Notes and Reviews for Whiskey Ring Podcast Episode 209: 1787 Provenance with Jay West A.K.A T8ke

After a decade of being among the most prolific whiskey reviewers online, Jay West decided to make a change. Switching into the production side of the industry, Jay - also known as T8ke - joined Middleburg Barrel Company full-time in 2025 after beginning a partnership with Viyas Sundaram in 2022.

Leaning into the knowledge gained by dozens if not hundreds of single barrel picks and visits to distilleries and producers, Jay is now Head Whiskeymaker for Middleburg, located about an hour west of Washington, D.C. He and Viyas have also been working with as many as ten different producers - not all in Kentucky! - to source whiskies for the 1787 Provenance 7-Year-Old and 14-Year-Old bourbons, though for now both are only from Kentucky (Bardstown and Frankfort, respectively).

For those who may be concerned, don’t worry - his legendary single barrel program isn’t going anywhere. He is devoting more time to choosing his own single barrels from the Middleburg stocks of around 1000 barrels, selecting ridiculously rare and cool barrels for The Reveries, and exploring blending and finishing.

The most interesting part of the conversation, though, might be the shift that Jay has observed over the ten years in which he’s been writing reviews. Before COVID, people didn’t always take online reviews seriously and it was difficult if not tedious to look at. Reddit’s r/bourbon subreddit (and the many other subreddits that have come and gone) were sometimes serious, sometimes not. Then came Whiskey Raiders, with house reviews (Jay’s) and collected other reviews that gave consumers a legitimate snapshot of multiple opinions in a single place.

During and after the pandemic, people were forced to shift their whiskey habits online, be it reviewing or hanging out, and suddenly online reviews were both taken more seriously and given more thought by their writers (well, most of them…). Whiskey Raiders diversified from whiskey into tequila, gin, and more. T8ke became a (whiskey) household name, and single barrel picks soared from his own site and from r/bourbon where he became a top moderator.

This new chapter is still in the same book, something Jay makes quite clear, but it is a departure nonetheless. With him comes a decade of picking what he feels are good barrels, and by the response over the years it’s fair to say lots of other people trust his palate as well. That skillset is already serving him well at Provenance.

Now, just to get my hands on a Reverie…

Thank you to Jay for entering the Whiskey Ring!

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1787 Provenance

Thank you to 1787 Provenance for providing samples at no charge for the purposes of this interview. All opinions are my own.

1787 Provenance 7 Year Old Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Producer: 1787 Provenance/Middleburg Barrel Company

Mashbill: Undisclosed

Proof: 107º (53.5% ABV)

Age: 7 Years Old

Location: Virginia, Distilled in Kentucky

1787 Provenance 7 Year Old Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey Price: $69.99

Official Website

1787 Provenance 7 Year Old Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Classic bourbon amber. Broad sloughing rims, thick legs and drops.

Nose: Buttery Teddy Grahams and honey. Gentle baking spice, not sharp at all. Red fruits, dried and stewed down, unctuous. Pleasant rye tingle of mint and pepper. Graham cracker pie crust.

Palate: Mild proof sting on the front third of my tongue, grabs my whole tongue when it hits the midpoint. Pie crust joined by clove and black pepper, both warming and coating. Toasted honey sweetness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, nice heft, mild coating astringency. Numbing clove hits the front half of my tongue, ginger molasses cookies, too.

Finish: Oily in a drying way. Medium length, dried red and dark fruit reemerging. Baking spices calm down and remain flavorful for some time.

Overall: An easy sipper for 107, tons of flavor without losing its balance. Surprising completeness for a single barrel. Classic Kentucky bourbon flavor notes, the jolt of clove countering the buttery and honey richness and the pie crust. A 7-year-old bourbon in this market for $70 is pushing the limit, but it’s not out of reach, and there’s no denying this is a great bottle.