By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ The full name for this bottle is 15 Stars Fine Aged Rye Founder’s Reserve, but most 15 Stars concoctions come with a tile of “Fine Aged” something. Another rye from 15 Stars is called First West. To simplify description and avoid confusion, I’ve dropped that part and zeroed in on …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A In late March 2025, Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson approved the release of Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon. “Rather than on a strict age schedule, at Michter’s we bottle whiskey when our production team deems it fully matured. This continues the standards …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- During the 2010s, Utah’s High West made a splash with whiskey nerds for their transparency. Although they were a negociant (or non-distiller producer, as bloggers who didn’t know there was a better term already in use in whisky circles preferred to call such a company), they had two characteristics that set …
J. Mattingly 1845 (formerly known as It’s Bourbon 30 of Georgetown, Kentucky) is purchasing the equity ownership of its founder, Jeff Mattingly. The transaction will leave 100 percent of the company’s ownership with an investment entity controlled by Andrew Varga and Carl Cordova of Gold Corn & Co. “We are honored and thrilled to be …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B The most approachable of the latest Lock, Stock and Barrel releases (I wrote up their 21 year old rye earlier this month) is their new Vatted Rye. Frankly, I adore the name. It is borrowed from the now outmoded Scotch whisky terminology of referring to a blend of malt whiskies …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- The twist for this particular installment of Benchmark Bourbon, a Buffalo Trace whiskey made from the #1 bourbon mash bill and intended as a mass market, bargain shelf product, it draws from barrels aged on the top floors of their rickhouses. In describing Benchmark Top Floor Bourbon, Buffalo Trace Distillery …
Michter’s Distillery will be releasing its Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey and Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon this July. Vintage dated with the year of the bottling, these distinctive whiskeys comprise two-thirds of the Michter’s Legacy Series, to which a third whiskey, Bomberger’s PFG™ (Precision Fine Grain), was added this year. “Our Michter’s production …
Two Stacks Irish Whiskey is giving the often overlooked category of single grain whiskey some real attention with its latest offering, now available throughout the US through importer Foley Family Wines & Spirits. It is available in both a 700 ml bottle and the unique 100 ml Dram in a Can. As one of only …
Jackie Zykan, the former Old Forester Master Taster turned consultant, is stepping away from Hidden Barn Bourbon. Zykan created Hidden Barn Bourbon in 2022, in partnership with Royce Neeley and Nate Winegar. In 2024, Neeley purchased Hidden Barn from the partners, with Zykan remaining as Master Blender and Winegar as Brand Ambassador. Winegar will continue …
Whiskey collecting can be a deeply rewarding hobby. It allows you to explore new tastes, styles, and distilleries. The process of building a collection goes beyond simply acquiring bottles — it’s about curating a selection that reflects your personal preferences while offering investment potential and rare finds. As you would carefully select the best paying …
