🥃 The Pour That Fooled Six Grown Men

💥 Opening Pour

Earlier this summer, six of us gathered on a sticky Kentucky evening.
No name-dropping. No labels. Just six grown men and six anonymous pours.

We thought we could sniff out greatness.

We were wrong.

📖 The Story

The rules were simple:

• Six mystery bourbons

• All poured blind

• No hints, no cheating

We had collectors, casual sippers, even a guy who writes his own tasting blog.
Each of us had strong opinions—and stronger egos.

One pour stood out fast.
It hit with smooth heat, vanilla and spice, a whisper of charred oak.
We all kept coming back to it.

"This one’s gotta be a 10-year,” someone said.
“Limited release?” another guessed.
The collector leaned in and declared, “This is premium stuff. North of $150 easy.”

Then came the reveal…

Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond
Retail: $20.
Found on nearly every liquor store shelf in the South.

Silence.

Then?
Laughter.
Roasting.
One guy immediately ordered three bottles on his phone.

The collector turned pink, took a long sip, and muttered, “Okay… that’s fair.”

🥇 The Weekly Pour

• Bottle: Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond

• Price: ~$20

• Proof: 100

• Age: 4+ years

• Nose: Vanilla, oak, brown sugar

• Palate: Caramel, cinnamon, toasted wood

• Finish: Warm, medium-length with a soft rye tingle

✅ Bottled-in-Bond certified
✅ Pound-for-pound value champ
✅ The “gotcha” bottle you need for your next tasting

🛒 Buy it now → $19.95

🍹The Art of Mixing

“The Bonded Buck”
A spicy, refreshing twist on a whiskey classic.

Ingredients
• 2 oz Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond
• ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• 3–4 oz ginger beer
• Dash of Angostura bitters (optional)
• Lemon wheel or candied ginger for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a copper mug or rocks glass with ice.

2. Add bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Stir gently.

3. Top with ginger beer.

4. Add a dash of bitters if you like it spiced.

5. Garnish with lemon or candied ginger.

Tip:
Want it bolder? Sub in barrel-aged bitters or a splash of cherry juice for a twist.

🍖 Flavor Pairing Picks

Pair it with:
• Pulled pork sliders — smoky-sweet meets spicy oak
• Cornbread with hot honey — sweet heat sings with the finish
• Arturo Fuente 858 cigar — smooth draw + spice = harmony

🧠 Big Lesson of the Week

Price doesn’t always pour the truth.
Your taste buds don’t care about labels—they care about flavor.
Sometimes, the cheapest bottle wins because it deserves to.

🥂 Final Toast

Here’s to the bottles that surprise us, the egos that get checked, and the stories that stick to your ribs like good bourbon should.

🥃 Repeatable Proverb

“Judge the pour, not the price.”

🚀 Unlock the Full Pour Experience

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Now Its Your Turn

What’s the most surprising bottle you’ve ever poured blind?
Reply and share it—I'll feature the best ones in an upcoming issue.

Cheers to summer nights, easy sips, and #1 bottles,

Ethan “Neat” Whitmore

P.S. I just wrapped up a brand-new report: “Top 10 Whiskeys Under $50.”
You might guess #1 (hint: it fooled six grown men), but #2 through #10? Total shockers.
I’m giving it away free when you join The Lounge.
👉 Click here to grab your copy and join the crew.