Widow Jane Decadence, a maple-syrup-barrel-finished bourbon from Brooklyn, delivers a rich, dessert-like experience with layers of caramel, vanilla, and oak that had even my father-in-law wide-eyed and muttering, “This might be better than Blanton’s.”

Before my adventure as a whiskey enthusiast, I had the pleasure of trying TX Blended Whiskey as a shot. It was late 2012, and I was leaving for the military.