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.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Guide (2026): Routes, Tour Prices & Planning Tools
Sixteen key Kentucky distilleries from Louisville to Bardstown, with tour prices and hours checked against each official site in November 2026, plus drive times, a packing checklist, a budget calculator and a seasonal planner.
Read the Full Guide
Trail Guide
The Colorado Mountain Whiskey Trail: From Stranahan's Single Malt to Breckenridge at 9,600 Feet
Trail Guide
The New York Distillery Trail: From Manhattan's First Whiskey Distillery Since Prohibition to the Hudson Valley Solera
Trail Guide
The Pacific Northwest Whiskey Trail: Seattle, Portland, and Where American Single Malt Was Reinvented
Trail Guide
Rising American Whiskey Trails (2026): Indiana, New York, Pacific NW & More
11 regional trails · Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Louisville, the Pacific Northwest, and the rising scenes.
The Trail HubBuying Guides & Best-Of Rankings
Our pillar guides — every bottle scored and ranked, with an honest call on which famous names you're overpaying for.
Best Aged Tequila (2026): 8 Reposado, Añejo & Extra Añejo Bottles Ranked
Rested in oak, meant to be sipped neat—aged tequila is where agave drinks like fine whisky. Here are the 8 best reposado, añejo, and extra añejo bottles we've tasted, ranked, with honest calls on which famous names you're overpaying for.
Best Single Barrel Bourbon (2026): 6 One-Of-A-Kind Bottles Ranked
Single barrel bourbon bottles one exceptional barrel on its own—no blending, no two alike. Here are the 6 best single barrels we've tasted, ranked, with honest value calls.
Best Barrel-Proof Bourbon (2026): 10 Cask-Strength Bottles Ranked
Barrel-proof bourbon gives you the whole barrel, undiluted—more oak, more flavour, more everything. Here are the 10 best cask-strength bottles we've tasted, ranked.
Best Blanco Tequila (2026): 12 Additive-Free Bottles, Ranked
The twelve best blanco tequilas we've tasted—additive-free, ranked from our own reviews, spanning the fruity Highlands, the earthy Valley, and the overproof holy trinity.
Best Islay Scotch Whisky (2026): 10 Single Malts Ranked
The definitive guide to Islay single malt—ten whiskies from Scotland's smoky island, ranked by our own reviews, from face-first peat bombs to a gentle gateway dram.
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.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Bourbons of 2026
Over 100 bottles blind-tasted and scored. These three earned the podium.
Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
Old Forester Distillery (Brown-Forman)
Named for an era when bourbon went underground, Old Forester 1920 has emerged as one of the best kept non-allocated secrets in Kentucky. Rich, bold, and revelatory.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Whiskeys of 2026
Scotch, rye, and world whiskeys — blind-tasted and ranked.
Nikka Whisky From The Barrel
Nikka (Yoichi & Miyagikyo Distilleries)
At 51.4% ABV in a bottle that fits in your pocket, Nikka From The Barrel punches harder than whiskies twice its size and three times its price.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Tequilas of 2026
From blanco to extra añejo — the finest agave spirits ranked.
Fósforo Blanco
Tequilera Miriam López, Los Altos, Jalisco (NOM not publicly disclosed at launch)
Fósforo Blanco is the $39.99 women-led launch from Los Altos that took the Tasting Panel by surprise (93pts) and the BoozeMakers panel by ambush. We blind-tasted it against LALO Blanco ($45) and G4 Blanco 108 ($55). The newcomer outscored both. Here's our 92/100 verdict.
The Definitive Ranking
Best Cigars of 2026
Premium cigars rated by construction, flavor, and value.
My Father Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo Box Pressed
My Father Cigars (Garcia Family)
Full-bodied, relentlessly complex, and built with the craftsmanship of a family that has been rolling cigars since before most of us were born. Le Bijou 1922 is the Garcia family at their most uncompromising.
Latest Booze News
Don Julio 1942 Alternatives: Two Aged Tequilas We Scored Higher
The Don Julio 1942 alternatives we've reviewed: one younger and $106 cheaper, one older and better, with scores, aging and ReserveBar prices on November 9, 2026.
Clase Azul Reposado Alternatives: A 92-Point Reposado for $86 Less
The Clase Azul Reposado alternatives we've reviewed, with scores, aging and ReserveBar prices on November 9, 2026, plus what each costs per pour.
Lagavulin 16 Alternatives: Ardbeg 10 Scores 2 Points Lower for $38 Less
Five Lagavulin 16 alternatives we've reviewed, with each bottle's score, proof and ReserveBar price on November 9, 2026, and what each costs per pour.
Buffalo Trace Alternatives: Wild Turkey 101 Scored 8 Points Higher for $6 Less
Five Buffalo Trace alternatives we've reviewed, with each bottle's score, proof and ReserveBar price on November 9, 2026, and what each costs per pour.
The Best Armagnac of 2026: One We Scored 95, Nine on the Bench, and the Price per Guaranteed Year
The age on an Armagnac label is its youngest spirit, so we priced ten bottles per guaranteed year. One we scored 95/100; nine more are on the bench, with real prices from October 26, 2026.
Jack Daniel Distillery Without the Tour: What a Grounds-Only Visit Gets You (and What It Doesn't)
We walked the Jack Daniel Distillery grounds and the Lynchburg square on a June afternoon and skipped the tour. It was worth the trip. Here's what we saw, what skipping the tour cost us in a dry county, and which tour to book.
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Gentleman's Lifestyle
Style, travel, culture, and the good life — curated for the modern gentleman.
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