We Put Our Palates to the Ultimate Test! May Whiskey of the Month!

Welcome back to Your Bourbon Journey! Wayne and Rebecca are diving into a powerhouse lineup for our May 2026 Whiskey of the Month blind tasting! As we continue our high-stakes Road to the Sweet Sixteen, the competition is tighter than ever. With our current leaderboard running a scoring range of 91 to 99.5 and a Top 10 average sitting at an elite 94.95, every single point counts. Will this month's winner secure a permanent spot in the year-end playoffs? In this episode, we shake things up with a rapid "express tasting" to see the gorgeous legs and color consistency before diving deep into our traditional scoring system (Baseline of 80; Nose up to 5, Taste up to 10, Finish up to 3, plus up to 2 wildcard points). We also announce massive channel updates coming this December—including our upcoming hard-to-get distillery exclusive playoff, vintage whiskey of the year, and cocktail of the year! Our May 2026 Contenders (In Alphabetical Order): 🥃 Cigar Blend “First Cut” | American Single Malt Whiskey (Virginia Distillery Co.) 🥃 Fresh Bourbon Single Barrel | Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Fresh Bourbon, LLC) 🥃 Hard Truth 7-Year Wheated Bourbon | Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Hard Truth Distilling Co.) 🥃 Jackson Purchase Full Proof (Special Festival Release) | Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Jackson Purchase Distillery) 🥃 Left Bank Single Cask (Release 5) | Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Left Bank Distilled Spirits) From sweet honeysuckle aromas and rich butterscotch notes to deep barrel char and bold baking spices, this flight completely blindsided our palates. Watch until the end to see the final score adjustments, the leaderboard shakeup, and the very first bottle elimination of the year! Drop a comment below: Have you tried any of these expressions? Which bottle did you think would take the crown this month? If you love authentic, transparent whiskey reviews, hit that SUBSCRIBE button and join us on the journey! Connect With Us & Support The Journey! 🥃 Become a Patron & Get Exclusive Content: https://www.patreon.com/cw/YourBourbonJourney 🌐 Visit Our Website: https://yourbourbonjourney.com/ 🔔 SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@YourBourbonJourney?sub_confirmation=1 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbourbonjourney/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourBourbonJourney 🎓 Want to earn a FREE Whiskey Certificate? Start your bourbon education journey with Whiskey University today! Take your first steps here: https://www.whiskeyuniv.com/first-steps 📊 SEE THE LIVE LEADERBOARD: Check out our real-time leaderboard here: 👉 https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/02/27/the-live-leaderboard-road-to-the-sweet-sixteen/ 🥃 OUR NEW SCORING PROCESS: Read the full breakdown of our new rubric and the "Sweet Sixteen" bracket process on our website: 👉 https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/02/27/decoding-the-pour-the-new-your-bourbon-journey-scoring-woty-process/ 🎥VIDEO CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome to May Whiskey of the Month 00:20 The Road to the Sweet 16: Introduction 01:39 Meeting the Contenders & Technical Specs 03:28 Today’s Process for Evaluation 04:19 Initial Express Tasting 05:29 Candidate A Tasting and Scoring 07:54 Candidate B Tasting and Scoring 11:05 Candidate C Tasting and Scoring 14:17 Candidate D Tasting and Scoring 17:05 Candidate E Tasting and Scoring 20:56 Final Evaluation 21:31 Sharing any Score Adjustments 23:12 THE REVEAL: 5th with 91 points 23:56 4th with 94 points 25:26 3rd/2nd (tie) with 95 points 26:12 3rd/2nd (tie) with 95 points 26:42 And the WINNER, with 97.5 points! 28:02 So Many Surprises! 29:41 Cheers & May the Journey Continue ❌YOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOL❌ Original Reviews for Today's Bottles: 🥃 Cigar Blend: https://youtu.be/I1aSe3-PSq4 🥃 Fresh Bourbon: https://youtu.be/ItCoR4DhITI 🥃 Hard Truth: https://youtu.be/GjnJnYY4p-o 🥃 Jackson Purchase: https://youtu.be/ItCoR4DhITI 🥃 Left Bank: https://youtu.be/ItCoR4DhITI 🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨 NOTE: All spirits were purchased by us. We were not compensated by producers for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted today. Please drink responsibly. ❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com #YourBourbonJourney #Bourbon #WhiskeyReview #BlindTasting #RoadToSweet16 #WhiskeyCollection #BourbonWhiskey #CraftWhiskey #WhiskeyTasting #HighProofBourbon #BourbonCommunity #SingleMaltWhiskey #WheatedBourbon #KentuckyBourbon #WhiskeyLife