Election Day: National Shot Day

On November 8th we elected the 45th President of the United States. It also happens that it was National Shot Day. Coincidence? Not likely. Happy or sad, these pours may be just what you need.
Nov 02, 2016
  • 10
    87
    Full Bodied & Rich
    1792 Full Proof Bourbon is a release from Barton 1792. The warehouses in which the bourbon was stored are exposed to direct sunlight through 7 story-high windows, with metal frames and concrete bottom floors. The aged distillate was filtered once though a plate and frame filter (no chill filtering) in order to maintain its proof. It's bottled at the same proof at which it entered the barrel — 125 proof.
  • 9
    88
    Fruity & Sweet
    This is 100% apple brandy aged at least 3 years in charred oak barrels. It is bottled at 100 proof. The Laird's apple brandies are produced from cider that is allowed to ferment naturally; no commercial yeast strain is used.
  • 8
    88
    Herbal
    "Standard Issue" is Few Spirits' navy-strength gin, bottled at 114-proof. Juniper is the primary botanical, and fennel is also used in its production. FEW Spirits is based in Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago.
  • 7
    88
    Fruity & Sweet
    Aged entirely in ex-sherry casks, this non aged statement whisky is, as the name states, bottled at cask strength. This varies from batch to batch, but for the bottle being reviewed, it was 58.6% abv. Unfortunately for us, this has recently been discontinued at The Macallan, but for the time being, you can still see it on some retail shelves and back bars throughout the country.
  • 6
    90
    Vanilla & Spicy
    Maker's Mark Cask Strength is a new release that is bottled exclusively in 375ml bottles. This isn’t a single cask bottling, but rather a blend of up to 19 different barrels with varying proofs and ages. This was Batch No. 14-01 which was put into the bottle at 56.6%. It is made from the traditional Maker's Mark corn, red winter wheat and barley mash bill.
  • 5
    92
    Sweet & Rich
    This version of the single pot still whiskey is in it's original cask strength. But what does that mean? No addition of water to bring down the ABV and mute its natural flavors. Furthermore, it is non-chill filtered. Think of it as a natural beauty without airbrushing for the marketplace. The whiskey is aged for 12 years in a combination of American oak ex-bourbon and European oak ex-oloroso sherry casks. Please note that each cask strength batch will vary in ABV.
  • 4
    92
    Rich & Vanilla
    Jack Daniel's already offers a single barrel whiskey watered down to 94 proof. The barrel proof, as the name suggests, is bottled at what ever proof the whiskey comes out in the barrel. As each barrel has a different alcohol content due to evaporation during the aging process, there is no standard proof for this bottling. The bottle reviewed was 66% abv.
  • 3
    93
    Rich & Hogo
    Plantation O.F.T.D. (Old Fashioned Traditional Dark) Overproof is a group effort. Alexandre Gabriel, Master Blender for Plantation Rum, brought together six rum luminaries--Jeff "Beachbum" Berry from Latitude 29, Martin Cate from Smuggler's Cove, Paul McFadyen from Trailer Happiness, Paul McGee from Lost Lake, Scotty Schuder from Dirty Dick, and Dave Wondrich, cocktail historian extraordinaire. Over many tasting and blending sessions, they formulated a rum ideally suited for use in top-shelf Tiki and tropical cocktails. The O.F.T.D. is a blend of rums from Barbados, Guyana, and Jamaica in the overproof dark style, and replaces Plantation’s Trinidad-sourced Original Dark Overproof Rum.
  • 2
    94
    Full Bodied & Spicy
    Laid down by the man Booker Noe himself in 2003, this is a rare rye whiskey from the Booker's label distilled at the Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. Booker Noe was the Master Distiller at Beam from 1960 to 1992, when he handed off the reigns to his son, Fred Noe. This rye was part of a small batch experiment of about one hundred casks that Booker stowed away in his favorite rack houses, D & E, both of which see sun-exposure throughout the day. These are some of the last casks filled by Booker before his death in 2004. "Big Time Batch" is uncut and unfiltered at an irascible 68.1% ABV and aged for precisely 13 years, 1 month and 12 days.
  • 1
    95
    Rich & Spicy
    The tequila uses organic agaves from the Los Altos region near Nayarit. The piñas are autoclaved for 20 hours, fermented with proprietary yeast, and triple-distilled. The añejo is aged 18 months in used bourbon barrels, yielding a dark straw color. This is bottled at 100 proof.