BOOZEMAKERS
A Gentleman's Lifestyle
In-depth spirit reviews, intimate maker interviews, expert guides, and stories celebrating the craft behind the world's finest drinks.
The BoozeMakers 100
The 100best spirits we've ever tasted — bourbon, whiskey, scotch, tequila, and more — ranked by our editorial scores. The list brands want to be on.
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Interviews
Grit, Loyalty, and a 92-Point Blanco: Michael Mauti & Christian Hackenberg on Building Whiteout Tequila
Two former Penn State football players built an additive-free, tahona-crushed tequila we scored 92/100 — and insist it was never meant to be an athlete's bottle. Michael Mauti and Christian Hackenberg on the liquid, the White Out, and why 'the jersey can open a door but can't build the company.'
From an Arizona Ranch to "Bourbon of the Year": Blake Johns on Smokeye Hill, Blue Corn, and the ASCOT Upset
Blake Johns launched Smokeye Hill on the same day it won ASCOT “Bourbon of the Year” — beating bottles like George T. Stagg in a blind panel before his website was even live. He walks us through the blue-corn mashbill, the Indiana-to-Colorado “three-state question,” holding price under $100, and which bottle to hand a bourbon-curious dad first.
Saturday Neon on Building the Fan-Cave Beacon: Marc Schaer on LED vs Glass Neon, NFL Licensing, and Why a Bills Sign Outsells Everything
Saturday Neon CEO Marc Schaer started the company with a college friend from CU Boulder, propping a single Buffs sign against a truck at tailgates. Now they're licensed by the NFL, NHL, and nearly 100 NCAA programs. He explains the LED-vs-glass-neon question, what a fan cave actually needs to feel like a fan cave, and why the Bills sign is their #1 NFL seller.
Bourbon & Whiskey Trail Guides
Every Distillery, Every State, Every Pour.
The deepest spirits-tourism guides on the internet. Built around real itineraries, real distilleries, and the inside knowledge most official trail websites won’t tell you.
Buying Guides & Best-Of Rankings
Our pillar guides — every bottle scored and ranked, with an honest call on which famous names you're overpaying for.
Top 10 Cigars for Beginners (That Actually Taste Good)
Ten mild and mild-to-medium cigars I have smoked and timed, from 30 to 70 minutes, with my local shop's single prices, what each minute costs, and the order I'd smoke them in.
Best Cigar Lighters (2026): Torch Lighters Tested & Ranked
Butane torch, never fluid. The best cigar lighters for 2026 — from a $10 everyday pocket torch to a buy-it-for-life Xikar, chosen for flame quality and reliability.
Best Premium Bourbon Over $100: 7 Bottles Worth the Splurge
The $100+ bourbon tier separates casual drinkers from serious enthusiasts. It's where extended aging, limited releases, and exceptional craftsmanship meet allocation games and hype-driven pricing. We tested dozens of luxury bottles to find which ones justify the expense.
The 10 Best Rums of 2026: Five We Scored, Five on the Bench
Five rums we scored in full reviews, from Mount Gay XO to Smith & Cross, plus five more on our tasting bench. Real scores, honest picks, and the sugar question most lists skip.
The 10 Best Scotch Whiskies of 2026: Ranked by the Glass, Not the Price Tag
We scored 12 single malts and blends and ranked the 10 best of 2026, from Lagavulin 16 to Macallan 12. The surprise nobody markets: the $45 bottles kept beating the prestige names.
Best Bourbon Under $30: 10 Bottles That Punch Above Their Price
The sub-$30 bourbon tier is where you'll find the best value in American whiskey—bottles that deliver complexity, character, and quality without the premium markup. After tasting 35 bourbons in this price range, these 10 stand out as exceptional daily pours.
Best Bourbon Under $50: 10 Bottles Worth Every Penny
The $30-50 bracket is bourbon's sweet spot—where craft meets value without the hype tax. We blind-tasted 42 bottles to find the 10 that prove you don't need a second mortgage to drink exceptionally well.
Best Bourbon Under $100: 10 Premium Bottles That Deliver
The $50-100 bourbon tier is where craft meets value. We tested 38 premium bottles to find the 10 that actually justify their price tags—from cask strength bruisers to port-finished smoothness.
Best Peated Scotch (2026): 5 Smoky Single Malts, Gentle to Heavy
Five peated single malts we have fully reviewed, from Orkney, Skye and Islay, in order of smoke. On November 9 prices the gentle starter bottles cost more than the heaviest Islay malt.
Best Islay Scotch Whisky (2026): 10 Single Malts Ranked
Ten single malts from Islay, ranked from the heaviest peat to unpeated Bunnahabhain, with a sourced table of peat levels and prices. Five of the ten link to our full reviews.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Bourbons of 2026
Over 100 bottles blind-tasted and scored. These three earned the podium.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Whiskeys of 2026
Scotch, rye, and world whiskeys — blind-tasted and ranked.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Tequilas of 2026
From blanco to extra añejo — the finest agave spirits ranked.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Cigars of 2026
Premium cigars rated by construction, flavor, and value.
Latest Booze News
Genever vs Gin: The Label Word That Tells You How Much Whiskey Is in It
Genever is juniper over a malty, whiskey-like base. The word jonge, oude or korenwijn on the label tells you how much of that base you're getting.
American Single Malt Has No Minimum Age. Here Is What the Label Does Guarantee
American single malt whisky has no minimum age, while single malt Scotch needs three years. We compare the US, Scottish and bourbon rules, and check a North Carolina single malt against both.
Only One Whisky Label Tells You Which Still Made It
A pot still distills in batches; a column still runs continuously. Single malt Scotch must use pot stills, but bourbon and American single malt labels say nothing about the still. What the difference changes, from a tour of Oak & Grist's pot stills.
Why North Carolina Whiskey Can Mature Twice as Fast as Scotch
A Black Mountain distiller says 18 years in Scotland is roughly nine in western North Carolina. We checked the climate data and the chemistry behind the claim.
A Black Mountain Day Trip: Single Malt, Small-Town Shops and a Steakhouse Below the Street
How to spend an afternoon and evening in Black Mountain, NC: Oak & Grist Distilling, the downtown shops and dinner at Bev's, a basement steakhouse on Cherry Street.
An Asheville Long Weekend for Whiskey and Cocktail Lovers
Three days in Asheville for whiskey and cocktail lovers: where to stay, eat and drink downtown, which distilleries to visit, and why Black Mountain deserves an afternoon.
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