New to the Crew - $3 Patreon Tier!

In case you haven’t heard of the Whiskey Noobs Crew yet, allow me to reintroduce it - the Crew is a growing community of whiskey lovers who not only support the Whiskey Noobs Channel, but also get access to a TON extra stuff, like first dibs on barrel picks, bonus content, monthly podcasts (depending on the tier), and once we launch our NEW merch, discounts!

In an effort to make it more accessible, we’ve added a new tier that is only $3! That’s less than a cup of coffee every month ;). This tier gets access to all of my reviews (which are ONLY available to the Whiskey Noobs Crew) and can even submit questions for the Q&A portion of the podcast! If you have been on the fence about Patreon and you want an affordable way to dip your toe in, there has never been a better time!

Know the Terms - Full Proof

This month I want to talk about “Cask Strength,” “Barrel Proof", and of course the one that creates all of the confusion: “Full Proof.” Let’s start with the easy ones - the terms “Cask Strength,” “Barrel Proof,” “Uncut,” “Barrel Strength," and “Cask Proof” are all typically used to mean the same thing: the whiskey was bottled at the same proof that it was taken out of the barrel. Dump barrel → Blend (if it isn’t a Single Barrel) → Filter (sometimes) → Bottle. The End. No adding water to dilute.

“Full Proof” is where all of the confusion typically comes from on this topic. “Full Proof” SOUNDS like it means the same thing, but it doesn’t… sometimes. If you are talking about Green River Full Proof, it means the same thing as the terms above, but if you are talking about Weller Full Proof or Benchmark Full Proof from the Buffalo Trace distillery, it means something different entirely.

Weller and Benchmark both use the “Full Proof” tag to mean the whiskey is bottled at the same proof that it entered the barrel. This is almost always different from the proof that it exits the barrel. Every year that it ages, a barrel of whiskey loses some of it’s alcohol to the “Angel’s Share”. As long as the humidity is low enough to let water evaporate, it loses a good amount of its water as well, and as a result, the proof of the whiskey goes up.*

So when Weller tells you that it is “Full Proof” at 114, what it means is that the whiskey went into the barrel at 114 proof, aged for several years, raising in strength to a higher proof, and then was diluted back down to 114 proof for bottling. The most important moral of the story - water was added. This doesn’t necessarily make it any better or worse than being undiluted, but it is certainly worth knowing. So if you see “Full Proof” on a label, look up what it means for that specific brand!

*Fun fact: if humidity is too high during aging, the alcohol will still evaporate, but the water won’t, so the proof will actually go down!

Christmas Pours!!

Given this is the last Noobsletter in 2026, it seems like a convenient time to talk about some of my favorite whiskeys for the Holidays! You may have heard me talk about these before, but I am sticking to my guns - these are fantastic!

Jameson Black Barrel - My long time favorite. The first “Christmas Pour” for me. This one accidentally became attributed to the Holidays for me when my dad was gifted a bottle right before Christmas and we dove into it, but honestly I think it works really well for it. It has the normal, sweet sugary granola notes that standard Jameson has, but with a little extra caramel and brown sugar to add some character. (PS - Our online Retail Shop is finally up and running, so I have added each of these bottles to it! You can find Jameson Black Barrel here. PPS - I don’t recommend bottles because they are on the shop; I add bottles to the shop because I recommend them 😉 )

Angel’s Envy Rye Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks - Dried apricot, syrupy sweetness, and just a hint of baking spice. I mean seriously, this has “thumbprint cookie” written all over it. Plus, it is sweet and approachable enough to share with guests who aren’t experienced in whiskey! (Get one from my retail shop here)

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel - I’m adding this one to my list because it’s been a favorite of mine lately and I think the profile suits the holidays perfectly. The toasted finish adds some really nice marshmallowy sweetness, a little spice, and a complexity that makes it great for the cold weather. (Get one from my retail shop here)

Barrel Pick

Unfortunately I can’t say much about the barrel pick yet, as we are waiting on some legal things to go through before we can advertise, but I can say with certainty it is going to be a VERY tasty one, with a pretty fun story behind it as well. More to come on that front!

Join the Whiskey Noobs Crew if you want first dibs on it when it does show up!

Some Last Words on 2025

When 2025 began, my church asked each of us to pick a word that would be the theme of our year. Knowing what I was hoping to finally do, I picked “jump.” It took some time and preparation, but in August, I finally jumped. I left the job I had been working since college, invested in myself, and have been self-employed ever since.

It certainly has not been easy, and there have been plenty of days where I thought for sure I would be dusting off my resume, but thanks to all of your support, we’re making it to 2026! I wholeheartedly mean it when I say I couldn’t be doing this without your support, and I do NOT take for granted how blessed I have been with such an awesome community. Thank you all SO much.

Lastly, since this will likely be my last email of 2026, I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy the time with friends, family, or even just some alone time away from the office. Let’s make 2026 an even better year than 2025! Cheers, friends.