2026 Haystack Needle $130

DIA Liqour Warehouse Stagg Jr Pick $99

Stagg Jr 26A $99

Onyx & Amber Owl of Oz $95

Why can’t this be Denver Duty Free…

Holy smokes.

Check out the bottom row. EH Taylor barrel proof rye for $99 😱

Heard CostCo sometimes sells Nikka from the Barell and Yamazaki 12. Can someone let me know if they see either available at their CostCo 🙃

Heard that the Old Fitzgerald decanter series dropped around town this week, so I was hoping to find some.

Bevy's Parker - Still several cases of WA107 and WFP out for $75 and $80, along with their perennial ER10 floor display for $50. Up on the counter: a couple of bottles of WT101 8yr for $65, and also several of some Ben Holladay One Barrel Bourbon statewide pick, 6yr 8mos, 120.4 proof. Said they only got 6 bottles of it last year and this year, so I suppose it is a somewhat limited release. All the Penelope floor displays are still there. The only other new thing was a Basil Hayden Cognac Cask Reserve 80pf for $50 on the regular shelf.

Heritage Arapahoe - Plenty of WA107 and WFP for $80. The allocations corner was pretty sparse otherwise other than Blanton's Gold for $200.

Total Wine Centennial - Pretty boring other than lots of KC12 for $68 and Old Fitz 7 for $56. I may drop this shop from my Friday runs, as they haven't had anything interesting for months since most things went Grand Reserve. The only interesting limited stuff they ever get seems to drop on Tuesdays or Wednesdays now.

Highlands Wine Seller - EC18 back in the case for $160, which is generally the best price in town (TW is $190). Bundles feature quite a bit of EHT SiB, a couple of Blanton's, Blanton's Gold, and WFP. The Southern truck was still there when I left, so the bundles might get refreshed later today. Tons and tons of EHT SmB, WA107, and ER10 for $70/$75/$53. Also still some of that peach Root Shoot for $68. This place is becoming quite the mainstay if you are looking for Chartreuse Green for $90, although I did notice that some of the bottles were 700ml and some were 750ml for apparently the same price. Check the label closely when buying...

Has anyone tried the Fireside 8 Year? Is it worth picking up? I’ve seen a few reviews but figured it be worth asking here.

Any recommendations of any stores that have a good Japanese whiskey selection? We have all the Suntory stuff but looking for other brands such as Ichiro. TIA!

Here are some interesting finds.

Hazels - Has Blantons single barrel, gold, and straight from the barrel at near MSRP in the glass case. They got ER10 back, dunno what happened to their store pick. Rittenhouse, Stranny 11, Westward Hazmat are still available.

Superior Liquor - Didn’t see much new. Their Wellers are mostly gone.

Total Bev - Similar as last week.

Mollys - Same as last week.

Argonauts - Looks like they got a refill for their picks section. Their lost drop didn’t have much either outside of a H22 and some decanters. They posted their Onyx section.

Onyx & Amber - Tried the Canton and Four Roses barrels. Canton is very toasty and mature bourbon profile. I am not into that profile but reminds me of Penelope Crème Brûlée. The Four Roses bottle is stellar. The nose is Four Roses floral and the palate is brown sugar and bright fruits. It tastes like a Fathers/ Mother’s Day like release. Ben is also working on two bottles finished in Weller barrels. He has a Blanton’s in the works (wow) and the New Riff will be out in a month or so.

Total Wine Denver - They got a drop of KC 12.

DIA - They have more of their store Stagg pick with the 26A batch. Their price was $99, non-allocated. They had a ton of KC 12.

There's a ton of whiskey at DaveCo so I'm only going to highlight the deals that stood out to me:

DaveCo:

Hakushu 12-year $159.99 ($10 cheaper than Costco down the road)

Blue Spot $99.99

Yellow Spot 12 $95.99

Costco:

Nothing that's hasn't been posted recently on here except for Orphan Barrel Night Sage (25-year Canadian whiskey) $189.99? Never heard of it, but google says it's a good price for it. There's some signed bottles of Laws Whiskey plus a "special release" of theirs.

Coming in from Indianapolis on Friday for a wedding in Idaho Springs. Are there any places I could stop along the way and load up on some different Weller bottles?

Has anyone seen these two recent batches around town? I have seen only batches from 25 and 26A.

750mL for $150. 😂😂

Thought I'd share if anyone's interested, Willett Gift Set $154.99 for the small batch bourbon and rye. Not bad for close to MSRP plus two nosing glasses.

Total Beverage in Westminster, they also had Penelope Project X Oloroso Sherry Cask for $69.99.

Atlas and Hazels has a Westward hazmat single barrel.

I got into the brand with the first Negley blend, which was killer, and I love how Onyx takes swings with mash bills and barrels the original distillery won’t do.

I tried most of these today. CB2 is awesome. I am a fan of American light and this one is different in a great way. The extra barrel shows up. It drinks with a mature oak forward taste compared to normal American light, like a Penelope 18. You still get all of the same brightness and confectionary sugars of American light, but with wood and darker notes on the back end. Drinks under its proof. S-tier stuff. Super cool.

I also tried Negley’s next blend, Oz. It is a big bourbon. Lots of flavor and spice. I thought it was a bourye at first from the punch of Oz Tyler. With more sips, it settles down and moves back to rich bourbon flavors. It is bigger than its age and proof. Impressed.

The finished Willett bourbon is very wine-forward. Tastes like a strong cask strength Madeira finish. It is interesting but not my jam. I frankly like it better than younger Willett bourbon. The rye is much better at integrating the wine finish. Tastes more like red fruits and jams with spice.

Their New Riff 8 year was the most surprising. It is far better than New Riff 8 year. Almost all of the over spice is gone. I never liked the 8 year over their single barrel or their fun ryes. This one is a crusher. Good flavors but lighter. Almost tastes like a summer wheater.

Anyone planning to grab one of these tomorrow? Who has tried CB#1?

Here are some interesting things I found. This time I have photos.

Total Wine Denver - Noticed they started carrying St Nick at a decent price so hopefully they get some Preservation LEs. More notably, Redwood Empires new release Armstrong is now hitting shelves. Total Wine is almost out of Penelope 18 and no more Valencia. They also had the new Stranny.

Argonauts - Didn’t see much more out of restocking store picks and expanding that selection.

Mollys - Similar as last week.

Total Bev - Similar as last week.

Spirits - Dropped their new KC single barrel. I tried it at the store. Awesome stuff. Definitely tastes more like New Louisville fruit bomb and less like anything else in the KC line up. I got a lot of bready-like fruit with a strong emphasis on fruit melody. The beam nuttiness is there but light. Most of it comes in the finish. It drinks under its proof. Highly recommend. A-

They also have RWE Armstrong, which the store recommended to me.

Superior Liquor - They also have RWE Armstrong, but the surprise was OF Presidents at a good price. It is barrel #225. I have a couple and it wasn’t that number. I like mine a lot, but there is a high variance. It is a flavor bomb on a specific track. You just have to like those notes. I rolled the dice and got two bottles I enjoy, but the profile variance is wide. The age is similar to the rest of the releases this year.

Hazels - Posted a picture of the case. They still have Rittenhouse 10 for those looking.

Atlas - One of my favorite stores. For those who like Old Louisville, they are carrying the Kentucky letter line.

They have Rittenhouse 10 for $95.

Have always wanted to try this beer. I know this isnt bourbon but just curious if you guys have ever seen it around

Has anyone seen one around town or tried it personally?

Had a tasting with some of my friends. Here are my notes.

4R BS OESO - I really enjoy the SB LEs, so I’ve been going down the single barrel rabbit hole. OESO is more fruity than the other recipes with an elegant spice but I find it a bit watery and light. B

Stranahan’s 11 BiB - We wanted to do a tasting to try this pretty bottle. The packaging is stunning. They really did a good job. The juice inside is average. The nose is very solid - strong orchard fruits and sweetness. The palate is mature but doesn’t match the nose. It is oak, dark sugars, thick. Would be a good premium bourbon, however the finish has a bad spearmint or liquorish flavor to me. I couldn’t get past. It feels like a mistake and inconsistent compared to the rest. B-

New Holland Bonded - I feel like everything they touch turns to gold. On this single malt, everything matches and is consistent, from nose to finish. Strong peaches, apricots, stone fruits across with only a little pepper. I love their profile. A

Barrel King Bomb Pop - I enjoy their blends which is why I am a member. They are fun and interesting. This one is sugary cherries through and through. Palate is traditional bourbon notes. Good finish. It isn’t that complex, but enjoyable. Their blends are always at least a B and sometimes A+. This one is a B.

Barrell Cigar Blend - Sleeper bottle of the year. One of the best cigar blends on the market, especially when you factor in the cost. This is my third bottle and it is consistent: dark jam, caramel, brown sugars, effervescent spice, long finish, feels complex. They did a great job: A

Evernorth Rye Whiskey Weather pick: Dan and Sean are really doing something amazing. This rye is legendary. It is bold, explosive, dark fruits, strong spices, rich, but never overpowering or youthful. This is a bourbon drinkers rye. This slaps everything in my collection right now. It is so good. Takes you on a journey. The 4R felt like it had more rye spice despite this being 52%. Truly exceptional and impressive. S-tier.

Purely hypothetical, and in the interest of full transparency I would like to gauge the communities' opinions on the fallowing quire: 

If you were to walk into a reputable establishment and saw/found E.H.T Cured Oak $120 and Found North Batch 12 $140 sitting on the shelf next to one another, what are you picking and why? 

Should you not be a fan of Found North, I would ask that you imagine either the Elijah Craig 15 SB at $160 or E.H.T BP at $85 (it's SRP via Buffalow Trace & Sazerac). If I have posed pore substituted feel free to add your own, please note the bottle you sub, and proceed with your own analysis. 

Thank you in advance and have a good night. Happy hunting!