When I was thinking about what I could do to celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month, I started to get depressed. After all, I can’t meet up with friends at distilleries, the Bourbon Festival is cancelled (well, it’s going virtual), Bourbon & Beyond is cancelled… and just about every cool thing we usually do is cancelled because of that shit asshole of a virus.

I then wrote “2020” and was about to write a bunch of curse words and stab hands toward the year (Yes, I have issues) when I realized what I could do: Celebrate the great bourbons of the century. After all, a list has to coincide with an even number; otherwise, the list doesn’t count, per the Constitution of Clickbait. And, for all the crap the year 2020 has given us, it’s at least blessed us with a well-rounded even year for a listicle.

And hey, I have been covering bourbon for the majority of this century and have tasted just about every release that’s hit shelves. I also keep a running list of my all-time bourbons anyway, so this was both fun and easy to whip up. However, it’s going to piss you off, so just be prepared, especially if you’re going to try to make a case for the likes of Angel’s Envy or Jack Daniel’s. I love both products, but neither barrel finishes nor Tennessee whiskeys are eligible for my list. For all intents and purposes, only true straight bourbons are here. That also means no rye.

So, every day of the month, I will release a short video, naming the bourbon and explaining why. And it begins with a bottle I’m continuously on the hunt for….

#30: Smooth Ambler