The Most Fun Whiskeys of 2020
2020 is like a kidney stone. It caught us by surprise. It’s been painful. And we’ll all be relieved when it has finally passed. Despite more nightmares becoming realities and more dreams becoming trashed than any year we’ve collectively known, there was still some good whiskey to be had in 2020.
Each December is filled with lists and awards purportedly designed to honor the “Best in Bourbon” for the year. When I read through some (certainly not all) of these lists I am left to wonder “is this just click bait?” or “how much did you get paid to rate that number 1?”.
Here at The Whiskey Corner, we are taking a bit of a different approach.In this article, some of our writing team is sharing with you what their “Most Fun Whiskey of 2020” is.“Most fun? Isn’t that completely subjective?”, you might ask.Yes.Yes, it is.And that is kind of the point.Ultimately, what we like is completely subjective anyway and, furthermore, whiskey is supposed to be fun!If you aren’t having fun with it, then you are probably doing it wrong.
Bob Whitlatch
This one is easy: High West American Prairie Bourbon, High West Distillery, Park City, Utah. 92 proof.
When I walked into my honey hole liquor store, I was looking for something they didn’t have. I walked out with a bottle of this because I liked the packaging and the price was right, in the thirty-dollar range. The bottle itself is reminiscent of the Old West as is the label with the wanted poster font and the cool depiction of a Pronghorn Antelope, painted by Montana artist Diane Whitehead. There are other feel-goods about the product as well: a portion of the profits from the sale are donated to the American Prairie Reserve in northeastern Montana and that, no doubt, makes the antelope and other wildlife very happy. “Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam…”
Below the rustic wood and natural cork stopper is a blend of sourced straight bourbon whiskeys, ranging in age from 2 to 13 years old. (Blending is trending, right Steve Akley?) It’s light on the nose and light on the palate, very tasty indeed. While fuller-flavored, more complex pours can be found in my collection, I generally prefer lighter, softer bourbons; you can consume them without having to brace yourself for a wrestling match and a blast of heat on the tongue. This one: just sip away and enjoy all the classic, sweet bourbon virtues. Or, according to Bevvy.co: “It may be considered an excellent middle ground between more mellow bourbons and whip-cracking high ryes.”
In a similar vein is Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey. We can talk about that one later.
Tim Swait
As much “fun” as 2020 has been, it sure has been an interesting ride for whiskey.
The rise of the Craft Distiller who had to scrap all business plans, take more risks to stay open, and hope that the whiskey they are laying down now can continue to resonate with consumers.
The conviction of the large producers as they closed their doors to protect production teams with hopes that the bottom shelf products help carry the costs as their inventory ages.
The broader acceptance of blending whiskey, which expands the opportunities for everyone.
The internet leveling the playing field for all producers be it from Virtual Meetings to Social Media Marketing savvy.
With the explosion of virtual meetings, I have expanded my collection with expressions from distillers that I would not have found without that forum. I have discovered a number of new favorites, yet the one that stood out as the most “fun” was from a Colorado whiskey company called Art of the Spirits, owned and operated by Richard Paul. Richard selects single barrels of whiskey and pairs that story with art from world-renowned artists in limited edition runs. The spirit in the bottle and the artwork on the label make this a unique experience that is truly one-of-a-kind. The “Final Run” was inspired by Bonnie and Clyde and the artwork was painted by David Uhl. This is Straight Bourbon Whiskey, aged 3 years in 30 gallon/Char #4 Barrels, and finished for six months in 12-year-old Colombian rum casks. Richard pulls no punches, like Bonnie and Clyde, with this barrel strength offering coming in at 128 proof. The artwork by David Uhl on the bottle is just as stunning as the flavors in the glass. In a year of the abnormal, Art of the Spirits has created something so unique on the shelf and in the glass that it holds the place as my Most Fun Whiskey of 2020.
Brian Murphy
My most fun whiskey of 2020 was actually a “whisky.” In the fall of 2019, I was fortunate enough to land a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. I put it in the back of a cabinet and told my son (who is also a bourbon fan) that we would crack it to celebrate his upcoming graduation from college. This spring we did exactly that.
COVID-19 killed the formal commencement, but in a little two-person ceremony to mark the award of his Bachelor’s degree, we opened up the Birthday and had a couple of pours of what we both agreed was a striking, complex release. We sat and sipped, comparing our nosing and tasting notes, as layer after layer of flavor presented itself. It was a fine evening, indeed, but that was the just the beginning of the fun of that particular bottle.
The next day, I filled some samples and distributed them to friends and coworkers, some of whom were on the first legs of their bourbon journeys. In the days that followed, I was greeted with beaming faces and comments like, “Holy crap, Murph, that was delicious!” Each time, the comparison of nosing and tasting notes would start anew.
I always feel fortunate when I am able to introduce someone to something that exceeds their experience or that they might not be able to obtain themselves. While I had several occasions to do this during 2020, the enthusiastic reactions to the 2019 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon made it a standout for the year.
David Levine
My most fun whiskey of 2020 waited until the last possible moment to arrive: The Jack Daniel’s 2020 Special Release Barrel Proof Rye. This release follows JD’s Heritage special releases in 2018 and 2019 but is a whole other beast.
Here’s the thing – I don’t enjoy most Brown-Forman products. It’s not a knock against them; I know what they’re putting out is good quality. Their taste profile just doesn’t align with my palate. The exception – almost unanimously – is higher proof Jack Daniel’s, starting with the export-only Bottled-in-Bond and going up from there. If you give me a barrel proof Jack, I’m happy.
BUT – this isn’t a Tennessee Whiskey/Bourbon/have that fight elsewhere…it’s a rye. And I think that’s what made this bottle so fun. There’s simply nothing else on the market quite like it. Go ahead, take a few minutes, look at your shelves, look online, I can wait. A ~130-140º US rye. Find one? Me neither.
Side note: the only comparable product I found was Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Taster’s (TT) release from 2019. The TT is basically the tester batch for the special release – released only in Tennessee at 127.6º, it otherwise shares every spec with the special release rye (highest parts of the rickhouse, barrel strength, 4-6 years old, etc.) I was lucky to have a friend in TN ship me a bottle, and I’ve ordered 10 – yes, 10 – for myself and my friends. It’s that good.
I’ve tasted two bottles now (since they are single barrels, the proofs vary from 125-140 according to the press release), one at 130º and one at 133º. Both were excellent. This is a powerful pour that wakes you up and warms you from your mouth to your toes. Rich maple candy, dark brown sugar, just enough rye spice to remind you that it’s a rye, and a bold finish that lasts and lasts. It’s a limited release that’s already going for double on secondary, and to be honest I’d happily pay that for another bottle or two.
Jason Hunt
Only four months after moving to the bluegrass state, I was selected to visit the highly secretive MGP distillery of Lawrenceburg, Indiana in order to select a barrel with a group of men who appreciate bourbon just as much as I do. Having been to numerous distilleries before, I was familiar with the production process. Although, this was much different in that it is not open to the public and I was about to select a barrel for bottling with three other gentlemen I just met. There in front of us were five samples of George Remus Straight Bourbon for us taste and critique. After meticulously nosing, tasting, and writing our notes we all agreed on the same sample. It was fun and surprising to meet others with a similar palate as me. The group’s president informed us of when the bottles would be available and the name we would give it. The sample we chose was pulled from the barrel on Veteran’s Day 2019 and our tasting happened to be on President’s Day 2020. We all enjoyed the fruity notes, spicy palate and finish, as well as the beautiful color. A few months later our bottles of George Remus “Presidential Veteran” were in our hands ready to drink. This bourbon will always be a fun memory and story for me to tell. After only living in Kentucky for a short time I was able to participate in something not very many do. As a veteran this opportunity to make new friends in a new place, try something completely different, and visit a distillery that many others will never get a chance to, which is exactly why this George Remus bottle has been the most fun for me this year.
Kevin Rose
There are a lot of different ways I could go with my most fun whiskey of the year. I could go with a single barrel of Lee W. Sinclair that I got to help select during a virtual tasting with Blake Riber of Seelbach’s and Alan Bishop of Spirits of French Lick. Despite being done virtually, it was a fun pick to be part of and we found an outstanding barrel of Bourbon! SOFL seems to be deservedly sweeping up lots of awards this month, so I wouldn’t want this to be just another trophy gathering dust in Alan’s closet. Note: no actual trophies are being awarded.
Or I could go with a barrel from Stumpy’s Spirits. In February, I was with a group at Stumpy’s and owner/master distiller, Adam Stumpf, was letting us taste a few things. He pulled a sample from a barrel that was simply stellar. For the entire year, I harassed Adam about that bottle every chance I got. When that barrel was sold and Bourbon met bottle, I needed to know! Adam was kind enough to let me know when this barrel was purchased (it is the Schnuck’s “Wheat in Tarnation” barrel, by the way). Adam made sure I got a bottle along with something called a restraining order. Crazy, huh?
What I will call my most fun whiskey of the year, however, is Neeley Family Distillery.Which bottle, though?Kentucky Leather? Honeycomb? Breakfast at Neeley’s? Yes, and then some. My older son is still fairly new to Bourbon, but he really enjoys everything he has had from Neeley. It has become something near a tradition for him to come over on a weekend to watch football and we enjoy a few pours together from something new I had picked up from Neeley. While the whiskey itself has, of course, been very good, it’s been the time spent with my son while drinking it that has made it my most fun whiskey of 2020.
