Two Bitch Bourbon - Batch #2 Review

by Colonel Steve Akley

Two Bitch Bourbon, Batch #2  (Small Batch with Bite)

For me, one of the unexpected offshoots of being involved in bourbon has been meeting some incredible people. Joe and Lauren Luby are certainly some incredible people! They are nice, genuine and just good people. Certainly the kind that you want to root for.

Joe and Lauren share love for whiskey and dogs. Their company got started because they would have these epic whiskey tasting parties at their house (still waiting for an invite... I think they leave me off the invitation list thinking I may bring Evan Haskill as a plus one). One year, they decided to have some fun with their guests with Lauren creating a mock-up of a brand called Two Bitch Bourbon that they would be tasting at the party. In reality, this was just an ode to their two new doberman pups, but people took it seriously. They came to the party wanting to taste this Two Bitch Bourbon they had heard about.

With the guests so enthused, and telling them they really have a potentially great brand, they began to get serious about getting into the bourbon business. While it hasn't been easy, though perseverance, tenacity and just old fashioned hard work, Joe and Lauren have been to launch their very own brand in Two Bitch Spirits and their first offering in Two Bitch Bourbon.

Joe and Lauren sent a sample for me to try as soon as they got their brand going. I enjoyed Batch #1 and apparently so did everyone else as it sold out in a few weeks. I recently took some of my Batch #1 to my Bourbon Drinkers Club. This isn't a formal group, just some friends who gather once a month to drink bourbon. We figure we can only get out like that once a month so we only go with top shelf offerings. It's all BTAC, Pappy, Al Young, Weller (gold vein), Willett 14 year, etc. I pulled out my trusty Two Bitch in its trusty flask-like bottle and put it on the bar. I'm pleased to say the crew gave it a big thumbs up (trust me, they can be brutal if they don't like something).

With a high bar set, I gave Batch #2 a pour. I can tell you that the nose is oak, cinnamon and cake. The taste is sweet upfront... again, cake/baked goods dominates, but it ignites a peppery blast that slowly calms back down into a cinnamon apple finish.

Grab this one while you can. All indicators are it's not going to last for long on the shelves!