15 Stars, producer of some well-regarded sourced bourbon, has unveiled a new expression: Founders Reserve Fine Aged Rye, a blend of rare straight rye whiskeys aged 14, 13, 9, and 8 years sourced from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. “With Founders Reserve, we set out to create something extraordinary—combining aged rye mashbills from three whiskey-rich states …
By Richard Thomas The other day my inbox had a share in it, a video short from the TikToker Barchemistry about frothing whiskey to improve its taste. The idea is to use a milk frother, the sort of device that an avid home barista ought to have handy, to give the liquid a vigorous stir …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Oban is one of those rare distilleries in Scotland that predates the 1823 Excise Act. That law made it much more feasible to operate a legal distillery, paving the way for the Scotch industry we know today. Founded in 1794, Oban saw the many common twists and turns common to …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- When Sazerac chose to build up the Benchmark line, it really put its back in and did it in one big push, releasing a five-expression brand extension all at once in 2020. Benchmark Bonded was part of that major expansion. The Benchmarks are all Buffalo Trace bourbon mash bill #1 …
Whiskey has long been the drink of choice for high rollers in casinos and it’s not just about taste—it’s about status, focus and tradition. Players at high-stakes tables often choose whiskey because it delivers a calm buzz without clouding judgment. That edge matters when thousands are on the line. Studies show that premium whiskey is …
With its continued focus on sustainability in whiskey, Brother’s Bond Bourbon has unveiled its first-ever micro-batch single barrel release, a Regenerative Grain Straight Bourbon. This expression has also been selected by 1 Hotels, a mission-driven luxury lifestyle hotel brand inspired by nature. Founded by actors, longtime friends, and whiskey experts Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, …
For decades, whiskey has really been something beyond a beverage—an accompaniment of solitude, a toast to triumph and a means of ending the evening. Recently, as online gaming has taken off, a new tradition has developed in households worldwide: the pour before the play. Thanks to online slots and virtual tables, whiskey fans are embracing …
There’s something deeply satisfying about the ritual of a poker night-the subtle friction of cards against the felt, the weight of chips stacked and restacked, the quiet calculations behind poker faces. Just as there’s a difference between whisky and whiskey (and I don’t just mean the spelling), there is also a difference in how you …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ It all started in 2010 with inserting some French Oak staves into existing barrels of maturing bourbon to create Maker’s 46, but since then Maker’s Mark has taken the stave insert concept to its limits. The Loretto distillery erected the world’s only bourbon-aging cellar to further the production process for …
By Richard Thomas Nowadays, a map of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail looks like a skewed quadralateral set onto Central Kentucky. While there are distilleries nestled deep in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky; in the remote river country of the western part of the state; and in bucolic and isolated college towns like Danville; most of …
