This week we bring the ADHD with topics ranging from milking lemons, jerry rigging or jury rigging, cocktail making, installing surround sound, and the (Early) Times they are a changin’!

Clear ice. Helicopters overhead. Lemons that cost a dollar. And somewhere in the middle of it all sits one of the most underrated rye whiskey cocktails ever built.

The Improved Whiskey Cocktail sounds like a minor Old Fashioned variation. It isn’t. Once you understand what makes it “improved,” it becomes one of the most structured and nuanced whiskey drinks you can make at home.

Our conversation moves from cocktail technique to bourbon allocation insanity, to the official end of Brown-Forman Early Times, and why bottle design still shapes perception more than we admit.

The Improved Whiskey Cocktail Is an Old Fashioned With Intent

The Improved Whiskey Cocktail builds on a classic Old Fashioned structure but adds two defining elements:

Maraschino liqueur
Absinthe

Historically, “improved” wasn’t marketing language. It indicated the addition of a modifying liqueur. The result is a rye whiskey cocktail that carries brightness, depth, and aroma without losing structure.

A proper build looks like this:

2¼ oz rye whiskey
Bar spoon maraschino liqueur
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Few drops absinthe (or light rinse)
Small amount of gum syrup (optional)
Expressed lemon peel

Here is what we used

Sazerac Rye 100 Proof
Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
Angostura Bitters
Absinthe
Gum Syrup

Why 100 Proof Rye Matters

This cocktail needs backbone.

A 100 proof rye cuts through the sweetness of maraschino and stands firm against the herbal punch of absinthe. Lower proof bourbon gets buried. A softer wheater loses definition.

Rye brings pepper, dryness, and length to the finish. That spice keeps the drink from turning syrupy and allows the floral notes to sit on top rather than overwhelm.

As dilution settles in, the spice relaxes and the cocktail becomes more rounded. That evolution is part of the design.

Dilution Is a Technique, Not an Accident

One of the more subtle details is slightly under-diluting -thanks Blake.

If you stir until the mixing glass is cold but stop just short of full dilution, the drink reaches peak balance halfway through instead of fading into something watery at the end.

It begins bold. It finishes integrated.

That small adjustment separates someone making a drink from someone thinking about how the drink will develop over time.

The Lemon Expression Changes Everything

The lemon peel is not garnish. It is structural aroma.

Cut a swath of peel. Not too thick. Not too thin. Fold it inward like a hot dog bun and squeeze so the oils spray outward over the drink.

That oil layer floats across the top and immediately shifts the nose. The cocktail moves from sweet-herbal to bright and floral before it ever hits your palate.

An atomized absinthe rinse offers the same control on the herbal side. Two light sprays inside the glass give aroma without overpowering the rye.

Mixing Glass and Strainer Set – (this comes with a spoon)
Bar Spoon
Ice Mold I use one like this I picked up at Old Forester

If done correctly, you will see the citrus oil mist.

What It Actually Tastes Like

As the Improved Whiskey Cocktail settles, the absinthe softens and the maraschino brightens. The lemon oil adds a subtle honeyed citrus lift.

Compared to a standard Old Fashioned, it feels lighter and more aromatic.

Compared to cherry-heavy versions, it feels cleaner and more intentional.

It is floral without being perfumed. Sweet without being sticky. Structured without being aggressive.

It earns its name.

The Pappy Bundle Problem

Next we dive into some of the bourbon pricing madness.

We’ve been noticing high-demand bottles are increasingly locked behind forced bundle purchases. A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 10 Year might sit at $250, but only if you commit to an additional $1,000 in required purchases.

That changes the question.

You are no longer asking whether a bourbon is worth its suggested retail price. You are asking whether it is worth the threshold spend.

Even bottles like E.H. Taylor, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Four Roses Private Selection are creeping beyond reasonable retail in certain markets.

Scarcity and distribution contracts are shaping availability more than actual supply. Which is kinda lame, right?

The End of Brown-Forman Early Times

This may be the bigger story.

The liter-sized Early Times Bottled-in-Bond that many bourbon fans loved has officially transitioned away from Brown-Forman distillate.

The new release:

750ml instead of a liter. But it’ll be a lot cheaper right….? Right?
New bottle design
Produced under Barton (Distillery 12)

The mash bill remains technically consistent. The yeast strain is similar. But aging warehouses, blending decisions, and production oversight have changed.

Even the bottle feels different. The original liter format carried visual weight. The new design feels closer to a standard benchmark shelf bottle. Boo.

At $15 to $20, it was arguably one of the best value bottled-in-bond bourbons available. That era is over.

If you still have the liter version of Early Times on your shelf, you are holding a small piece of bourbon history.

Redwood Empire Haystack Needle Is Quietly Climbing

Redwood Empire continues gaining ground.

Haystack Needle releases are now primarily house-distilled and hovering around eight years of age. That shifts the conversation away from sourcing and toward long-term identity.

The cask strength offerings outperform much of their small lot lineup. The wood-grain bottle design remains one of the more distinctive looks in American whiskey and we can’t get enough of it. Literally, do you have some?

If Redwood continues aging into consistent 10 to 12 year territory with their own distillate, they move from respected to elite.

Redwood Empire Haystack Needle

Gear, Glassware, and Why Details Matter

Cocktails are technique. Bourbon is patience. Gear is intention or at least fun.

Clear ice changes dilution speed -at least the internet says so. Glass shape changes aroma concentration. Even home audio systems change how music or film lands in a room.

These are the surround in-ceiling speakers Blake was talking about installing.

The details matter.

Whether it is dialing in an absinthe rinse, choosing a 100 proof rye, or installing a surround system correctly, small adjustments compound into meaningful experience.

Viski Rocks Glass Set

Final Take on the Improved Whiskey Cocktail

The Improved Whiskey Cocktail is not flashy.

It is not trendy.

It is simply an Old Fashioned with structure and nuance.

Use a 100 proof rye. Control the absinthe. Don’t skip the lemon expression. Stir with intention.

And if there is still a liter of the original Early Times on your shelf, pour it wisely.

This is threshold.

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