“Concerts, Cornbread & Cheap Bourbon: Benchmark Top Floor Rant”
Not every day deserves a $50 bourbon. Benchmark Top Floor is my $20 ticket to keep the good times rolling — tailgates, Offspring concerts, or Tuesday night smash burgers. It’s simple, easy, and perfect for when your wallet says ‘slow down, champ.’
“The 80s Were Weird — Thank God for Knob Creek 12 Year”
Vodka ruled the neon-soaked 80s, but Booker Noe had other ideas. Knob Creek 12 Year is his bold middle finger to bland whiskey — a peanut, caramel, and char bomb that’s unapologetically big, oaky, and American. Forget smooth. This is bourbon done right.
The Rickhouse Rant, Vol. 7 – Old Forester 1920: Bourbon So Good It Should Be FSA Eligible
Old Forester 1920 might just be the best $60 you can spend in bourbon. It’s bold, rich, and unapologetically spicy—like the bourbon equivalent of a brown bear hug. But before we dive into tasting notes, let’s talk about the man who bottled trust, rebranded a doctor, and helped create one of the most enduring whiskey legacies in America. This rant has history, heat, and more cinnamon than your grandma’s spice rack.
The Rickhouse Rant, Vol. 3 – Knob Creek 9 Year: The Blue-Collar Brawler of Bourbon
Knob Creek 9 Year isn’t here to win any fashion contests — it’s here to work. In a bourbon market drunk on limited releases and experimental finishes, this 100-proof, 9-year-aged bruiser from Jim Beam punches in daily and pours out classic Kentucky character. Toasted oak, roasted nuts, and a hint of dark cherry ride shotgun through a palate that’s more grit than glamour. It may not be Baker’s 7, but it’s the blue-collar brawler of the Beam family — and it deserves more respect than it gets.