Jack Daniel’s dropped something special—and you can only get it at the distillery.

In this Game Ready, we pour the Jack Daniel’s Special Release Boiler Hill Batch 2 Small Batch Rye. Bottled at a massive 142.7 proof, this hazmat release delivers cherry, cinnamon, charred oak, black pepper, and plenty of rye spice—without drinking nearly as hot as the proof suggests.

Ray shares how his parents secured the bottle during a trip to Lynchburg, and we discuss the other limited releases in the series, whether Boiler Hill Batch 2 is worth its secondary-market price, and some more accessible Jack Daniel’s bottles that still deliver exceptional value.

Then it’s time to decide: Is Boiler Hill Batch 2 starting—or going to the bench?

Our comparisons:

🟢 Ray: The Incredible Hulk
🟢 Xavier: The Green Power Ranger

Final verdict: GAME READY and officially Brims & Barrels approved.

Let us know in the comments: Have you tried any of the Boiler Hill, Coy Hill, Tanyard Hill, or Fire Brigade releases?

🥃 Two Fits. One Pour.

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Four bottles. Four heavy hitters. One blind tasting.

In this episode, we put some of Heaven Hill’s most respected expressions head-to-head:

🥃 Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 22 Year — “The Prestige”
🥃 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C923 — “The Assassin”
🥃 Parker’s Heritage Double Barreled Blend — “The Trickster”
🥃 Penelope 13 Year American Light Whiskey — “The Outcast”

These bottles bring serious age, proof, and reputation—but once the labels disappear, none of that matters. Can a sourced bottle compete with expressions selected and released directly by Heaven Hill? And will the legendary C923 take down bottles that cost significantly more?

The results surprised us, and our final rankings weren’t the same.

Pour along with us and let us know how you would rank these Heaven Hill Heavy Hitters.

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Special thanks to our partners:

OnlyDrams — Track your whiskey collection and discover your next pour.
Chophouse Barber Company — Proudly serving the Houston area.

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Two Fits. One Pour. 🥃

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Four bottles. Four heavy hitters. One blind tasting.

In this episode, we put some of Heaven Hill’s most respected expressions head-to-head:

🥃 Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 22 Year — “The Prestige”
🥃 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C923 — “The Assassin”
🥃 Parker’s Heritage Double Barreled Blend — “The Trickster”
🥃 Penelope 13 Year American Light Whiskey — “The Outcast”

These bottles bring serious age, proof, and reputation—but once the labels disappear, none of that matters. Can a sourced bottle compete with expressions selected and released directly by Heaven Hill? And will the legendary C923 take down bottles that cost significantly more?

The results surprised us, and our final rankings weren’t the same.

Pour along with us and let us know how you would rank these Heaven Hill Heavy Hitters.

Visit: https://brims-and-barrels.webflow.io/

Follow Brims & Barrels on Instagram and watch or listen on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio.

Special thanks to our partners:

OnlyDrams — Track your whiskey collection and discover your next pour.
Chophouse Barber Company — Proudly serving the Houston area.

Like, comment, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Two Fits. One Pour. 🥃

#BrimsAndBarrels #HeavenHill #ElijahCraigC923 #ParkersHeritage #PenelopeBourbon #BourbonBlind #BourbonReview #WhiskeyTube #BourbonCommunity

Old Forester President’s Choice has been on Ray’s chase list for a long time—and thanks to a bottle trade within the bourbon community, he finally secured one.

This 2026 single-barrel release was personally selected by Campbell P. Brown, a fifth-generation Brown family member. Aged 88 months, this pour delivered raspberry, brown sugar and raisin on the nose, followed by vanilla, cinnamon and rich sweet oak on the palate. The finish brought leather, tobacco and even more vanilla.

It may carry a seven-year age statement, but does it drink well beyond its age?

To close out this Game Ready review, we matched the bottle’s prestige with two football figures who represent the top of the organization: Jerry Jones and Tom Brady.

Drop your football comparison in the comments—and let us know if Old Forester President’s Choice is worth the chase.

Two Fits. One Pour. 🥃

#BrimsAndBarrels #OldForester #PresidentsChoice #BourbonReview #BourbonCommunity #WhiskeyReview #GameReady

Bourye Blind Bonanza | Bourbon × Rye Blend Blind

Four bottles. No labels. Just the pour.

In this episode of Brims & Barrels, Xavier and Ray put four bourbon-and-rye blends head-to-head in a true blind tasting:

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Unforgotten
High West Bourye
Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye
13th Colony Barrel Symphony Composition No. 1

We score each pour on nose, palate, and finish, talk through which side of the blend seems to dominate, and see whether the more expensive or more established bottles actually perform better when the labels disappear.

The results definitely didn’t go the way we expected.

We also get into sports, childhood players who influenced our style, Cowboys vs. Texans, fitted hats, and why blinds continue to be one of the best ways to judge whiskey without hype getting in the way.

The question we leave with:

What is the perfect bourbon-to-rye balance?

Let us know your answer in the comments and tell us which Bourye you think would win your blind.

Two Fits. One Pour.

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Dark Arts calls it Blunt Blend—we call it Dank Arts. 🌿🥃

For this Game Ready, we’re pouring Dark Arts Blunt Blend Batch 2: an 8-year, 95/5 MGP rye finished in Madeira and Armagnac casks and bottled at 114 proof.

From the bold maple-syrup nose to the herbal rye notes, mint, spice and lingering finish, this bottle delivers from nose to palate. It’s powerful without drinking overly hot, and those finishing casks complement the rye without covering it up.

Shoutout to Joe, The Bourbon Pitmaster, for putting Xavier onto this bottle—and to Dark Arts for creating one of the most memorable pours we tried at Houston Whiskey Riot.

For our Game Ready comparisons, Ray calls on Ricky Williams, while Xavier goes with Marshawn Lynch: bold, physical, unapologetic and always true to himself.

The verdict: Dark Arts Blunt Blend is a certified starter. It will not sit on the bench.

Would you pair this one with a cigar—or something else? 👀

Two Fits. One Pour.

#BrimsAndBarrels #DarkArtsWhiskey #BluntBlend #RyeWhiskey #GameReady #WhiskeyReview #BourbonYouTube #MGPWhiskey #WhiskeyTube

Brilliant Beam Blind 🥃 | Knob Creek 21 vs Booker’s Reserve vs Baker’s 13 vs Hardin’s Creek

We’re putting four serious Beam bottles to the test — completely blind.

This lineup features Knob Creek 21, Booker’s The Reserves, Baker’s 13, and Hardin’s Creek, but once the pours hit the table, the labels don’t matter. We score each bourbon on the nose, palate, and finish, make our guesses, and see which bottle actually comes out on top.

Going into the blind, Booker’s Reserve had high expectations, while Knob Creek 21 brought the age and Baker’s 13 brought that classic Beam profile. But the final rankings definitely didn’t go the way we expected.

No labels. No bias. Just the pour.

Drop a comment and let us know: Which one would you have picked to win?

🥃 Knob Creek 21
🥃 Booker’s The Reserves
🥃 Baker’s 13
🥃 Hardin’s Creek

Make sure you like, subscribe, and follow Brims & Barrels on all platforms. And check out our sponsors OnlyDrams and Chophouse Barber Company.

Two Fits. One Pour.

#BrimsAndBarrels #BrilliantBeamBlind #JimBeam #KnobCreek21 #BookersBourbon #Bakers13 #HardinsCreek #BourbonBlind #BourbonReview #WhiskeyTube #BourbonCommunity

A bourbon 22 years in the making… and this one might already be in the conversation for one of our best pours of the year. 🥃🔥

For this Brims & Barrels Game Ready, we’re cracking the 2026 Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 22-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon — a bottle Ray won with the FIRST PICK in a raffle at Liquor Zone. And at roughly $320 MSRP, there was no way we weren’t opening it.

22 years old. 129.2 proof. Non-chill filtered.

On the nose and palate, we found toasted vanilla, leather, oak, cinnamon/baking spice, tobacco, pepper and a touch of sweet oak — but what really stood out was how well the age was handled. It had plenty of oak without becoming overly tannic.

This was a fresh crack, and after one sip we were already talking Top 5… maybe even Top 3 territory for the year.

When it came time to make the call, there wasn’t much debate.

🏈 GAME READY: STARTER.

Not just a starter either — this bottle felt like the veteran leader/Hall of Fame coach in the locker room. Experienced, refined and built to lead.

Would you pay $320 for a 22-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon?

Drop your thoughts below.

🥃 Two Fits. One Pour.

#BrimsAndBarrels #HeavenHill #HeavenHillHeritageCollection #Bourbon #BourbonReview #Whiskey #WhiskeyTube #GameReady #KentuckyBourbon

A bourbon 22 years in the making… and this one might already be in the conversation for one of our best pours of the year. 🥃🔥

For this Brims & Barrels Game Ready, we’re cracking the 2026 Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 22-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon — a bottle Ray won with the FIRST PICK in a raffle at Liquor Zone. And at roughly $320 MSRP, there was no way we weren’t opening it.

22 years old. 129.2 proof. Non-chill filtered.

On the nose and palate, we found toasted vanilla, leather, oak, cinnamon/baking spice, tobacco, pepper and a touch of sweet oak — but what really stood out was how well the age was handled. It had plenty of oak without becoming overly tannic.

This was a fresh crack, and after one sip we were already talking Top 5… maybe even Top 3 territory for the year.

When it came time to make the call, there wasn’t much debate.

🏈 GAME READY: STARTER.

Not just a starter either — this bottle felt like the veteran leader/Hall of Fame coach in the locker room. Experienced, refined and built to lead.

Would you pay $320 for a 22-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon?

Drop your thoughts below.

🥃 Two Fits. One Pour.

#BrimsAndBarrels #HeavenHill #HeavenHillHeritageCollection #Bourbon #BourbonReview #Whiskey #WhiskeyTube #GameReady #KentuckyBourbon

E.H. Taylor Cured Oak is back after 11 years. 🥃

Originally released in 2015, E.H. Taylor, Jr. Cured Oak returned in 2026 as a rare limited release from Buffalo Trace.

On this Brims & Barrels Game Ready, Xavier is joined by his wife, Shamier, as they crack open the new release and see how it holds up.

What makes this bottle different starts with the barrel.

Cured Oak is a 10-year-old, 100-proof, Bottled-in-Bond bourbon aged in barrels made from white oak staves that were air-dried for 13 months — more than twice the standard curing time.

That extra time with the oak was meant to create a deeper, more complex profile, with notes of tobacco, dried fruit, vanilla, toffee, seasoned oak, and a long, dry finish.

But none of that matters if the bourbon doesn’t deliver in the glass.

We get into the nose, palate, finish, and ultimately decide where this bottle belongs on the depth chart.

After 11 years away, did E.H. Taylor Cured Oak come back as a starter?

Pour something good and get Game Ready with us.

🥃 Brims & Barrels
Two Fits. One Pour.

#EHTaylor #EHTaylorCuredOak #CuredOak #BuffaloTrace #BottledInBond #Bourbon #Whiskey #BourbonReview #WhiskeyReview #BrimsAndBarrels #GameReady