🪵 The Oak, The Bold, and The Beautiful

The 12 Pours of Summer: #8 & #7
By Ethan "Neat" Whitmore

🌞 Statement:
A bottle ain’t just booze—it’s biography.
Oak-aged, heart-made, and full of bite.
This week’s pours? Two barrels. Same wood. Wildly different souls.

🥃 A Tale of Two Barrels

Couple summers ago, I found myself sweating through a collared shirt inside Missouri’s oldest rickhouse. The kind of heat that makes your ice melt before it hits the glass.

My buddy Hank—master of the single barrel pick—poured me two drams. “Same age. Same warehouse. Totally different souls,” he said.

He wasn’t lying.

The first? Ben Holladay One-Barrel Bourbon. Subtle as a love note. Creamy vanilla, cherry cola, toasted wood. It whispered more than it talked.

The second? Russell’s Reserve 10 Barrel-Proof. A whole different sermon. Bold, loud, and unapologetically intense. That pour didn’t walk in—it kicked the door open.

Same barrels. Same aging. But these two were raised under very different stars.

🌬️ #8 – Ben Holladay One-Barrel Bourbon

Style: Missouri Straight Bourbon (Single Barrel)
Proof: 94–100 (varies)
Distillery: Holladay Distillery, Weston, MO
Vibe: Quiet, confident, the kind of bottle that listens more than it speaks

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Vanilla bean, cherry wood, soft baking spice

• Palate: Caramel cream, red fruit, toasted oak

• Finish: Lingering but gentle—like a slow Missouri river

Why it’s on the list:

Because a good single barrel doesn’t need to shout. Holladay’s one-barrel pick is Missouri charm in a glass. It's a bottle that makes you slow down—on purpose.

Best way to drink:

Neat. Maybe a single rock. Journal optional but recommended.

👉 Grab this whisper before it’s gone 🍒

🤠 #7 – Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Barrel-Proof

Style: Barrel-Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Proof: 114–116 (varies by release)
Distillery: Wild Turkey Distillery, Lawrenceburg, KY
Vibe: High-octane, full-send, outlaw whiskey with a Southern soul

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Dark fruit, cola syrup, saddle leather

• Palate: Spiced cherry pie, molasses, tobacco

• Finish: Bold and booming—like a Sunday sermon with no time limit

Why it’s on the list:

Because this ain’t your beginner bourbon. It’s deep, complex, and aged for 13 long years. The kind of pour that earns respect from the first sip.

Best way to drink:

Neat, from a heavy glass, while sitting somewhere you can put your feet up and your guard down.

👉 Grab it before the outlaws do 🥵

🍹 The Art of Mixing: The Whisper Mule

Let’s give Ben Holladay the summer shine it deserves.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Ben Holladay One-Barrel

• 0.5 oz lime juice

• 4 oz ginger beer

• Dash of orange bitters

Instructions:

Build in a copper mug over ice. Garnish with mint. Sip slow.

Flavor profile:
Bright, peppery, smooth—with soft vanilla heat and a fizzy kick.

🥩 Flavor Pairing Picks

With Ben Holladay One-Barrel:

• Grilled trout with herb butter

• Manchego + dried apricot

• Vanilla panna cotta with honey drizzle

With Russell’s Reserve 13:

• Smoked brisket with dry rub

• Black pepper blue cheese burger

• Espresso truffles

• Nicaraguan cigar with earthy depth

💡 Big Lesson

Same mash. Same warehouse. But spirit? All attitude.
Holladay and Russell’s prove one truth:

It’s not the barrel—it’s the bond.
One pour listens. One fights. Both speak volumes.

📚 Featured Book: 50 States, 50 Whiskeys

A cross-country whiskey chase—with no luggage fees.

By yours truly, Ethan “Neat” Whitmore, this hardcover beauty is your passport to the best bottle in every U.S. state.

Inside, you’ll get:

• 🥃 My #1 pick from each state (and the story behind it)

• 🍸 A custom cocktail for each bottle

• 🧀 Food, dessert, and cigar pairings that actually make sense

• 🕵️ Prohibition-era tricks, distillery secrets, and whiskey-soaked stories

👉 Order your copy and sip your way through America!

🥃 Repeatable Proverb:

“It’s not the wood—it’s what time does with it.”

📣 Let’s Keep It Pourin’

⭐ Star this if you’ve got a single barrel that hit different
💬 Comment your state’s top whiskey—bonus points if it’s in the book
📤 Share this with your whiskey crew or any outlaw who needs a pour with punch

Stay curious. Stay bold. Stay neat.
—Ethan “Neat” Whitmore

P.S. Next week’s a double feature—get ready for four bottles built for bonfires, boat docks, and barefoot nights. We’re uncorking #6 & #5 and #4 & #3. Don’t miss it.