Blue Note's new Small Batch Wheated Bourbon Blend, tasted and reviewed. A Green River-sourced pour, a covid-era store pick that started it all, and an honest verdict on whether it's worth buying two.

Founded in 1885, gutted by a 1918 fire and then Prohibition, Green River spent most of a century as a footnote. This rye is part of the second act, and it drinks like a distillery with something to prove.

I hadn't planned on picking up a bottle of Green River Honey Finished Bourbon. Truth be told, I'm still a little skeptical of the flavored whiskey boom that's swept through bourbon over the last few years. Some releases have been better than others, but few have left me wanting to buy a bottle, let alone recommend one.

A busy week for bourbon watchers — Sazerac closed a $20 million deal to acquire the former Garrard County Distilling property in Kentucky, Buffalo Trace dug into Prohibition-era history, and the industry handed out its mid-year awards. Here's everything worth knowing.