also revisit what Andrea Wilson and Dan McKee taught us at Michter’s Shively distillery, talk about Michter’s being named the World's Most Admired Whiskey for the fourth year running, and explain why a Michter’s 10 Year can actually be considerably older than the number on the bottle. A special whiskey, for a special birthday, from some fabulous friends. Cheers!

This week we're pouring Barrell Bourbon Batch 36, a fascinating blend of bourbons sourced from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. The components range from 7½ years old all the way to 15 years, with a derived mash bill of 79% corn, 16% rye and 5% malted barley. And it's bloody good. We find citrus, marmalade, strawberry jam and a wonderfully chewy caramel character before getting into the bigger story behind the bottle: why being a non-distilling producer gives blenders the freedom to combine different ages, mash bills and distilleries to create something completely new. We talk Barrell Craft Spirits, Seagrass, Pursuit Spirits, Ashley Barnes and The Blending House, and why the people who can take a collection of completely different barrels and turn them into something this cohesive still seem a bit like crazy scientists to us.