In this Tortured Bourbon showdown, Heather and B compare the easy-drinking Larceny Small Batch with a bold, barrel-proof Private Barrel Pick. It’s Heaven Hill’s wheated mash bill at two very different octanes—one mellow and approachable, the other fiery and full of personality. Along the way, they uncork the legend of John E. Fitzgerald, the original rickhouse thief, and decide which bottle still steals the show.

Big Horn Bourbon comes from the wide skies and wild spirit of Montana—but does this 80-proof whiskey from Willie’s Distillery deliver anything beyond frontier charm? In this Pour Decisions Wednesday episode, Heather and B explore this small-town bourbon and give it the full Tortured Bourbon treatment.

In the finale of Old Forester Fridays, we put the legendary fan-made 1915 blend to the test. Can a DIY mix of 1910 and 1920 really beat the originals? Join Heather, B, and Aaron as they sip, rank, and settle the score in this high-proof showdown filled with flavor, fandom, and a fake label.

Is Missouri hiding one of the best barrel strength bourbons out there? In this Pour Decisions Wednesday, we explore Ben Holladay Rickhouse Proof—a bold, historic, grain-to-glass powerhouse from the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi. High proof, deep flavor, and zero hype. This one’s a sleeper hit.

This week on Old Forester Fridays, we take on a battle of bourbon identities: the sharply dressed, cinematic smooth-talker versus the rugged, smoke-slinging ranch hand. In one corner, it’s Old Forester Statesman, a 95-proof bourbon dressed to the nines in sleek branding and backed by a movie franchise. In the other, it’s Old Forester King Ranch Edition, a bolder, 105-proof Texas collaboration that swaps out polish for mesquite smoke and leather-wrapped bravado.

Both bottles carry the Old Forester name, both sit at the higher end of your bourbon shelf—and both lean hard into marketing, image, and storytelling. But do either of them actually deliver on flavor? Or are we just paying for the label?

Join Heather and B as they dig into the mash bills, barrel treatments, branding choices, and of course—the taste. With Heather playing fashion critic and B playing rodeo clown, this episode asks the big question: is there any real substance under all that style?

If you’ve ever picked up a bottle because it looked cool or had a story, this is the episode for you.

In Part 2 of our Bardstown Bourbon deep dive, we explore two experimental showstoppers from their Collaborative Series—a Small Batch Stave Finish and a Silver Oak Cabernet-finished bourbon. Blending, finishing, and bold flavor collide in this bourbon tasting that proves Bardstown isn’t just playing the game—they’re rewriting the rules.

Pinhook Cask Strength Bourbon – Bold, Brash, and Racing for Glory

In this second episode of Pour Decisions Wednesday, the Tortured Bourbon crew returns to the saddle with a high-proof stallion—Pinhook Cask Strength Bourbon. And let’s be clear: this one isn’t trotting politely into your Glencairn. It’s coming in hot at 115.3 proof, bold as hell and ready to test your bourbon mettle.

In this Tortured Bourbon episode, Heather and B dive into Dixon Dedman’s bold 2XO Icon Series — the Kiawah Blend, Tribute Blend, and Innkeeper Blend — before finishing with a full bourbon review of the ultra-premium Gem of Kentucky. From flavor notes like stone fruit and banana bread to a $200+ single-barrel stunner, this is a must-watch for bourbon lovers, Dixon Dedman fans, and anyone curious about double-barreled Kentucky bourbon done right.

Wild Turkey 101 8-Year is finally back in the U.S., and the Tortured Bourbon crew is here to find out if it lives up to the hype. We taste and compare it against the classic Wild Turkey 101 and the limited 70th Anniversary Jimmy Russell Edition, diving into mash bills, tasting notes, and decades of bold bourbon tradition—with plenty of laughs along the way.