Carbon & Oak

I can't say I grew up knowing much about the brand. When I first started drinking bourbon, I was firmly in the Jim Beam camp. In our group of friends, there was only one die-hard Jack Daniel's fan, and over time even he graduated to Gentleman Jack. But that's about as "premium" as our shelves ever got. Woodford Reserve simply wasn't part of the conversation.

The Old Fashioned isn't just a cocktail — it's the cocktail. Every other mixed drink is, in some sense, a variation on it. Understanding why means going back further than most people expect: not to a fancy private club in the 1880s, but to a barroom definition from 1806.

About a year ago I finally made the trip to Denison to visit Ironroot Republic. At the time, all I really knew about them was Harbinger. I'd tried it before and, if I'm being honest, it didn't completely win me over. But after touring the distillery and tasting through the rest of the lineup, I went back to that same bottle with a different perspective. Maybe it was better the second time around, maybe I understood what they were trying to do a little more.

Buying for a whiskey lover can be intimidating. Once someone has a shelf full of bottles, it's hard to know what they don't already own.

This bottle was shared with me, as I'd never sampled—or purchased—a Blood Oath release before. I went into this tasting completely blind. Other than knowing the brand was produced by Lux Row, I really didn't know what to expect.