Drink the Bottles

  An exclusive virtual tasting with Master Distiller Chris Fletcher reveals the craftsmanship, patience, and remarkable character behind Jack Daniel’s latest Single Barrel Special Release. There are certain whiskey releases that command your attention before the first sip. Then there are those rare expressions that completely redefine your expectations of a distillery. The newly released Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill Rye belongs firmly in the latter category. Ahead of its October 20, 2026, debut, Drink The Bottles had the privilege of participating in a virtual tasting with Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. The experience offered a fascinating look into the whiskey-making philosophy, production techniques, and distinctive maturation conditions responsible for this extraordinary limited release. And after spending time with our 133.1-proof sample, we can confidently say this: Coy Hill Rye may very well be the finest Jack Daniel’s whiskey we have ...

  Silverthorn Reserve 13-Year-Old Single Barrel Rye: Thirteen Years in the Making An exceptionally limited collection of Indiana straight rye whiskey proves that patience, individuality, and a carefully chosen barrel can make quite an impression. Some whiskeys are designed for the everyday pour. Others deserve a little more attention. Silverthorn Reserve 13-Year-Old Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey falls decidedly into the latter category. Thirteen years in the barrel is an impressive commitment, particularly for rye whiskey. But age alone isn't what makes this release interesting. Silverthorn Reserve has assembled a collection of just ten individually selected barrels, each chosen for its ability to stand on its own merits. No blending to create a uniform house profile. No effort to make one barrel taste exactly like the next. Instead, the collection celebrates the subtle differences that make single-barrel whiskey such an engaging experience. And with only ten barrels in the en...

  Tequila usually gets its biggest moment in the summer, and we gave the category plenty of attention when National Tequila Day rolled around in July. We could have easily left it there for the year. Then Marcado 28 showed up. This tequila is sexy. It's edgy, a little rebellious and unlike anything else currently sitting on our bar. The bottles alone practically demand attention, but what really convinced us that Marcado 28 deserved its own story was discovering just how much substance exists behind all that swagger. There is family history here, generations of tequila-making tradition, loss and remembrance, tattoo culture, Mexican symbolism and, most importantly, some seriously good tequila. So yes, we're talking about tequila again—and Marcado 28 gave us plenty of reasons to do it. At first glance, Marcado 28 seems impossible to separate from its artwork. The bottles are bold, intricately illustrated and unapologetically tattoo-inspired—the kind you set on a bar and immediate...

  Four bottles, a few cocktails, and a reminder that vodka is a whole lot more interesting than its reputation suggests. Let's be honest: vodka has a bit of an image problem. Whiskey gets to talk about barrels, aging and mash bills. Tequila has agave. Gin has botanicals. Rum has sugarcane and tropical vacations practically baked into its personality. And vodka? Vodka gets mixed with orange juice, cranberry juice, tonic, soda, espresso... pretty much anything within reach. For years, vodka has been the reliable plus-one at the cocktail party. Useful. Versatile. Rarely the center of attention. But maybe we've been doing vodka a disservice. Behind that reputation for being "neutral" is a category with plenty of personality. The ingredients matter. The distillation matters. Filtration matters. And perhaps most importantly, what you do with it matters. October 4 is National Vodka Day, which seems like as good an excuse as any to give vodka its moment. So we pulled four bot...

  BARDSTOWN, Ky . - Chicken Cock Whiskey, one of America's oldest whiskey brands established in 1856, celebrates their 170th Anniversary with a 170th Anniversary Limited Edition Rooster Decanter and 170th Anniversary Edition Legacy Kentucky Straight Bourbon.  Both releases debuted at Kentucky Bourbon Festival in September. The 170th Anniversary Limited Edition Rooster Decanter (SRP $199.99) celebrates the iconic rooster that has stood proudly at the heart of Chicken Cock Whiskey since its earliest days. This limited-edition ceramic decanter is filled with 8-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey at 115 proof. For 170 years, the rooster has been Chicken Cock Whiskey's unmistakable mark, a symbol rooted in founder James A. Miller's life as a Bourbon County farmer and carried through generations of advertising, labels, and lore. From the simple rooster icons of the 1850s to the richly painted label art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the bird became more than br...