Bloggers and blog readers alike were deeply saddened when one of the more talented writers and critics announced his retirement. Ryan from Value Whisky Reviews stated two weeks ago that he had decided to put away his figurative pen and cease his reviews and experiments.
Ryan’s retirement was brief. In fact, he has another blog already, focusing solely on bourbon (and maybe a little rye). The name of this blog, you ask? Why, it’s Value Bourbon Reviews, of course!
Anybody familiar with Ryan’s previous blog knows his acute sense of analyzing whiskey, and his natural ability to delve deep into the flavors, aromas, and textures within. He never ties price or image to the true quality of the whiskey. He will, however, tell you if the whiskey you are drinking is far overpriced for the quality in the bottle itself.
Aside from standard reviews that don’t always sit well with the masses (something I respect Ryan for immensely), he performs whiskey experiments. He tests ideas like adding water to whiskey and open bottle shelf-life. If you read the comments, you will see that other bloggers agree that Ryan’s curiosity and scientific approach to whiskey are incredibly valuable to the community. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Ryan in person, and he is a very interesting individual; very opinionated but also very open to learning and understanding others’ viewpoints.
So what’s in store for Value Bourbon Reviews? Well, right now Ryan has an introductory post, as well as a re-visited review of Buffalo Trace. He states pretty clearly that reviews won’t be nearly as frequent as with his previous blog, which is just fine by me. I’m certainly glad that Ryan is back, and I’m even more thrilled that he has found a way to enjoy whiskey and continue writing for all the other whiskey nerds on the internet – myself included!
-Ryan
Note: Since I posted this blog, Ryan has decided to put blogging on hold temporarily or even permanently. Value Bourbon Reviews is no longer a live site.
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Thanks for writing this up. I mentioned these events in my third post corroborating Ryan’s experiment with integrated water and whisky – but it deserved its own post. I hear you got his Scotch collection when he divested himself of Scotch. Reviews forthcoming?
Author
Yes, Ryan was generous enough to give me his leftover bottles (and miniatures) of Scotch in exchange for a single bottle of bourbon. Can’t argue with that deal! I will definitely be reviewing; stay tuned.
-Ryan
Ryan, I am honored by the whole post for a mention! Thanks! I appreciate all your praise. I fear that my new site will be a disappointment to prominent blogosphere citizens due to my forthcoming slow pace of reviews, but, I also suspect that life will go on as usual for most people.
BTW: I love how you copied a photo of me from my site, then placed a “whiskey-reviews.com” label on it 😉
Author
It was my pleasure, Ryan. I don’t think your readers will mind the slower pace. I would assume that anybody loyal to you and your blog would understand your rationale and just be happy that you are still writing and still a part of the community.
As far as the picture goes – my bad! 🙂
I had another picture of my own, but it didn’t suit you quite as well, because frankly it wasn’t you. The OCD in me needed to have the label for consistency sake. I hope that’s okay! If not, let me know and I’ll take it down.
-Ryan
Haha, I definitely don’t care! I was just giving you a hard time because it’s a little humorous. Carry on!
Very happy to hear that Ryan is staying in the blogosphere! He is a HIGH quality reviewer and although his output may be less, I have no doubt that he will maintain his own very high standards.
Cheers!
G-LO
Thanks G-LO!