Bourbon Lens

408: Silverthorn Reserve with Founder and Master Blender Drew Thorn

Bourbon Lens — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 02:08:26 GMT

Drew Thorn helped build Sagamore Spirit from a three-person startup and later became its CEO. In 2026 he launched Silverthorn Reserve, a Maryland bottler focused on 10- to 14-year-old whiskeys and small, intentional blends. In its first year, Silverthorn's Blender's Art Bourbon scored 98 points and Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It's now a Best-in-Class finalist, and the winner will be announced Nov. 8.

Drew walks Jake through how he sourced barrels in six months and why he bottled a 13-year-old Georgia whiskey. He explains the three-part bourbon blend, which includes a high-malt MGP bourbon originally distilled by Greg Metze. He also explains why he thinks the 10- to 14-year range is the sweet spot of the aging curve, and why he'll only bottle what he likes himself.

Chapters

Time

Chapter

0:00: Welcome, with Scott on vacation
1:02: Crab cakes, the Ravens and the Terps
2:31: From craft beer to Sagamore Spirit
6:27: Pulling a retirement hobby forward: Silverthorn Reserve
7:18: First bottling and a soft launch in Baltimore
8:46: Licenses, subleases and sourcing barrels in six months
11:21: Why 13-year-old Georgia whiskey?
15:31: Small-batch blends and the NDP advantage
16:32: Inside the Blender's Art bourbon blend
20:32: Malt, grapefruit and balance at 115 proof
23:15: Blending at Sagamore, and how Drew builds a blend
26:26: Two Double Golds at San Francisco
28:24: The 13-year-old MGP rye single barrel
30:40: The portfolio and the $100 price point
32:20: Do age and proof matter to buyers?
35:21: Why the founder's own palate matters
38:31: What 2027 looks like: staying in Maryland and DC
41:47: Where to buy Silverthorn

Chapter times come from the Riverside edit; confirm against the final published file.

Blender's Art bourbon blend, batch 1

Component Share Notes
Kentucky bourbon
62%
10 years old, 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malt
MGP high-malt bourbon
28%
34% malted barley, distilled by Greg Metze and acquired through Old Elk
Georgia four-grain bourbon
10%
14 years old, from Ivy Mountain stock bought through Bardstown Bourbon Co.

The blend is 10 years old and 115 proof. Its awards are 98 points, a Double Gold and a Best-in-Class finalist spot at SFWSC 2026. Percentages are as discussed on the show. Drew notes that batch 2 differs slightly.

In this episode

Guest: Drew Thorn, Founder and Master Blender, Silverthorn Reserve
Host: Jake Lewellen

Links

Buy or learn more: silverthornreserve.com and Seelbach's
Support the show: Patreon · The Weekly Pour newsletter · YouTube · Instagram

Keywords: Silverthorn Reserve, Silverthorn Reserve Blender's Art, Blender's Art Bourbon, Drew Thorn, Silverthorn whiskey, Maryland whiskey, Sagamore Spirit, non-distiller producer, NDP whiskey, bourbon blend, high malt bourbon, Georgia whiskey, Ivy Mountain, 13 year rye, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2026, Best in Class, double gold bourbon, Seelbach's, whiskey podcast, Bourbon Lens, Bourbon Lens News

#bourbon #whiskey #whiskeyaging #silverthornreserve #marylandwhiskey #bourbonlens

Heaven Hill Phoenix Review: The 18-Year Bourbon That Rose From the 1996 Fire | Five Minute Fridays

Bourbon Lens — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

In November 1996, fire swept through Heaven Hill's original Bardstown distillery, sending a river of burning bourbon down the campus with smoke visible for miles. Not one life was lost, and Heaven Hill rebuilt. On the eve of that anniversary, Jake Lewellen reads Executive Chairman Max Shapiro's reflection on the fire and tastes the brand-new Heaven Hill Phoenix.

Phoenix is 18-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon aged in heavy-char barrels, enriched with a rare touch of 30-year-old reserves distilled at the original Heaven Hill distillery. It's bottled at 107 proof with a suggested retail price of $325.

In this Five Minute Fridays tasting, Jake covers:
🔥 The story of the 1996 Heaven Hill fire, in Max Shapiro's words
🥃 How Phoenix is built: 18-year bourbon plus 30-year reserves from the original distillery
👃 Nose: tobacco, leather, brown sugar, caramel, maple and baked apple pie
👅 Palate: rich baking spice, char, tobacco and crème brûlée with tannin on the finish
🏆 Why it shot to the top of Jake's favorite whiskeys of 2026

Timestamps
0:00 Welcome to Five Minute Fridays
0:28 Max Shapiro on the November 1996 fire
0:58 "Not one life was lost"
1:27 "What we chose to do next"
1:57 Introducing the Phoenix batch
2:33 The pour
2:51 Nose
4:10 Palate
4:52 "Bold, dark, rich, but sweet"
5:20 A top whiskey of 2026
5:50 Price and Heaven Hill's tasting notes
6:50 A toast to Heaven Hill and Bardstown

Catch this week's full conversation with Adam Edwards of Heaven Hill on the channel. Have you tried Phoenix? Tell us in the comments 👇

Please drink responsibly. Must be 21+.

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407: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Double Mash with Adam Edwards

Bourbon Lens — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Adam Edwards of Heaven Hill is the first five-time guest on the Bourbon Lens. He joins Jake and Scott at Kentucky Bourbon Festival to break down Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Double Mash. It's a 9-year-old, $49.99 blend of Heaven Hill's traditional and wheated bourbon mash bills, and Adam calls it "one of one" on the market.

Adam explains why rye overpowers wheat in four-grain bourbons and why the blend needed nine years instead of seven. He also does the math on just how rare an age-stated bottled-in-bond blend is. Then the conversation widens to cover following in Bernie Lubbers' footsteps, the Old Fitz and Larceny flavor spectrum, why barrels older than eight years start to "fail," and why Heaven Hill is building more capacity during a bourbon slowdown.

Chapters

0:00: Live from Kentucky Bourbon Festival with five-time guest Adam Edwards
0:58: Following in Bernie's footsteps
2:19: A deep portfolio, a 40-second brand training and Christian Brothers
3:37: Two iconic mash bills in one bottle
6:21: Why rye dominates four-grain bourbon
8:09: Inside the blend, and why it's nine years old instead of seven
9:29: Tasting notes with Scott
11:13: $49.99 and "one of one": the bottled-in-bond rarity math
13:33: How the Heaven Hill name went premium
15:09: "Bourbon is dead?" Max Shapira's long view
17:49: Will Double Mash stay consistent?
18:45: The Heaven Hill bottled-in-bond portfolio
20:13: Old Fitz, Larceny and the Decanter Series flavor spectrum
22:13: Why barrels older than eight years start to "fail"
24:47 ;Bernheim, Old Springs and 3,000 barrels a day
25:44: Why big companies are betting on bourbon
27:21:Wrap-up and cheers

Double Mash at a glance

Detail: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Double Mash
Blend: About 2/3 traditional bourbon (78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley) and 1/3 wheated bourbon (68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley)
Age: 9 years
Proof: 100, Bottled-in-Bond
Official tasting notes:Toasted oak, honey and white pepper on the nose; honey and citrus oil on the palate; caramel and baking spice finish
Price: $49.99 SRP
Availability: Limited quantities nationwide since August 2026

In this episode

Guest: Adam Edwards, Heaven Hill
Hosts: Jake Lewellen and Scott
Recorded at Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown, Ky.

Links

Learn more: heavenhilldistillery.com
Support the show: Patreon · The Weekly Pour newsletter · YouTube · Instagram

High West's A Midwinter Night's Dram Act 14 with Tara Lindley | Five Minute Fridays

Bourbon Lens — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

High West turns 20 this year, and it's marking the occasion with the boldest version of its most famous release. Jake sits down with Tara Lindley, Director of Sensory & New Product Development at High West, to talk about A Midwinter Night's Dram Act 14.

For the first time, the Rendezvous Rye blend includes whiskey finished in Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, alongside the usual Ruby and Tawny port barrels. It also includes High West rye that sat in port barrels for six years. Tara explains how she builds the blend, why Act 11 is her personal favorite, and why you should let this one rest in the glass for 30 minutes before you drink it.

Chapters

Time Chapter

0:00 Welcome to the Bourbon Lens

0:37 Celebrating High West's 20th anniversary

2:03 From 14-component Rendezvous to a deep whiskey library

2:58 A decade of Midwinter Night's Dram, from Ruby port to Tawny

4:26 What's new in Act 14: sherry casks and six-year port barrels

5:53 Acts vs. scenes, explained

6:56 How Tara builds the blend

9:41 The sensory panel, and why Act 11 is Tara's favorite

11:13 How to drink it: let it rest for 30 minutes

12:16 The rye "bell curve" on the palate

12:59 Older stock or barrel influence?

14:32 Dark fruit, sweetness and balance

17:10 Wrap-up and cheers

Act 14 at a glance

Detail Act 14

Base whiskey: High West Rendezvous Rye, straight rye whiskeys aged 4–10 years

Finish:Ruby and Tawny port barrels, plus Amontillado, Oloroso and PX sherry barrels

Proof: 98.6 (49.3% ABV)

Filtration: Non-chill filtered, no flavor added

Price: $124.99 SRP

Availability

National limited release, High West General Stores and highwest.com

In this episode

Guest: Tara Lindley, Director of Sensory & New Product Development, High West Distillery
Host: Jake Lewellen

Links

Buy or learn more: highwest.com
Support the show: Patreon · The Weekly Pour newsletter · YouTube · Instagram

Thursday Thoughts: Still Austin Part 2 — Inside The Still Austin Quarter

Bourbon Lens — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:16:27 GMT

People are drinking Still Austin so fast the distillery had to grow. In Part 2 of our conversation, co-founder and CEO Chris Seals walks Jake and Scott through The Still Austin Quarter: a move from one and a half buildings to ten buildings on six and a half acres, with a live music venue built as the home of "The Musician" from their label.

Chris takes us room by room. The Atrium honors Austin musicians before they were famous, with portraits of artists at age 17. The Vinyl Lounge holds 5,000+ records and a bar shaped like a Stratocaster. And thanks to concert posters donated by the Steamboat's owners, the Music Room recreates the legendary 1977 Austin venue — "a room where literally anything can happen."

The Quarter's public grand opening is Thursday, Nov. 5, with Shakey Graves in the Music Room at 7:30 p.m. and Adrian Quesada DJing the Vinyl Lounge from 7 p.m.

Chapters

Time

Chapter