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 Here you will find a selection of our top general articles from Castle & Cairn by topic. If you're looking to get started, this list should keep you busy for a while! Sections are updated as we publish new posts. For more background on this blog and our purpose, visit the About Us page.

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Whiskey General Information

Whiskey is both a beverage and a hobby. Educating yourself regarding the history of whiskey is a great way to connect with people the world over. Long a go-to topic for hotel bars, talking about a favorite pour or cocktail is a fantastic way to break the ice with strangers. The growing list below has a summary of everything I have learned along my whiskey journey, roughly broken out by level of depth. Feel free to peruse in any order you like, the sections are merely to break things into more palatable chunks, some of the articles are quite long!

Intro to Whiskey

This section holds what could be considered "common" whiskey facts as well as guidance for those just starting to get into the whiskey hobby.

Intermediate Whiskey Knowledge

By now you feed good about drinking whiskey neat and enjoy it. This section is geared to aid those who have tried a number of whiskeys and wish to take the hobby to the next level. The focus here is on the palate, detailing tasting experiences and sharing them. 

Advanced Whiskey Concepts

The "Advanced" section holds what is largely minutiae and science. These articles cover chemistry, food science, and production methods in depth and are written with the "whiskey nerd" in mind. 
For a full list of our reviews, complete with bottle backgrounds and history, visit: Reviews. For a table with all spirits reviews and their ratings, please reference the frame below. Note that all reviewed bottles have been tasted multiple times, often with a blind tasting to solidify the rating. Ratings are adjusted over the life of the bottle with updates noted (some bottles will get better, some worse).

General Spirits

These articles  focus on spirits broadly and will also be home to rum, gin, vodka, and tequila themed items.

A Dark Beer in Hand
Beer

Beer is good and stuff, let's go drink some:

Drinking & Video Games

Here you will find a section of our custom drinking game rules. Always remember to use good judgement and consume in moderation!


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🍺 Definitive Light Beer Tier List: Meta-Analysis & Ranking

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Trends come and go: Craft Beer, Hard Seltzer, Canned Cocktails, and more. In the world of beverage, the currents are constantly shifting, but one drink has an irrevocable grip on America: Light Beer. Good old beer flavored beer may take a hit from new competition, but brands like Miller Lite and Michelob Ultra constantly sit at the top of sales volume lists, even with the fall of Bud Light and rise of Modelo's Flagship.   But which light beer is best? Let's find out. Methodology - Light Beer Ranking Taste preferences vary significantly between consumers, but across a large sample we should be able to get a somewhat representative picture of the populations preferences. For this ranking, we will combine data sourced from multiple beer rating sites with an internal Castle & Cairn house ranking to create an overall beer quality score. The starting population of beer brands will be those that are explicitly branded as "flagship light" or beers with less than 100 calor...
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🎮 Call of Duty Warzone - The Drinking Game

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Fairly self explanatory per the graphic below. What could be more fun than tossing back a few cold ones with your closest buds while rampaging through one of your favorite video games? Call of Duty Warzone might not have as much nostalgia as it did in the Verdansk days, but it still has some charm. The best part: you'll already be at home when you're done so there's no need to worry about a designated driver! Obligatory plug to know your limits, be legal, and drink responsibly, we don't respawn IRL (yes I know that's a cringe statement - that's the joke).  Call of Duty Warzone Drinking Game Prep To play the game, you'll need the following in addition to an internet connection, gaming device, and Call of Duty: A Party Sipper of your Choice - I recommend something relatively low ABV. We balanced the rules for a player of moderate ability and a sipper of 4-8% alcohol. Light beer is my go-to here since it has enough lovely hydrating water to soak up any shots. ...
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🍺🍷🥃 Beer, Wine, and Spirits Rebate Website Master List

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If there is anything I love more than a good drink, it's saving money buying that good drink! The rules for providing discounts on alcohol differ substantially between states with some allowing outright discounts or coupons and others entirely disallowing any sort of purchase incentive. Thankfully though, in my native Georgia as well as most states, a simple reimbursement approach is permissible.  Last Updated & Validated 2/4/2026 . Alcohol Rebate Site Master List The following sites are relatively stable for each manufacturer. New offers usually come out every few months. None of these are affiliate links and I provide no assurance as to the process. I have saved so much money using rebates and hope you have similar success. Best practices and general process advice will be presented at the bottom. New sites will be added as I uncover them. Beer Rebates Boston Beer Company Brands  - Angry Orchard, Dogfish head, Hard Mountain Dew, Samuel Adams, Sun Crusher, Truly, and Twis...
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🥃 Review #34: ASW Fiddler Toasted Wheat Cask Strength Bourbon

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Founded by University of Georgia graduates Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson, American Spirit Whiskey Distillery ("ASW") is a craft producer out of Atlanta, GA with the plant registry DSP-GA-20014. As Southern Pot-Still Pioneers, they are one of the few producers to distill in the ancient Scottish Tradition of small, grain-in batches (where grain solids are left in for the remainder of the distillation process) though they also partner with Midwest Grain Products to source distillate for further aging, finishing and blending before bottling as is the case here. This bottle is from the June 2023 batch which is a blend of two principal spirits. ASW's master distiller, Justin Maglitz, is accomplished old-time string music fiddler and he often experiments with various factors between batches. As such, the "Fiddler" brand name fits perfectly. No two batches are truly the same, but all of the ones I've had so far have been to my liking. This bottle shares the same...
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🥃Review #9: Maker's Mark Cask Strength

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Maker's Mark has been a go-to brand of mine since before I knew what bourbon was. The sweet wheated mainstay of that namesake was the first 1.75L bottle of whiskey I ever bought and so it will always hold a special place on my palate. Maker's does a lot of things right, including their Marker's Mark ambassador program which let's brand fans have their name put on a barrel and to get bottles filled specifically from that barrel. Mine will be mature sometime later this year and I'm excited to go visit it. I'd always heard great things about the cask strength as well, so let's get into it... 🛒 Sourced:   $39.99 at Tower Liquors Buckhead - GA 🧪 Proof:  110, 55%  📚 Background :  Ranging from 108 to 114 proof, Maker's Mark Cask Strength is uncut by the addition of water. Most Maker's batches are barreled at 110 proof with higher angel's share batches notching up a wee bit. They do screen filter the bourbon to remove wood pieces and char, but from th...
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