By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Last month saw Beam Suntory build on their revamping of the Baker’s brand, long the most neglected of the four brands of Jim Beam’s famed Small Batch Collection of the early 1990s (Blanton’s, Basil Hayden, Knob Creek and Baker’s). Following their conversion of Baker’s to a single barrel expression, they …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ Irish Distillers has once again joined forces with the Mitchell family to unveil the famed, revived Blue Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. The last sighting of Blue Spot in the U.S. dates back to 1964. This year’s unveiling ends a 56-year drought and completes the historic Spot Whiskey …
By Richard Thomas As late autumn arrives, the trees turn bare and the first frosts appear, I restore a bottle of Scots single malt to my liquor shelf. Late autumn to early spring is when I most enjoy most Scotch whiskies, especially the richer or smokier ones. Yet the thing about Scotch is that it …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ About a month ago, Brown-Forman brought a pair of Benriach whiskies across The Pond and to American Shores, these named for two seasonal practices of the distillery. Smoke Season is so named because Benriach sees only a single production run of peated whisky per year, a short run at that. …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ When I realized the latest installment of the King of Kentucky was the fourth, I shook my head in wishful disbelief. Has it really been four years for this revived brand, carrying cask strength, middle aged Brown-Forman juice in the single barrel format? Soon, I will be able to do …
At long last, after half a century, Rosen Rye whiskey is available in bottles for sale. This highly limited single-barrel release of only 100 bottles from Stoll & Wolfe Distillery this month will represent the first time in over 50 years that Rosen, a rye grain specifically and historically grown for use in the distilling …
New Holland Spirits of Holland, MI has released Zeppelin Bend 10 Year Old, a small batch single malt whiskey finished in Australian Sherry Casks. As the oldest single malt hailing from Michigan, Zeppelin Bend 10yr is a must try whiskey for enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike. “Zeppelin Bend is one of the most ambitious projects …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ It’s hard for me to believe that Angel’s Envy Cask Strength has reached it’s 10th anniversary, but here we are! “”Back in 2012, our first Cask Strength release was a run of just 600 bottles available in only two states,” said company co-founder Wes Henderson in a press release. This …
Irish Distillers, makers of some of the world’s most enjoyed whiskeys, is proud to introduce the fourth release in the Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach collection, a remarkable addition that can arguably boast the series’ most significant support of the conservation of oak woodlands yet, as well as adding another important chapter for the pinnacle …
Walsh Whiskey, the company behind the delightfully named Writer’s Tears, have unveiled a first for the Irish whiskey category with the creation of an ice wine finished whiskey. Writers’ Tears – Ice Wine Cask Finish has been produced in collaboration with Inniskillin Winery in Niagara, Ontario, Canada’s original estate winery and leading producer of ice …
