What does 140.8 proof teach us about restraint?

Update: 2025-10-10

Description

We trade perfect bar seats for a once-in-a-lifetime OFC pour, walk the river at Bourbon on the Banks, and put Augusta’s 13-year hazmat through a full Barrel Bottle Breakdown. Between dusties, cigars, and cathedral oak, we weigh power against poise and land on what makes a pour memorable.

• platform updates, memberships, and feedback asks across YouTube, Apple, Spotify, TikTok
• Bourbon on the Banks preview, logistics, and tent setup
• House of Commons couch sacrifice for an OFC opening
• tasting notes on OFC, dusties, and a 1983 Maker’s Mark
• Limestone Branch chat with Yellowstone cigars and new eight-year bourbon
• the Bardstown cathedral oak bottle backstory and gift
• Augusta 13-year hazmat breakdown: nose, body, taste, finish
• Augusta Revival vs Augusta 13 head-to-head
• health notes, cigar talk, and safe wrap-up

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A hush fell over the bar as the display case opened—then a $2,500 OFC hit our glasses. That’s how our Bourbon on the Banks weekend really started: a risky trade of perfect couch seats for a bucket-list pour, followed by a blur of Whiskey Thief hospitality, House of Commons dusties, and a festival tent that finally felt dialed in. We brought the mics, the Glencairns, and the stories; the river brought the rest.

From there, we chased flavor and history. Limestone Branch joined us for cigars and their new eight-year bourbon in a replica 1850s limestone bottle. We unpacked a gift with weight: Bardstown’s cathedral oak finish, made from French oak harvested for the Notre Dame rebuild, signed by Steve Nally for a birthday we plan to toast with friends. These aren’t just bottles—they’re chapters about craftsmanship, aging, sourcing, and the people who make it all possible.

Then the breakdown began. We put Augusta Distillery’s 13-year single barrel (140.8 proof) under the glass with our Barrel Bottle Breakdown scoring. The nose felt like molasses and brown sugar with a sneaky chocolate-peanut snap; the body coated and lingered; the palate delivered vanilla, caramel, cherry, and leather with the kind of confidence you expect from a 13-year. The twist? A medium finish that chose restraint over the chest-thumping “hug” you’d predict at hazmat. To test our instincts, we staged a head-to-head with Augusta Revival 13 (141 proof): Revival brought the warmth and length; Augusta 13 brought the polish and poise. Depending on your style—hug or harmony—you’ll have a favorite.

If you care about rare pours, hazmat bourbons, OFC lore, and why House of Commons belongs on your Frankfort map, this one’s for you. Pull up a glass, taste along, and tell us where you land on finish: do you want a gentle fade or a long, spicy wave? Subscribe, share with a bourbon friend, and drop a review to help more whiskey lovers find the show.