It’s Fresh Crack Friday on The Third Pour! The Doc is joined by special guest host Izzy to break the seal on the highly anticipated Whiskey War Cigar Cask.

This episode is proof that your palate is your own. While they both loved the pour, their final ratings tell two different stories. Come for the tasting notes, stay for the laughs as they navigate the smoke, spice, and everything in between.

In this episode:

The First Pour: Initial impressions of the Cigar Cask finish.

The Debate: Why Izzy and The Doc didn't see eye-to-eye on the final score.

The Vibe: Plenty of laughs and "Friday energy" to kick off your weekend.

In this episode, The Doc takes The Third Pour on the road.

Broadcasting on location, The Doc sits down with Frank Jameson, owner of Spiriteaux Wine & Liquor, for a behind-the-counter conversation about the realities of running a liquor store in today’s bourbon-crazed market. From allocated bottle madness to customer trends and store picks, Frank shares what it really looks like on the retail side of the whiskey boom.

But this isn’t just shop talk.

To mark the occasion, The Doc cracks open a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (2023) — and the cork pop says it all. Together, they pour, sip, and break down one of the year’s most talked-about releases, offering honest, unfiltered impressions as the whiskey opens up in the glass.

Does the 2023 Birthday Bourbon live up to the hype?

Is it worth the chase?

And what does a retailer really think about bottles like this?

Pull up a chair. This one’s special.

It’s Friday, the glencairns are clean, and the seal is officially coming off. In this episode, The Doc and The Professor sit down with a bottle of Raconteur Rye to see if the liquid inside lives up to the storytelling on the label.

Is this a spicy masterpiece or just another rye on the shelf? We’re breaking down the initial nose, the first-sip mouthfeel, and that crucial finish. We don’t do "neck pour" excuses here—we’re giving you our raw, unfiltered first impressions.

The Mission: Crack it. Pour it. Grade it.

The Contender: Raconteur Rye.

The Verdict: You’ll have to watch to see if we’re adding this to the permanent collection or passing it to a friend.

What happens when a seasoned veteran and a fresh perspective take on the same mystery pour? In this episode, The Doc welcomes guest host Izzy to the table to tackle Blind Box Sample #61.

It’s a masterclass in sensory notes as the duo dissects the mash bill and mouthfeel. While they showed off their expertise by correctly identifying the proof and the "hook," the final reveal caught them both off guard. To make things even more interesting, the two couldn't agree on the final score. Is this a new shelf favorite or a one-time pour?

This Fresh Crack Friday, The Professor, Doc, and GT are popping the seal on a highly anticipated limited release: the James E. Pepper Gold Label Decanter Bourbon. This isn't your standard grocery store find; we’re looking at a small-batch blend of just 25 barrels, aged between 6 and 7 years and bottled at an uncut, unfiltered 104 proof.

The James E. Pepper Distillery has been making waves with their revival in Lexington, but at a $100+ price point, the Gold Label is stepping into "Unicorn" territory. Does the liquid inside justify the premium price tag, or are we paying for the beautiful 1945-style vintage decanter?

We’re back in the blind box for Sample #60! While some episodes are about the "hunt," this one is all about the discovery. The guys peel back the layers on a mystery pour that keeps them guessing from the first nose to the final finish.

It’s a fun, unfiltered look at how we process flavor when the label is stripped away. Will this be a budget-friendly hero or a high-proof heartbreaker? Tune in to see the reveal! In a world of clickbait and 'insane' reveals, we’re taking it back to basics. Just a solid pour and honest reactions.

It’s the biggest game of the year, and we’re playing it in a Glencairn. Today, The Professor and Doc are flying blind.

Labels don’t matter when the lights are this bright. In our official version of the Big Game.

The Professor and Doc go head-to-head with three mystery pours in a triple-threat double blind. No bottle shapes to give it away. No distillery loyalty.

Just the juice. Which heavy hitter will take home the ring, and which "top-tier" bottle will fall flat under the pressure? Pour a heavy one and join us at the table to see who gets crowned the champion of the shelf.

Nothing says "weekend" quite like the sound of a foil seal ripping and a cork popping. For this Fresh Crack Friday, we’re heading up to Nashville, Indiana, to see if the crew at Hard Truth is still batting 1.000 with their legendary Sweet Mash process.

The Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye has been winning awards left and right, but you know how we do it on The Third Pour—we don't care about the trophies on the wall, we care about the juice in the glass. We’re opening this one live, giving you our raw, unfiltered first impressions before the oxygen even has a chance to say hello.

We always say that labels cloud judgment. That’s why the Blind Box episodes are the heart of what we do at The Third Pour.

In this session, The Doc takes the hot seat. Without any context, he navigates the nose, the palate, and the finish of a mystery sample. It’s one thing to describe a whiskey; it’s another thing entirely to name it.

Stick around to see the reveal and find out if The Doc’s medical-grade precision held up, or if the "The Blind Box" effect finally got the best of him.

Round two of our Dry January experiment is officially in the books. This week’s bottle claims to have "signature oak and spice," but we’re still looking for the "signature" and mostly just found the "regret." It’s a spirit that makes you truly appreciate the taste of... literally anything else. We’re not saying we hate it, we’re just saying it’s the perfect drink for someone you don't particularly like. Grab a glass of something—hopefully not this—and join the guys for the post-game analysis.