123. Starlight Single Barrel Honey Bourbon & Ranking The John Wick Franchise

Ever wondered how a honey barrel-finished bourbon whiskey tastes? Curious about my John Wick movie franchise ranking? You're in the right place! Join me as I catch you up on all the excitement in my life, from family matters to work, and share my latest whiskey adventures. As we sip on a unique single barrel bourbon whiskey from Starlight Distillery, I'll reveal my John Wick favorites and discuss why the series holds a special place in my heart.

But that's not all! We'll also dive into the upcoming UFC fight card and my predictions, including the Charles Olivera vs Beneil Dariush fight, the Amanda Nunes main event, and other thrilling matchups. And while we're at it, let's get to know Starlight Distillers, a family-owned and operated distillery based in Borden, Indiana.

To wrap it all up, I'll share my tasting experience of this exceptional honey bourbon from Starlight Distillers, describing its unique flavors and characteristics. So, grab a glass and join me on this exciting journey through whiskey, movies, and more.

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Whiskey is the Water of Life, so Lets start Livin' 🥃

Transcript

Connor: 0:06

What's up people? Welcome to another episode of Who Gives a Dram. I am here today, just Thursday, june 8th. I don't really release podcasts on Thursdays, but I gotta work with what you got And that's what I'm doing this week. Thank you for tuning in.

Connor: 0:28

It's been a few weeks since I've hopped on the podcast here and chatted with you guys, but definitely hasn't been an uneventful few weeks. I've been real busy with things both in and out of whiskey Lots of whiskey, things going on behind the scenes that I wish I could talk about but I can't talk about yet. Lots of things going on outside of whiskey. A lot of family stuff, good things. Lots of work is busy lifting a lot just trying to live life and navigate this world as a single 26-year-old. It's hot in here. That's why I'm wearing my tank top. I don't mean to be exposing so much flesh, but it's hot And I don't want to be sweaty as I sit here and talk and drink whiskey, and that's what we're gonna do today. We haven't done an actual whiskey review in about a month, maybe even longer. It's been a while, let's see. The last whiskey review we did was Larsonie Barrelproof B522 all the way back on April 19th. It's almost been two months since we actually done a legit whiskey review And I knew I had some free time tonight and I planned to record tonight.

Connor: 1:51

I didn't know what I was gonna record, though. I didn't know if I was gonna talk about maybe finished bourbons and the concept behind that Maybe sit on a few of my favorite finished bourbons that I have. I didn't know if I was gonna talk about what whiskeys I'm gonna drink this summer. I didn't know if I was maybe gonna do a versus. I just didn't know. I didn't know what I was gonna do, but I was going through my whiskey and I noticed that I had this unopened bottle and I thought this would be the perfect bottle to drink today because it's something that I've never drank before on the podcast, and both in two ways. This is something that I've never drank on the podcast.

Connor: 2:34

Today we're gonna be tasting and reviewing a single barrel selection that I purchased a few by a month ago from Starlight Distillery. It is a single barrel bourbon whiskey finished in Honey Barrels. If you're watching on YouTube, you can see that right on the camera there. I've never done a honey finished bourbon and I've also never done Starlight on the podcast, so I will talk a little bit about Starlight. We'll read their About Us page on the old interweb there on their website and we'll dive into that And I'm excited to.

Connor: 3:12

I tasted this before I bought it and I remember liking it, but I don't really remember. I had a few pours that day at the old liquor store and I tried to support my friend where I bought this from Ron at Wyoming Package and I tried to support him in every single barrel. He does if I can, if I can financially afford it, which sometimes you can't, but it is what it is. Anyways, there's been a lot of things that have happened since we spoke in last. The thing that comes to the top of my mind is the fact that I just bought John Wick 4 on like home video on demand or on Amazon Prime, and I've watched it. I've owned it for three days and I've watched it three days now.

Connor: 4:03

The thing with the John Wick movies is I love them. I really do. They're my favorite action franchise of all time And it's the perfect background movie for me because there's enough music and action. So it's not silent, but it's also Well. At least the older movies weren't all action. John Wick 4 is pretty much all action. But I will probably for the next six months use John Wick 4 as my background movie and that will be that And I stand by that. John Wick 4 is one of the greatest action movies that I've ever seen. I do think John Wick 1 is probably a little bit of a better movie altogether.

Connor: 4:50

I think my official John Wick movie franchise ranking goes John Wick 1, john Wick 4, john Wick 2, john Wick 3. And that's no hate on John Wick 3. I love that movie. I just think, in the grand scheme of things, with all four movies lined up against each other, it's hard to beat the OG. It's such a fantastic movie. Just in terms of story and plot it's phenomenal. John Wick 4 brings all the action that you could ever desire.

Connor: 5:24

I think John Wick 2, sneakily, is my personal favorite. It's up there. I flip-flop between all the John Wick's all the time. Is what's my personal favorite movie? I do stick with 1, 4, 2, 3, but sometimes 2 sneaks its way up there And on a rewatch of 2, let's say I rewatch it every three months or so, six months fully it catapults back up to number one. It used to be my favorite. It used to go 2, 1, 3, but after rewatching all the movies several times, 1, 4, 2, 3, i think is a fair ranking. And I love John Wick 3. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing movie. I saw it in theaters. It's incredible. It just is a less action-y John Wick 4. And I think the action is better in John Wick 4. But anyways, john Wick 4 is now in my possession and I own it and I'm super happy about that because I love those movies. And in terms of the movies that I've seen this year, which haven't been that many I don't really know how many movies I've seen this year but it stands out to me as my second favorite movie of the year so far John Wick 4.

Connor: 6:49

My first favorite movie of the year, which I don't think I've even talked about on the podcast, was Guardians of the Galaxy 3. And I was so, so happy with that film because it brought back what the MCU is to me. When I think about the MCU, i cannot wait until it's on Disney Plus so I can watch it again. I cannot wait. I loved that movie. It was probably my favorite Guardians movie. If I had to pick one, i have to rewatch it, but I'm a big Guardians of the Galaxy 2 fan and obviously the first movie, the OG, is fantastic. But 3 brought the action. It brought some iconic Guardians of the Galaxy like silly, goofy scenes, like when Adam Warlock first comes in he's all handsome and gold and smoldering, flying through space without moving, or when he goes to touch. I won't give away the end. But 3 has everything And it's.

Connor: 7:47

I think it's the funniest MCU, the funniest Guardians movie in a good way. It's not like Ant-Man where they try to make everything, or not even. It's not like Thor, love and Thunder where they try to make everything, everything a joke. I read a comment that Chris Hemsworth recently came out and said that-. Thor, love and Thunder was probably a little too silly. You know, looking back on it And you can't blame the guy When you're in the process of making the movie I'm sure your viewpoints are a little skewed because you're working on it all day, but to the outside viewer, man, that movie sucked. Yeah, that movie sucked.

Connor: 8:30

I saw another big thing that came out, which was the rotten tomato score for The Flash, and The Flash is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I said that There were reviews that came out that said it was the greatest superhero movie of all time. Now that's Cap, that's straight Cap, and right there, i think we can all agree that that's Cap. But it gave me hope that this was going to be at least a put together movie that made sense dramaturgically, which is a word I promise. Google it. Dramaturgically It was going to make sense story wise. That's what I was hoping for, because The Flash currently, after 90 reviews on rotten tomatoes, which I trust to weigh points, i don't take it. I take it with a grain of salt, especially the critic reviews. It has a 71% on rotten tomatoes, which to me is a little alarming.

Connor: 9:44

If people are saying that this is the greatest DC film of all time. It's starting to feel like this might be a Spider-Man no way home type of scenario where Spider-Man no way home was a great movie. Don't get me wrong. I've watched it once since I saw it in theaters. It was an awesome theater experience But in terms of story and in terms of everything that you look for in a movie and rewatch ability, there's not a whole lot there. It's definitely a good movie, don't get me wrong, but I feel like The Flash is going to play a lot like Spider-Man no way home. I think there's going to be a lot of cameos, a lot of cool scenes, maybe old superheroes coming back for a little bit of screen time, because essentially this is going to restart the DC EU. For James Gunn to come in and do his thing.

Connor: 10:43

The first critic consensus here I don't think there's any spoilers here. While it plays too much like a sizzle reel of DC's greatest hits to fully stand on its own two feet, the Flash has enough heart and zip to maintain a confidence stride. So that's kind of like where I thought this would land. It would be a good movie. It wouldn't be the greatest superhero movie of all time, but it would be good. And the 71% of Rotten Tomatoes tells me that, for everything that, i'm justified in what I was worried about in this movie. But it also tells me I can go in with a sense of confidence as well And I don't have to be too paranoid that this is just going to be a cameo fest and it's not going to make any sense. Also, at least in the last trailer that I saw for The Flash, the CGI looked not good in a lot of different spots. So we'll see.

Connor: 11:34

I will see it the day it comes out, which, i believe, is, when does this movie come out? June 16th, which is next week, so, but I'm looking forward to. You know, i'm really looking forward to The Flash, and there's a lot of good movies coming out that I really want to see. I don't even know what other movies are coming out. I know Oppenheimer is coming out very soon, which is another one of my most anticipated films of the year.

Connor: 12:14

The trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leo and Robert De Niro. That trailer came out and that looked like a stereotypical Martin Scorsese movie. Sign me up, please. I want to watch it. But yeah, man, that was like the biggest thing that was on my mind in terms of movies was The Flash, because I do really want to see it. I just don't know if it was almost being hyped up too much, and that was what I was getting worried about.

Connor: 12:55

In terms of what else is going on, mma hasn't really been a whole lot happening. I haven't been watching The Ultimate Fighter. I watched the first episode on YouTube a few days later and I'll probably keep up with it. I liked the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter with McGregor and Chandler. I think the second episode is out already, so I'll probably watch that, but other than that, hasn't really been a whole lot going on in terms of notability within the UFC sphere. We have a pay-per-view on this weekend.

Connor: 13:28

Charlie Olives is fighting Neil Daryush, which would be a great fight. I really wish I could watch that fight, but I'm not paying any dollars for an Amanda Nunez main event. I can't justify it. I will be hopefully finding a live stream on TikTok or something for the Charlie Olives fight. My pick is probably Daryush is going to be Charlie Olives, but I do really like Charles Oliveira. Don't get me wrong. His knockout against Michael Chandler is such a good knockout. He had a fantastic run When he was champion for the few fights that he was. It was a fun time And I really would like to see a rematch between him and Islam if at all possible.

Connor: 14:19

I think if Charlie Olives wins this fight, probably this is for a title shot. If I had to guess Now we have Poirier versus Gachie confirmed for the BMF title. This is probably going to be for a number one contendership. I think I'm taking Daryush. Daryush is not as good on the ground in terms of his jujitsu as Charlie Olives, but he's very tenacious and seems to push the pace just like Charlie Olives does. But Daryush has something to prove. He hasn't been there yet. Charlie Olives has been there, so he understands the weight of the situation. But we'll see. This is why because I don't know. I don't know who's going to win this fight And I would really like to watch it, but I can't justify paying it When the main event is Amanda Nunes versus Irene Aldana, who's 14 and 6.

Connor: 15:15

The third fight on the card is Mike Malote versus Adam Fuget. Adam Fuget about it. Dan50k. Igay is on there, or Iggy? Yeah, this card sucks. And listen, all respect to the fighters on the card, don't get me wrong, but this fight sucks, this fight card sucks. Really, really poor fight card. I mean, we have some really lackluster cards coming up That just suck. This is my outfit. The only the thing of note that's coming up next will be probably International Fight Week.

Connor: 15:55

Volkanoski versus Yair Rodriguez, which I don't know why Yair is going in with an interim title, but that will be a firefight. Moreno versus Pantoja Alexandre Pantoja Might have pronounced that wrong. That'll be a firefight because it's Brandon Moreno. Robert Whitaker versus Dreykist Plisis firefight. Bone-nickel coming back. Jalen Turner versus Dan Hooker is a firefight. So that will be a pretty good card. But again, to justify paying $80, you're paying for Volkanoski versus Rodriguez and you're paying to see Brandon Moreno and you're paying to see Robert Whitaker Is that worth $30? To me it is because I'm a degenerate when it comes to human cock fighting. But that's just me.

Connor: 16:45

And then after that, yeah, terrible cards, guess the UFC 291 in late July, which is Porie versus Gagey and Yom Blakovic versus Alex Pereira and Tony Ferguson versus Bobby Green and Paulo Costa coming back and Stephen Thompson coming back and Derek Lewis coming back and Michael Kiesa versus Kevin Holland. That's a fire fucking card. Right there, ufc 291 will be the next big fight card. And then, of course, coming up in Boston, ufc 292, aljamae Sterling vs Sean O'Malley, which I am going to do everything in my power to be back there. Oh, and they put Chris Whiteman on the card Chris Whiteman versus Brad DeVaris. Chris Whiteman is making his return fight in Boston. That is interesting. I really want to go to that fight. Tickets will be expensive, but that's okay.

Connor: 17:38

All right, let's pour some of this whiskey here. We'll talk about Starlight as we pour it. Solid, solid cork pop, real cork, always. Respect that. All right, let that sit for a second. So again, let's review some whiskey, because we haven't done it in almost two months.

Connor: 18:05

Starlight Distillers, carl T Huber, single barrel, bourbon, whiskey finish and honey barrels. This is selected by the barrel hunters, which I believe is a Rhode Island group here in Rhode Island. This specific batch or barrel number is 22-2508-1. This is specifically 112.5 proof in its age for four years. Starlight Distillers is based out in Indiana.

Connor: 18:34

When I think of single barrels and single barrel programs and single barrel picks and funky finishes I There are a few distilleries which are kind of making a name for that now And I think that one of the first distilleries that brought it to the to the forefront in the whiskey space was Starlight and I respect them for that. I've never had an interest in time trying their whiskey or buying one of their bottles and I'm hoping that this. I don't know if I'm gonna enjoy this honey barrel finish as much as I want to, but I hope that it's interesting enough where I will at least look at Starlight and not just I Don't. I don't want to say I look at Starlight and think gimmick, because I know it's a super popular and super successful brands and I'm looking on their website right now, which is a beautiful website, and the pictures that they have or this looks gorgeous. But I always just in the back behind, thought gimmick because of their finishes and their and their single barrels and all that stuff. But You know I they were at the forefront and they did help and innovate that single barrel experience for a lot of people and it kind of turned into a new fad of Not only single barrel picks being within craft distilleries that are helping Craft distilleries elevate their name by offering these really, really quality single barrel picks, but also funky finishes translating into a single barrel picks.

Connor: 20:02

So being able to pick a single barrel That's that's finished in a, in a port wine cask or a, or a sherry cask or a rum cask or a Cigar finish or a toasted, you know something that's finished, and having that be a single barrel. I Don't know if that's been the case for a long time, but I know that when I think of that tunnel of whiskey, of that, of that, that Subset of whiskey, those funky finished single barrel programs, starlight is one of the first ones I think up and I have my respect for that. So, starlight, i Want to see where, exactly where they're from. Oh, there's their address Borden, indiana Family, owned and farmed since 1843. Distilled, aged and bottled by starlight distillery, got a respect that Carl T is our signature bourbon, named after fourth generation family member, carl Theodore Huber. After a minimum of four years of aging in new charred American oak barrels, this bourbon is then finished in ex bourbon barrels aged with fresh honey from the farm. The sweet floral notes of the honey compliment the carrot characteristic flavors of our flagship bourbon. So essentially this they're taking their flagship bourbon and They're finishing it in ex bourbon barrels aged with fresh Honey from their farm.

Connor: 21:34

This is a grain to glass operation of starlight, similar to a lot of craft distilleries now that are that are getting to the age where they can Release their own distillate and it has an age statement. Sagamore is just like that. Bards down with their origin series is becoming grain to glass as well, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with sourcing, don't get me wrong, but there is a special characteristic to a grain to grass, grain to glass operation. So a little bit about Starlight and again, i don't know that this as much. I'm kind of just gonna. You're gonna read the website with me for a second What I do know and what my buddy, ron, over at Wyoming package Told me is that starlight is ran by these two younger kids And I think their brother is kind of like similar in age difference to me and Kale.

Connor: 22:28

Me and Kale are 17 months apart And I thought that was really cool. I don't know exactly, i can't really see, like the, who they are here, just by their website, but there's a bunch of pictures of them on the website and, yeah, i think they got to a probably part of the family, just Two young bucks running, running the game over there or at least helping, which is great. I love young people in whiskey because I'm a young guy in whiskey and I think that's there's a stigma that still is around that Whiskey is kind of like the new wine for married women. Whiskey is like a married guy has kids, that and, you know, has his whiskey, as is kind of like this is my, this is my, this is my thing. Now I'm a whiskey guy because I'm married with kids. I can't go out and do all this stuff. I think there's a little bit of a stigma there right now in the whiskey game for that and I Hope that the fact that I am nowhere near being married or having kids Shows that you can be single and not have any responsibility and still love whiskey.

Connor: 23:45

In 2000, the Huber family purchased an 80 gallon pot, still from the renowned German company Christian Carl, and by November 2004 the first bottle of Huber brandy was on the shelves of their retail space. From 2001 to 2013, starlight facility primarily produced brandies and ports, while eyeing the opportunity to work with Indiana legislators to gain a new permit allowing them to produce artists and spirits from grains Whiskey. I do know that the area that this distillery settles in was at one point Considered the capital of brandy in the United States. It was kind of like the central hub where brandy was made, so it doesn't surprise me that Starlight started their operations with brandy. Finally, in 2013, the family achieved their goal and Starlight distillery became one of the first artists and distilleries in the state producing bourbon. That's impressive. The expansion evolved, implementing a new 13,000 square foot still house Adjacent to the original production area. It was in this warehouse that Carl T bourbon was born, named after the Huber family's patriarch and a lover of the spirit himself. Carl T and his spouse, marcella are the reasons that the family legacy continues into the seventh generation of ownership and distilling, which I'm assuming are the two young kids. Today, in addition to bourbon, starlight still produces Rai vodka, rai vodka, gin and blackberry whiskey their signature red brick house is located adjacent to the distillate production area are a testament to their commitment to the craft. Starlight Distillery distributes is bourbon and spirits to 18 states and Alberta. Canada, and their family legacy rooted in distillation continues to grow stronger, you know.

Connor: 25:23

So, yeah, cool, cool stuff here. It's a very, it seems like a homegrown family operated grain de grass, a grain de glass Process. Again, they're there. Pictures on their website look awesome. This is some. Definitely somewhere I would, i would love to visit. lots of green, lots of open space, big red Rick houses Which I think look really cool. Yeah, they have their vineyards, orchards on site. They have a cafe, corn maze. Catch a farm tour on the green train, the Golden Age high school race pedal carts around our thousand foot tracks, wish down the mountainside, or So. This seems like an experience and I, i really Again, i'm kind of just learning about this for the first time right now, but it seems like it's a, it's a cool, it's a cool concept here. And then Says if you awards, i want to see what they've won.

Connor: 26:19

Starlight Distillery is Indiana's most award-winning farm to bottle distillery. Important to note farm to bottle See because they're not beating MGP. See firsthand from the nation's top competitions how Starlight Distillery ranks against the top award-winning distilleries San Francisco world spirits. Gold Carl T Single Barrel bourbon whiskey. Okay, so some of their finished whiskies won silver their gin. One silver Carl T bourbon whiskey, one bronze Double gold Carl T Single Barrel bourbon whiskey.

Connor: 27:01

In 2022 Ascot awards which, by the way, i'm sure you guys, if you follow me, you've seen this news We had a full episode about it on bourbon with friends Paul and I Recently won a gold medal for our single barrel barrel pick from Bradshaw bourbon. Last year We won gold at the Ascot awards, which was, i think, a really big deal. I can technically say that a whiskey that I was directly involved when won a gold medal, which is super cool. 2022 Starlight won the craft distiller of the year at Starlight or at the Ascot awards. They won best craft bourbon. At the Ascot awards They won best Apple brandy. They won gold and craft bourbon.

Connor: 27:57

Carl T bottle, the bond. The one golden special barrel finish for their single barrel rum finished bourbon And then one golden craft for them for their Carl T bourbon whiskey. They won platinum, best in category. Yeah, there's a lot, a lot here. So Basically they have a lot going for them and one of the offerings that they have is this single barrel finished in honey barrels at 112.5 proof. So I'm not entirely too sure how this is going to be. It's aged at least four years again, 112.5 proof. They don't know what the mash bill is. I don't think it's disclosed as of right now what their mash bill is. It's got to be at least 51% corn because it is a bourbon whiskey. And again, they say at least four years. So we're going with the whiskeys in this. But the whiskey from this single barrel was aged for at least four years in the original container. But I want to get into it. I'm excited.

Connor: 29:18

I'm a honey guy. I enjoy honey in my tea. I enjoy honey on certain foods. I enjoy honey as a dessert. If you put honey on vanilla ice cream or something, i think it tastes good. I love baklava, which is a very What Is it? Greek? I think it's a Greek dessert and there's honey in there. I always think of baklava when I think of honey. If I ever drink my sleepy time tea, which I probably will tonight, to be honest, i'll put honey in there.

Connor: 29:53

My first initial thought is that this would probably be really good in a hot toddy because of the honey. So let's give it an old sniffy poo here and see what we're working with. Okay, so it's very florally on the nose to begin Very bright, very bright fruit, almost Now that I have some. Okay, now I can really smell the honey. Okay, now the honey is really coming off, but it's not like a natural honey. It's not. Okay, wow, it took the old sniffy to warm up for a few minutes or for a few sniffs, but now that honey is coming through, very, very strong, Like a honey stick.

Connor: 31:04

I used to work at a place and they would always have honey sticks and I'd kind of just take them and eat them, crack them open and eat them. This smells like a honey stick, but there's also other sweeteners. There's vanilla in there. Again, there's a nice floral-ness, like a perfume flower type of, like a fresh flower from the garden. The oak is represented by hair, but what comes through is the proof. You can tell that this is a bit higher proof. It is a little prickly, you know, a little sharp, but yeah, after a few sniffs, man, the honey came through exponentially on this And I am not mad at it. It is definitely very unique.

Connor: 32:03

Once you smell the honey, you can't not smell the honey, which I enjoy. Yeah, the honey is definitely there Straight up. Honey stick, bro. Honey stick galore. This is already kind of like okay, i was right, this is gonna. Maybe I'll put this in my tea tonight, if I have it. Hmm, alright, well, let's take a sip. Haven't had whiskey yet today. So cheers to everybody To another week of Who Gives a Drown, oops, not the best, but cheers, chante. Lots of honey, lots of honey, honey and oak. It's a little darker on the palette, really coats the mouth, nice Hot going down. Again. This is my first sip of whiskey of the day, but definitely hot going down, like Like it's 112 and a half proof. So yeah, no, pretty good, pretty good, pretty good. Let's take another sip. Oh, that honey is there, that honey is there.

Connor: 33:39

This is 100% a honey-finished bourbon, don't get me wrong. There is a nice spiciness to the palette. I think it is slightly more barrel-influenced. It's drying out my mouth a little bit. I can tell that because I'm salivating more. This hit me different than I thought it was going to hit me. Yeah, it's got a lot of more barrel-influenced to this, a little bit of a dry spice, but there's also that rye there as well and that cinnamon. I would be willing to bet this is a higher rye bourbon mashbill. I don't know that for a fact but I'd be willing to bet based on the spice that I'm getting The little bit of prickliness that I got on the nose, plus the spice that I'm getting from the palette. Yeah, this is 100% a high rye whiskey. I'd be willing to put money on that.

Connor: 34:54

The honey influence here is phenomenal. I mean that in the best way possible This is based on two sips. There's a really nice balance of honey, which has to be the main tasting note, Also that subtle sweetness of vanilla, but then that barrel influence that is there to me 100%, plus that rye spice, that cinnamon spice. It's very balanced, very nuanced. There's very particular tasting notes that I get. You can definitely pick out the honey, but you can pick out the different tasting notes. There's not a whole lot of things going on, but the things that are happening are very noticeable and they're very quality.

Connor: 35:59

I wouldn't say this is a very busy whiskey. I wouldn't say there's. What's the brand that says there's 200 plus tasting notes, or some bullshit? Is it Woodford, which is the most dumbest thing? What whiskey has 200 tasting notes? Woodford, yeah, there are more than 200 detectable flavors in Woodford Reserve, 212 to be exact. What a piece of shit. I like Woodford and there and Woodford's whiskey is good. I love the double oak. The Woodford double oak is one of my favorite finished bourbons out there. But to say that you have 212 tasting notes to be exact is so pompous and so Just so like the person who sat down, i guarantee there's one thing on this planet that I guarantee, other than the fact that John Wick could beat Jason Bourne in a hand-to-hand fight That I'm certain of. I've gotten into arguments with people over that. Another thing that I am certain of in this life is the guy who sat down and picked out 212 tasting notes on a bottle of Woodford Reserve definitely at some point in his life has worn a monocle, i can guarantee it. But yeah, this Honey Whiskey's pretty good. Honey Whiskey's pretty good.

Connor: 37:51

I enjoy the uniqueness of it. I just enjoy whiskies that are different. I enjoy whiskies that are different for a purpose. I don't enjoy whiskies that are different just to be different, like, for example, jefferson's Ocean. It's a cool concept to be aged at sea, but you just put a huge price tag on on nothing In my humble opinion. But these, especially in the craft game where they're experimenting with these different finishes in different barrels honey, you see a lot of like Red wine casks being used, not necessarily sweet wine, but like, for example, high west came out with the prisoner's share blend, which I would love to get my hands on, at least have a sip of of it. If it's anything like midwinter nights, it's Gonna turn into one of my favorite rise. But There's so many different Barrel finishes happening now and there's so many that are that are just quality and good, and this is one of them.

Connor: 39:13

I commend barrel hunters for picking out a good barrel. I mean, this is, this is definitely quality. And I commend Starlight for Using I'm assuming they have bees on site and they're taking fresh honey from the bees and using it to to make this, to make this honey barrel finished urban. But man, this is a. This is definitely a a quality finished bourbon, just in general, the honey I am a fan of.

Connor: 39:49

If you're not a fan of sweeter bourbons, you probably won't like, not just this in particular but Honey finishes in general, because honey is just naturally sweet. So you probably won't like this if you're like a, if you're a rye whiskey fan And you like that, that dryness, that earthiness that a rye whiskey brings the table. But if you're a fan of Something like a buffalo trace or a weller, you know, a weeded bourbon Redemption, weeded larceny, that something that has a bit of us, of a sweet Sweetness to it, i Think you'll really like what Starlight's doing with their honey finishes and I thought I heard that they're gonna put a Honey finished bourbon into their core lineup. I could be wrong Please do not quote me on that but I thought I heard that from somebody and if they did, i would assume It's not gonna be this high proof. I'm assuming it'll be like mid to high 90s. If I had to guess, i Don't think this would be as quality if it was, if it was lower in proof.

Connor: 40:55

I think the high proof, the barrel influence here, really really helps in terms of Allowing the honey to really come forward. I think. I think if it was Lower in age, i think it would just like you need that barrel spice to complement the sweetness of the honey. It's like for me having a Like, like, like pairing a cigar and a whiskey. You don't want them to both, you want them to be a little different and in my opinion, for example, i really like having a Like medium to maybe a little bit darker cigar with a Medium to maybe a little lighter whiskey like a buffalo trace. Or I like to have a mild cigar Like a, like a Monte Cristo, and I'll drink that with like a rare breed, you know, a higher-proofed whiskey. Just I like how it complements each other. That's what the barrels and the high proof does with this, with this honey finished bourbon.

Connor: 42:02

So if we're gonna give it a score, let me take one more sip. This is great for the summertime man and this would be fantastic in a cocktail Given at the swishy poo in the mouth. Hell yeah, hell yeah, really good. I Would say this is, this is high up there. This is, this is one of the better finished whiskies that I've had. I and I Again. I've never had honey finished bourbon before. This is my first time.

Connor: 42:43

I Say this is like an 8.7 around that area like this is. This is close to like being really like top tier good. The Reason it's not is just simply because, although I really like the honey, it's, i don't prefer it over other finishes. I think the honey, they, they do honey finished bourbon. In this specific Starlight does honey finished bourbon probably about as good as you can do it. I Just don't prefer honey normally. I'd rather have like a Pedro Jimenez sherry cask finish or a Like a like a solid rum finish. I think is a little bit tastier in general, but for honey Finished bourbon, i think starlight is, i think starlight's there. I think this is the pinnacle. I think you're putting starlight at the top and This definitely makes me want to go out and try a new starlight now and, and you know, have a bottle and try to get them on the podcast and talk whiskey with them. That's, that's what this is all about. So I would say 8.7 for Starlight single barrel Bourbon, whiskey, finished honey barrels.

Connor: 44:02

Again, thank you to Ron for selling this to me. Got a good price. Thank you for picking it. Barrel hunters Great job for for picking a good single barrel. But that's gonna do it for me this week. You guys Hope you enjoyed this review. I hope you guys go out, check, check starlight out now and and if you can get your hands on a single braille around you. That's finished in honey. I would 100% recommend it And then that's that.

Connor: 44:30

So make sure you're following along Instagram, facebook, twitter, tick-tock at who gives a dram. Make sure you're following. There's gonna be a lot of cool things coming up. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet to the bourbon ball, it's on June 30th in July first Get your tickets wwwberbonballkycom. You can direct message us on Instagram at bwf podcast if you'd like, or you can direct message me who gives a dram, but you can directly buy tickets by going to wwwberbonballkycom. But other than that, yeah, this is this is. This is great. Make sure you're leaving five star rating on iTunes, make sure you're subscribed wherever you're listening, and, well, we'll keep doing this.

Connor: 45:16

So, lots of moving parts. Right now, things are very liquid, but it is. It is a a good situation that I'm in and I can't wait to Explain in more detail about what I'm doing behind the scenes and part of the reason why I haven't been as consistent on the podcast. So I'll be back very soon, probably next week, for more content, more whiskey content, i mean. No, not next week will be the flash for two weeks. I'll be in Kentucky for a few weeks In late June to early July. I'll be in Kentucky for about two weeks Again, lots of things, lots of things happening, but I'm very, very happy, very blessed. So until next time, always remember which he's the water of life. So let's start living.