Our Top 5 Liquors of 2023 sees our highest ABV/Proof entry on the list. Booker’s 2023-03 Rare Uncut & Unfiltered “Mighty Fine Batch” comes in with an ABV of 63.30% (126.6 Proof) and it doesn’t hide the fact it is that strong. The Bookers 2023-03 has an incredible nose that pulls you in from the first pour with an aroma of oak, honey, melon and cinnamon. The first sip has some significant heat to it but […]
Coming in at Number 3: Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series Limited Edition 2023 on our Top 5 Liquors of 2023. This is a bourbon that is put into the barrel at a higher proof than most other bourbons. The 110 Proof barreling versus the normal 100 Proof results in a smoother finish and the alcohol absorbing more of the oak during the aging process. The bourbon on first sip comes off as being a higher proof than […]
Our Top 5 Liquors of 2023 continues… The bottled in bond act of 1897 changed the way bourbon would be made and put in place higher quality standards that revolutionized the bourbon industry. The Number 4 – Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond is our lowest proof bourbon on our year end list coming in a 100 proof (50% ABV). All the ingredients in a BiB bourbon are from one distilling season. The Old Forester 1897 Bottled in […]
Over the course of the year I had a fun time tasting the alcohol that would become the Top 5 Liquors of 2023. Perhaps on certain days, a little too much fun. The requirements to be named liquor of the year were simple. I had to review them in the course of the year from January 1st, 2023 until the publishing of this list. The score awarded to the bourbon wasn’t the only requirement in […]
Our Number 1 Cigar in our Top 5 Cigars of 2023 belongs to Nick Melillo, owner of Foundation Cigar Company. Released in 2023 as one of 2 releases honoring his grandparents who he attributes his love of cigars to. The Charter Oak Pasquale features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It’s the third box pressed cigar on our list and is completes a list of 5 cigars all from Nicaragua. Measuring 5.5 x 48 the […]
We like to joke around that 2nd place is first in a long line of losers but in actuality the Number 2 Cigar of the Year is anything but a loser. Originally released as a limited edition for the Red Meat Lovers Club at Smoke Inn in Florida the brand was in so much demand that it became a regular release in 2023 and made our list of Top 5 Cigars of 2023. Featuring a […]
We continue the Top 5 Cigars of 2023 with the brand I cut my teeth on so to speak. Prior to discovering this Pete Johnson brand I was a casual cigar smoker without a brand that I gravitated to more then any other. Until back in the day of the cigar forums when I took part in a cigar pass and someone introduced me to Tatuaje. This brand changed cigars for me and sparked a passion […]
A. Smith Bowman Distillery, Virginia’s oldest distillery, today announces the return of its award-winning Cask Strength Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Now in its third year, the annual cask strength offering showcases the excellence in craft distilling bourbon enthusiasts have come to expect from A. Smith Bowman Distillery.< A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon is the result of continuous year-long tastings to blend the best barrels available. Hand-selected by Distiller David Bock, this year’s release is […]
Avo Cigars, a leader in hand-made premium cigars, will collaborate with world-renowned DJ D-NICE for the limited edition “Avo Expressions 2024.” Only 2500, 15 count boxes will be created of this exclusive brand. The Avo Expressions line of cigars was created with the purpose of collaborating with individuals who are true experts in their craft, following in the footsteps of the late Avo Uvezian, the founder of AVO Cigars. Avo Uvezian was a musician and […]
We continue our Top 5 Cigars of 2023 with a cigar from Mike Rosales and Skip Martin who are collectively known as RoMa Craft Tobacco. Coming in at Number 4 is the Volstead VO 1920. The line is named after the Volstead Act which was also known as the National Prohibition Act, which was an act of the 66th United States Congress that defined intoxicating beverages and prohibited their manufacture, sale, or transportation. It was […]