Authors: Laura Martini and Kyle Buza
The solver receives a puzzle with two parts:
How to solve:
Bourbon | Enumeration | Shelf | Phrase | Letter Index | Clue | Order in Photo | Order in Final Clue Phrase |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blanton's | 8 | top | B | 1 | For instance, this bourbon comes only from barrels aged at the center section of warehouse 'H'. | 1 | 1 |
Old Heaven Hill | 3 6 4 | bottom | A | 6 | Would you believe that this bourbon is made by the only remaining family-owned distillery in Kentucky? You'd think after all these years they'd know how to make better bourbon than this. | 2 | 20 |
Cabin Still | 5 5 | bottom | S | 6 | This 80-proof bourbon was a good brand before the current company bought the name. | 3 | 21 |
Jefferson's Presidential Select 21 | 10 12 6 2 | top | O | 8 | This one is good, but I actually prefer the younger 18-year-old variety. | 4 | 2 |
Jeremiah Weed | 8 4 | bottom | M | 5 | Not one of my favorites, but named after a Kentucky recluse. | 5 | 22 |
William Larue Weller | 7 5 6 | top | U | 11 | This wheated bourbon is the fifth and final bottle in the Antique Collection. | 6 | 3 |
Willett Straight Kentucky Rye 24 Year | 7 8 8 3 2 4 | top | R | 10 | If you're familiar with the Velvet Glove, this is very similar, just a year older. | 7 | 4 |
Ten High Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey | 3 4 8 7 7 | bottom | U | 12 | The name of this bourbon supposedly comes from a poker hand, in reference to a type of straight. I wouldn't bet on it if you're trying to impress a date, however. | 8 | 23 |
Bulleit Bourbon | 7 7 | top | B | 1 | And this one – after a century-long hiatus,this family returned to making whiskey using the original recipes. | 9 | 5 |
Old Grand-Dad Whiskey | 3 5 3 7 | bottom | G | 4 | I was pretty surprised when I learned that this one here was Harry Truman's favorite bourbon, given the type of clientele who want to drink it. | 10 | 24 |
Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition | 4 5 6 6 7 7 | top | O | 2 | For a long time the distiller behind this bottle was known to produce a lot of rot gut whiskey. It's really turned itself around. I think being purchased by a company from the Far East helped. | 11 | 6 |
Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Years Old | 3 6 7 7 2 5 3 | top | N | 3 | Some people think this is Pappy, but it's really just a Van Winkle. | 12 | 7 |
Evan Williams | 4 8 | bottom | W | 5 | They also make honey, cherry and cinnamon versions of this guy, but I think it's terrible to do that to a bourbon. I stick with this label. | 13 | 25 |
Willett 21 Year | 7 2 4 | top | I | 2 | Would you believe me if I told you that a limited number of bottles of this vintage of Willett actually came from the Stitzel Weller mashbill? | 14 | 8 |
Sazerac 18 | 7 2 | top | S | 1 | Did you know that these two are made by a company named after a mixed drink that included absinthe? They're both part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. | 15 | 9 |
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Warehouse C Tornado Surviving | 7 1 1 6 9 1 7 9 | top | T | 10 | You could say that this is as rare as it gets. Only an act of God could produce something like this. | 16 | 10 |
George T. Stagg | 6 1 5 | top | O | 3 | This is another from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. It ages for no less than 15 years. | 17 | 11 |
Wild Turkey 81 | 4 6 2 | bottom | U | 6 | Rumor has it that a groove metal band from the early eighties named an album after this bourbon. | 18 | 26 |
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon | 3 8 8 7 | top | D | 3 | They release this once a year to celebrate an event in early September. | 19 | 12 |
Mellow Corn | 6 4 | bottom | M | 1 | Don't judge a whiskey by its color. This stuff isn't fancy, but it's aged at least four years. | 20 | 27 |
Eagle Rare 17 Year-Old | 5 4 2 4 3 | top | E | 1 | I see the younger version of this in liquor stores all the time, but this version is part of the Antique Collection, and is much harder to find. | 21 | 13 |
Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye | 3 6 6 7 3 | top | M | 12 | Rumor has it, the rye in this bottle is much older than the label indicates. The age listed on the bottle refers to the youngest of the whiskies inside. | 22 | 14 |
Penny Packer | 5 6 | bottom | P | 1 | The funny thing about this Kentucky bourbon is that it's shipped over to Germany for bottling. | 23 | 28 |
Hirsch Selection Small Batch Reserve | 6 9 5 5 7 | bottom | I | 2 | This one is only semi related to the superior 'A.H.' variety. | 25 | 29 |
Rock Hill Farms | 4 4 5 | top | O | 2 | I actually had a chance to visit the Kentucky land that this whiskey was named after. It's a beautiful spot along a river. | 24 | 15 |
Michter's | 8 | top | C | 3 | I personally prefer the rye of the same name and age from this distiller. | 26 | 16 |
Jack Daniel's | 4 7 | bottom | S | 11 | You'll see this one on t-shirts over at MIT a lot. It's the alter ego of a floor in the East Campus dormitory. | 27 | 30 |
Kentucky Gentleman | 8 9 | bottom | T | 4 | I had to stock this when I read the reviews: "It tastes like the sweat of a hobo who got drunk on bourbon." | 28 | 31 |
Parker's Heritage Collection | 7 8 10 | top | R | 3 | The previous year's release of this bourbon is still one of my favorites - finished off in cognac casks. | 29 | 17 |
Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year | 5 3 6 2 4 | top | A | 2 | This one's so popular even billionaires can't find an unopened bottle of it to buy. | 30 | 18 |
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac | 6 1 5 7 | top | T | 1 | (see Sazerac 18) | 31 | 19 |
Old Crow | 3 4 | bottom | O | 1 | This bourbon was reportedly a favorite of Ulysses S Grant. It seems the quality has deteriorated somewhat since his day. | 32 | 32 |
Laura Martini and Kyle Buza could not have created this puzzle without patient help from key solvers and editors, including Chris "Scooby" Lyon and his "puzzling juice", Jason Juang, Aaron Bader, Chieu V Nguyen, Roger Hanna Morash and Teasha Feldman-Fitzthum.